HomeResourcesBoosting Out-of-State Enrollment 22 Percent

Boosting Out-of-State Enrollment 22 Percent


Weber State University (Utah)

“The questions that we’ve been working through with RNL when it comes to data-driven decisions have been a game changer for us.”

—Scott Teichert, Director of Admissions

 

Weber State University Case Study

With new campus goals to increase the number of out-of-state students, the university was looking to supplement the incoming student class with a fresh approach to their already ambitious recruitment and retention plans.

Partnership

Weber began work with Ruffalo Noel Levitz in 2016 for strategic enrollment planning and recruitment consulting. The university initially focused on new, out-of-state markets. Through the strategic enrollment planning process, the university saw the opportunity to make a broader impactand immediately began using RNL Demand Builder for search, RNL Applicant Cultivator, RNL ForecastPlus, RNL Advanced FinAid Solutions™, RNL TrueCost Calculator™, and RNL Digital Dialogue. Drawing on their strong regional footprint, Weber wanted to ensure that students both enroll and persist to graduation.

“We’ve always been committed to having affordable tuition here at Weber, and in order to keep our tuition affordable, we knew that we had to adjust the mix of students so that our in-state students still have strong access and our out-of-state students have access to the incredible opportunities here, too,” said Scott Teichert, director of admissions. “So when we first started, we were really trying to figure out how to increase the number of out-of-state students. But what that conversation also dove into was, ‘What are our value propositions for our in-state students as well? What are we doing, not only to get them in the door, but to keep them here at the institution?’”

The university created initiatives for out-of-state students that helped campus see how the out-of-state demographics fit into the broader institutional mission and vision. The team also took a hard look at their financial aid offerings and revamped all of their scholarships. Thinking more like a private institution was also beneficial when developing initiatives. The data-centered approach to financial aid, combined with retention strategies, brought quick success for campus.

Notable achievements

Weber’s efforts paid off both in-state and out-of-state. Since 2017, the university has accomplished the following:

  • According to current point-in-time analysis, a 30 percent increase in out-of-state freshman admits and a 12 percent increase for in-state freshmen.
  • According to current point-in-time analysis, a 22 percent increase in out-of-state freshman enrollments, and an increase of 4 percent in-state.

Going forward

Weber plans to continue finding new ways to use data. “The questions that we’ve been working through with RNL when it comes to data-driven decisions have been a game changer for us, because now we really are looking at the analytics to make important campuswide decisions,” Teichert said. “The ability to look at things as interconnected pieces has been really helpful for us as a campus. It’s not just the admissions office facing the world. We’re all connected to each other.”

Seeing that connection has helped campus to understand the bigger picture, creating momentum for future initiatives. “I think, if I could alleviate anyone’s fears, what I appreciated more than anything else with our particular RNL team, is that they’ve really, honestly tried to understand the nuances of our own campus,” Teichert said. “We all are champions of each other’s successes. It’s been really refreshing, working with RNL, because I think they all understand that it’s all interconnected, and I’ve really been impressed that RNL’s success is directly tied to our success.”

Weber State University’s results

30% INCREASE
out-of-state freshman admits

22% INCREASE
out-of-state freshman enrollment

4% INCREASE
in-state freshman enrollment

Results over three-year average

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Weber State University enrollment marketing case study

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