Welcome back to the second part of our series on enrollment strategies for increasing your adult learner population. In my last blog, I discussed how adult learners may be able to give institutions a much-needed boost to their enrollment by offsetting the decline of traditional-age students. I also shared two strategies on how to lay the foundation for attracting the right adult learner. In this blog, I go further into how you can engage with the adult learner as an individual.

Barriers to Enrolling

The idea of going back to school has been in adult learners’ minds for quite some time, but as more time passes, more obstacles appear. Lack of time, cost to attend, and fear of academic preparedness are major obstacles adults face when considering returning to, or beginning, college. Identifying the value of their life experiences and addressing their obstacles can help adult learners take the initial steps to enroll. Getting adults to recognize their own experiences — and value — will help them overcome their perceived inadequacies.

Value to Classroom

Dr. Charles Backes, a former colleague of mine with more than 30 years in adult and career education says, “Having adults in my courses changes the entire course along with the way that I teach it. In a traditional, child-centered setting, content is delivered in such a way that the young learner can put it away to be used at a much later time. For adults, particularly those who are in the workforce, application can be immediate. In fact, adult learners prefer to be able to conceptualize and apply information right away to tasks and situations that are current and possibly problematic. When I can provide specific examples of content application and tie it to something they have experienced, it brings the content of the course to life and makes it relevant. It can also lead to meaningful discussions for the whole class, whereby much of the course content may be actually delivered by the students themselves under the direction of the instructor.”

Life experiences help with learning and processing information, especially when earning a degree. Think about how the classroom and learning experience will change with adult learners in attendance — what value they bring and the positive impact on traditional students.

Prior Learning Credits

Adult learners’ life experiences have tremendous value and are an opportunity to attract them to earn a degree. For example, Patricia Nagy-Travieso is a psychology major, returning to college after working 20 years as a writer for ELLE magazine. The institution she attends gave her credit for required English courses after reviewing her portfolio and evaluating her work experience. Trish said, “It felt both incredible and humbling for me to get credit for my work at ELLE magazine, where I had spent over two decades of what would become the first half of my professional career. I perceived it as a recognition for my years-long experience in branding, media management, and content creation, and it ultimately had a concrete impact on my future education as I embarked on returning to school to pursue a completely new professional path in psychology. I was profoundly grateful to have my past work recognized by the educational institution I had chosen, and it absolutely motivated me as I navigated the ups and downs of going back to school mid-career, changing careers. The credits for my portfolio were a supporting and motivational validation in a professional decision that is not always easy to make, and helped to make the pieces fall into place. I now have a year left before I graduate with a BS in psychology, and I couldn’t be more excited about my studies, and my future.”

Creating a clear process for evaluating and providing academic credit based on life experiences not only provides a strong message to adult learners that those experiences have value and are appreciated by your institution, but also makes it that much faster and financially possible to start or complete their degree.

Once you have identified who your adult learners are, the programs they are interested in and the way they like to receive communications, your job is done, right? Hardly.

Communicating with adult learners is critical as an enrollment strategy and where the rubber meets the road. Institutions should review the entire communication journey for adult learners — from website and application to emails and events, and reflect on whether the language being used is appropriate for this audience. In a nutshell, you should speak to adult learners differently than you would speak to traditional-age students because they have vastly different experiences and perspectives.

Using the right words, in the right channels, at the right time is critical, but it also requires significant time, resources, and energy to craft, execute, and monitor your campaign’s progress.

Although there will always be challenges in higher education, this is an unprecedented time because there are just so many factors that have many institutions scrambling to address their declining enrollment with declining resources.

Don’t worry, though, you’re not alone. Spark451’s experienced strategy team has the resources to help institutions like yours identify potential adult learners and to craft a sound plan to help usher them through the enrollment funnel.

To discuss your institutions’ strategy to enroll adult learners, and Spark451’s innovative solutions and proven results with adult learners, please reach out.

Across the globe, industries have experienced unexpected challenges due to the COVID-19
pandemic, and higher education is no different. Burnout, gaps in staff, lack of accessibility to resources, and changes in mental well-being have impacted us all. During the past two years, and especially more recently, colleges have faced additional hurdles to enrollment — declining freshman classes, attrition of faculty/staff, and reduction in resources. With the onslaught of challenges and more uncertainty ahead, leveraging adult learners can give institutions a much-needed boost to their enrollment.

Colleges are seeing a decrease in traditional (under the age of 25) students. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s (NSCRC) June 2022 Undergraduate Degree Earners Report, traditional-age students decreased by approximately 25,000 students from the 2019–2020 school year, falling by 0.5%. Instead of enrolling in college right away, many high school graduates are opting to enter the workforce, where they can earn higher wages than companies were paying pre-COVID.

The challenges don’t stop there. Institutions across the country are experiencing the pressure to hit increasing enrollment goals with decreasing resources. Also, fear of a recession has some families rethinking the financial obligation that college requires. Plus, for the last several years, those in enrollment management have been preparing for the looming “enrollment cliff” coming in 2025 due to low birth rates during the 2008 recession, which will result in a prominent decrease in the college-aged population.

All of this paints a bleak picture for college enrollment. However, as with any challenge, there are some opportunities. Specifically, NSCRC’s June 2022 report shows an increase of 1.4% in the population of adult learners. Adults returning to college to hone their crafts, advance in their careers, or prepare for a shift in their careers is a chance for colleges to diversify their college classes, while filling in the enrollment gaps.

Here, I’ll share some ideas to help you reach and connect with adult audiences. Since this is a big topic, I broke this blog into two parts. Read my first two strategies in this post, and then, come back next week when my other two strategies will be released.

Source: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center

Evaluating and optimizing academic programs to evolve with demand and interest is a critical first step. According to NSCRC, the number of students earning baccalaureate– and associate-level degrees increased by 0.7% and 0.3%, respectively during the 2020–21 academic year. That 0.3% increase in associate level degrees is important, as the previous year saw a 3.7% decline. Take a look at your institution’s offerings, and consider if there are any additional degree programs you may be able to add to meet the changing needs of adult learners.

Another aspect of a college’s academic program to evaluate is the way the courses are offered. Although a majority of students prefer to have access to some fully online instruction (according to a Digital Learning Pulse Survey, 73% somewhat or strongly agreed that they would like to take some fully online courses in the future) many still prefer in-person learning. Asynchronous courses, meaning the student can access the course content on his or her schedule, are attractive to students who have full-time jobs or are located in other time zones, increasing your pool of potential students.

Unlike traditional students, adults aren’t sitting in a high school classroom most of the day, but rather working, traveling to their kids’ practices, participating in committees, and taking care of their families. Identifying the right adult learners for your institution, based on your programs and course modality, takes creativity and strategy. Developing an adult learner marketing strategy that is too broad is a common mistake, resulting in a lukewarm outcome.

Instead, be more specific in your approach to identify and reach the best students for your institution with the best message. For example, using digital media ads that speak directly to that person about the program he/she is interested in will have better results than a general campaign with broad messaging hoping to reach all potential adult learners. You can support these campaigns with personalized microsites or program-specific landing pages that will use targeted messaging that will resonate with each particular audience.

The pandemic has impacted the number of students completing their degrees, with many leaving college just short. A recent Gallup-Lumina Foundation survey revealed that 85% of students who left college during the pandemic have considered re-enrolling. Reasons for leaving include decrease in finances, stress, academic concerns, and work obligations. Crafting strategies to address these specific concerns may be the key to getting these students to return to your institution.

Many companies offer tuition reimbursement or incentive programs to encourage their employees to obtain a degree. Identifying and forming partnerships with companies can benefit all parties — helping employers attract and retain employees and helping your institution reach its enrollment goals.

Enrolling adult learners is complex, but the ideas shared above should help you start crafting the enrollment strategy you need to be successful. Be on the lookout for my final two strategies in a blog that will be posted in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to schedule time to discuss tactics for your institution’s enrollment needs. At Spark451, we can help identify data points, such as socio-economic status, job searches in the college’s area, and other key indicators to help ensure your institution has the programs to attract adult learners and in the modality they prefer, and we can help you identify the right tactics for reaching those prospective students. We’d love to discuss your institution’s specific enrollment challenges and help you develop a plan to fill those gaps.

Over the past two years, higher education institutions have experienced turnover at an alarming rate. The Chronicle of Higher Education found that U.S. colleges and universities have shed more than 650,000 employees since the pandemic started. And the U.S. Department of Labor has not seen such a rapid decline in academic employment since it began keeping industry records in the late 1950s.

One of the most trusted and frequently used higher education job search engines, HigherEdJobs.com, lists over 4,500 available positions within admissions, enrollment management, and marketing across the country. These positions range from Vice President of Enrollment Management and Director of Marketing and Communications to CRM Specialist and Admissions Counselor. In fact, when surveying 20 random colleges and universities around the nation, we found there were 192 open positions. That’s an average of 10 per school in admissions, enrollment management, or marketing alone.

While the darkest times of the pandemic seem to be behind us and colleges have welcomed students back to campus, many schools are still feeling the hardships of the past two years. As an admissions team, you have adapted to communicate, think, and work differently. However, you’re also being asked to do a lot more with less, and you may not have the bandwidth to keep admission and enrollment projects moving along, the manpower to stay ahead of higher education technology that is ever changing, and continue to be innovative and competitive.

Let’s see how this translates into realistic situations.

1. Utilize Your Internal Resources: Offer internship or employment opportunities to reliable students seeking experience in higher education admissions, marketing, or data analysis and information technology.
2. Expand the Role of Your Student Ambassadors: Hire reliable student ambassadors to complete admission tasks such as phone and email follow up, and scheduling appointments for counselors. This can free up your admission staff to be more available for travel, connecting with prospective students, and application review and decision-making.
3. Employ a Higher Ed Marketing Partner: Allocate unused budgets toward allowing a higher education marketing agency to take on admission and marketing projects for you. In my role as a Marketing Strategist, I partner with a diverse mix of colleges and universities, working with them on an ongoing basis to discuss unique strategies and tactics to improve their enrollments. I know that the leaders at these schools value the fact that I am there as a partner to focus on opportunities and ensure campaigns are running effectively.

It’s refreshing to see smiling faces on campus, open house events running again, and a more vibrant energy among faculty and staff. So, while certain difficulties of the past two years remain, there are effective solutions available to keep recruitment competitive, admission projects and systems running, and budgets under control.

To discuss your unique situation and the pain points you’re currently facing, please reach out to us. Our experienced strategy team would love the opportunity to bring innovative solutions to the table and develop a strategic plan to help shape your next fall class.

Westbury, NY — Spark451, a Jenzabar company, is proud to welcome Ryan Hogan, our newest Senior Business Development Strategist. Based in Southern Georgia, Hogan will work closely with the company’s partner institutions primarily in the Southeast to help them achieve their enrollment goals.

“Ryan is well-known throughout the higher education community, and he brings a great deal of valuable experience to this role,” says Steve Kerge, Vice President of Business Development, Spark451. “I’m very enthusiastic about the insights and support he will be able to deliver to our partner colleges and universities.”

Hogan has spent 22 years in admissions and marketing at Valdosta State University. He fell in love with higher ed when he started working as an orientation leader during his freshman year at the university. He has since spent the entirety of his professional career climbing the ranks of the admissions office from recruiter, to associate director, and ultimately, to Director of Undergraduate Admissions — a position he’s held since 2015.

Throughout his tenure with Valdosta State, Hogan has become an expert at developing enrollment strategies as well as designing and executing marketing plans for undergraduate students, graduate students, adult learners, transfer students, and other prospective student pools. Along the way, he’s had several major wins, including:

• Enrolling the institution’s largest undergraduate class in history for Fall 2020 — a 9% increase over the previous fall (and he pulled it off in spite of all COVID-19-related challenges)
• Developing and implementing the university’s graduate recruitment strategy from scratch
• Increasing the institution’s Hispanic student population through targeted marketing campaigns
• Helping the university launch an online college for career advancement
• Building relationships with employers who can provide tuition reimbursement for employees who head back to school

Hogan brings a strong understanding of multichannel marketing tactics. He believes in data- driven decision-making and knows the importance of personalized messaging. He also has vast experience with implementing and using a wide range of CRMs, including Slate. Hogan also holds both a B.BA in management and an M.Ed in educational leadership from Valdosta State University.

After two decades of working in-house at a university, Hogan is looking forward to joining the Spark451 team so he can help multiple institutions identify winning strategies and achieve their enrollment goals. “After all of my years working in higher education, I understand the enrollment pressures colleges are facing,” he says. “I am looking forward to getting to know other colleges’ needs, and through Spark451, becoming their partner for success.”