Integrated Graduate Enrollment

Management: Cross-Functional Support

of the Student Lifecycle

Introductions• Joshua LaFave, Director, Center for Graduate

Studies at SUNY Potsdam, New York, USA; NAGAP Representative

• Dora Longoni, Head, International Projects Service, Politecnico di Milano; EAIE CPC member

• Frans Snijders, Director of International Office of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Goals for the Session• Provide context around the notion of “the funnel”

for graduate students• Compare/Contrast the use of and notion around

the funnel• Introduce the concepts of YMAP and 360 degree

funnel • Present Ideas of Graduate Enrollment

Management • Discuss ways that each area of a student lifecycle

can be integrated to support each other as well as sustain a differentiated experience.

September, 17th, 2015 EAIE Conference, Glasgow

International Graduate Enrolment Management at Politecnico di Milano

Dora Longoni – Politecnico di Milano

Where we are

Facts and Figures – Who we are

World EU Italy

Engineering & Technology 24 7 1

QS World University Rankings 2015

Politecnico di Milano Score

Academic Reputation (40%) 84,0

Employer Reputation (30%) 85,7

Citations per Paper Measures productivity for the last five years (15%) 78,1

H-index Citations (15%) Measures both the number of papers produced and the impact of the published work 84,4

Overall 83,7

QS World University Rankings in Engineering and Technology 2015

STUDENTS PROFESSORS & RESEARCHERS

ARCHITECTURE19% of graduated in Italy 9,630 310

DESIGN41% of graduated in Italy 3,988 97

ENGINEERING15% of graduated in Italy 27,211 905

World EU Italy

General Ranking 187 87 1

29LAUREA

(BSc)PROGRAMS

1 in ENGLISH

41LAUREA

MAGISTRALE (MSc)

PROGRAMS

36 in ENGLISH (of which 23

taught ONLY in English)

18 PhD PROGRAMSin ENGLISH 2005/2006

2006/2007

2007/2008

2008/2009

2009/2010

2010/2011

2011/2012

2012/2013

2013/20140

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

2091

2520

3112

3373

3681

43870

47200

5163

5591

22% International Student at MSc level

Internationalisation

International Marketing @ POLIMI

• Since 2005, one central International Marketing Office in charge of promoting all LM (MSc), and PhD programs as of 2013

• No «national» marketing office (no marketing campaigns, no paid adverts in Italy)

• The International Marketing Office takes decision on activities/investments that need to be undertaken to promote all graduate courses;

• The Int’l Marketing office is in charge of the follow-up for all LM programs, i.e. turning enquiries into enrolments

International Admissions @ POLIMI

• Since 2005 one central International Admissions Office in charge of evaluating the credentials of all LM (MSc) applicants (and PhD applicants as of 2013)

• In-house development of an online application and evaluation system for all LM (MSc) international applicants: Same deadlines and requirements for all LM programs

(additional requirements for some programs) Common evaluation criteria, centrally defined Strong synergy with academics, that share the same tool

and are responsible for the final decision on admission

The Strategic Enrolment Management Funnel

ProspectsInterested prospects

ApplicantsAdmitted studentsEnro

lled studentsAl

umni

•Yield/Drop-out

•Return on Investment (ROI)

• Retention

CRM for the Student Life Cycle

PROSPECTIVE

STUDENT

APPLICANT

ADMITTED STUDENT

REGISTERED

STUDENTALUMNUS

The CRM Infrastructure

• Connecting different CRM/EM systems: difficult for large institutions

• Bridging gaps across differentadmininistrative areas

M&R

• prospective student

International Admissions

• applicants• admitted

students

Registrar’s offce

• Pre-registered students

• Current students

Career Service

• Internships• Placement

Alumni

• International chapters

• Software for enquiry management (EMS) www…./contact-us

• Dedicated phone line

• Dedicated Skype account

• Chat on line/Forum

• Social Media

Dedicated Staff

CRM tools

BRIDGING GAP 1: from admitted to enrolled

The central International Marketing Office is in charge of coordinating all communications addressed to all gradaute admitted students from mid April to mid September:

• Information provided by the Student Services Area on registration deadlines, fees, scholarship contracts, etc.

• Information provided by the different campuses on residence halls, booking deadlines, campus life etc.

• Information on additional services/opportunities provided by other bodies, etc.

• E-mail communciations once, maximum twice a week• Phone calls to specific target groups

BRIDGING GAP 2: Welcome, integration, and career

BUDDIES for assisting int’l students before arrival and during the first months of their student life• POLIMI students with at least 6 months experience and similar interests• 1 Buddy every 2 int’l students• Focus on cultural integration

INTERNATIONAL WELCOME WEEK• Focus on Study Plan, meetings with professors in charge of the study

program• Integration activities and fun

INTERNATIONAL CAREER FAIR• For companies interested in hiring int’l students and for students interested

in working abroad

BRIDGING GAP 3: Student satisfaction and retention

All critical aspects are dealt with at central level whenever necessary by:

• The Vice–Rector on internationalisation, the International Delegates of the Rector (10)

• The Director of the Student Services Area

• The Director of Communications, and the Head of International Marketing and Admissions

FUNNEL OPTIMIZATION

VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT AMSTERDAM 2015

April 2013

19

VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT’S POSITION• Comprehensive university in Amsterdam• Ranked 98 in ARWU, 136 in THES• 25,000 students (15,000 undergraduate, 10,000 graduate)• From decentralized internationalization staff to a centralized

office mid 2013.• Target for new international degree enrollments: +100% in 5

years.• New international enrollments in 2015/2016 (narrow

definition: foreign nationality, foreign diploma, English taught program) 760

• Integrated approach to funnel optimization• Borrowing (with intelligence) from general management

techniques

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FUNNEL MANAGEMENT

Managing the funnel means enrolling the students we want in terms of both quantity, quality and diversity against the lowest possible costs. So we have both an efficiency and an effectiveness issue to address.• Increase efficiency. Following a simple and

straightforward application of the Theory of Constraints in optimizing our funnel processes.

• Increase effectiveness (conversion, admission rates, yield) through marketing information and applying sales techniques

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THE IMPORTANCE OF IT

• Process digitization. Handling inquiries and processing applications may be a tougher problem than marketing your programs. Rationalize and digitize your processes before embarking on a large scale marketing effort.

• Exchanging data between the student information system and the CRM system. Not just in the applications phase, but also during orientation.

• Pushing data from the CRM system to Outlook, creating the agenda of our “sales force”.

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METRICS TO CONNECT THE RECRUITMENT AND STUDY STAGE OF THE FUNNEL (1)

Feeding study performance data back to recruitment activities is the promise of a well digitized and integrated funnel. It will allow us to answer such questions as:• What was the effect in terms of registered

students of our participation in fair XX ?• What is the effect of calling students versus

mailing them ?• What was the effect of a specific webinar, again in

terms of registered students• How can we improve yield and conversion• How do nationalities differ? To what extent do they

require a different approach.

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METRICS TO CONNECT THE RECRUITMENT AND STUDY STAGE OF THE FUNNEL (2)

• What should be better communicated to our prospects about studying at VU?

• If we get additional marketing budget, where should we spend it on?

• Are there any differences in the performance of our “sales force”. If so, can we dig down to the underlying behavior or traits?

• Among the first 50 colleges in the U.S.

• Oldest of the 64 SUNY campuses in the state of New York

• Comprehensive Liberal Arts• Birthplace of American Music

Education• One stop shop office – Center for

Graduate Studies

NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management is the only professional organization devoted exclusively to the concerns of

individuals working in the graduate enrollment management environment.

Celebrating its 29th anniversary, NAGAP began as an organization specifically for recruitment/admissions professionals, an now

supports those working in graduate education throughout the entire student lifecycle.

www.nagap.org

The Funnel Conundrum

Enrolled

Admits

Applicants

Prospects

Retained

Leave of Absence

Dismissal

Attrition

Y-MAPYour Math is Always Perfect? Yes. – My Admits

PlummetedYou! Make A Plan!

Yield, Melt, Attrition and Persistence

Formulas for Strategic Enrollment Planning

Yield

Melt

Attrition

Persistence

The Student Lifecycle

Continuous Loop of Enrollment Planning with “Y-MAP”

Y-MAP Enrollment Plan

Admits

Applicants

Prospects

360° Funnel

Confirmed

Withdrawals

AcademicLeave

Dismissals

Total Applications

Completed Applicants

Admits Confirmed

667=556*1.2 or(80% completion)

≥ 556= 417/.75 or (75% Selectivity)

417= 342 * 1.22 or (78% Yield)

342 (300 goal with 14% melt [300*1.14])

Withdrawals Academic Leave of Absence

Dismissals Graduation

12=290*.04 or

16 Students 2 50

Total Applications

Completed Applicants

Admits Confirmed

845=704*1.2 or(80% completion)

≥ 704= 528/.75 or (75% Selectivity)

528= 433 * 1.22 or (78% Yield)

433 (380 goal with 14% melt [380*1.14])

Analyze how your structures and activities support the funnel, and what your data is saying…

Interdependent Model in GEM

Practice of “silo’ing” aspects of the student lifecycle

Awareness

Alumna/Alumnus

Working Definition of GEM

Graduate Enrollment Management (GEM) is a

comprehensive approach to managing the graduate student lifecycle from initial awareness

to alumna/alumnus by integrating the core functions associated with the enrollment

and support of a graduate student.

Integrated Interdependence in GEM

Student Services in GEM: Integrating the Student Lifecycle

The 4 “O’s” of Graduate Enrollment Management

• Onboarding

• Orientation

• Ongoing

• Outgoing

Onboarding: The key to engaging confirmed students and ensuring matriculation

Orientation: A symbolic transition or “rite of passage” into graduate schoolA time to inspire and engage. The final piece to solidifying their decision to attend your institution?

Ongoing: The experiences that you establish. A shared experience vs. a delivered one. What happens beyond the walls of the classroom and it’s impact on the retention and attraction of your programs.

Outgoing: What do you do to prepare them to be successful? Set the state for active alumni engagement. You need them!

The 4 “O’s” in Enrollment Management: Integrating the Experience

The “GEM Effect” can be identified as the correlation

(positive or negative) between the outcomes within functional areas

of the graduate student experience and their impact on other areas which becomes the makeup of the graduate student

experience.

Questions for Consideration:

Do you see any integrated elements at your institution?

What are ways you can positively impact marketing and recruitment by considering other functional areas within the student lifecycle?

In which sense would some of these concepts be applicable or impact your success in recruitment and retention of students?