Untangling Enrollment with Streamlined Communications
For many students, getting admitted to college is only the first step: navigating the enrollment process can present even greater challenges. Coppin State University (CSU), a historically Black university in Maryland, recognized that adult transfer students have unique circumstances and needs that are often overlooked by traditional enrollment systems.
We discovered that admitted students struggled to navigate enrollment requirements due to siloed, redundant, or conflicting email communications from various departments. Students were left unsure about how to complete important steps like meeting with their advisor or registering for classes.
Our Approach
To address these challenges, we created a set of streamlined emails from a central messenger, tailored to adult students. The emails highlighted key information while also providing actionable enrollment guidance.
The Results
We piloted the redesigned communications campaign with current adult transfer students. To evaluate its impact, we sent out a survey to learn about students’ enrollment experience. Half of the students we surveyed had seen our newly designed emails, while the other half had received the same emails as in previous years.
We found that students who were shown the new emails reported feeling significantly more prepared to complete upcoming enrollment steps.
Students who saw our revised emails also felt more prepared to navigate financial aid options.
Lastly, students shown a simplified inbox with emails from a single messenger felt more confident managing important enrollment communications than those shown a typical student inbox cluttered with irrelevant or repetitive messages from multiple senders.
Our findings reveal that behaviorally informed communications can effectively enhance the student enrollment experience, with particular benefit to adult students, transfer students, and others with unique circumstances and needs.
What students say…
“I did not see the above information during my registration in Spring 2023. It would have saved me a lot of time and effort. I think this is a great option for future students.”
“I like the way the hypothetical email looks well streamed especially with the labels. The way my inbox is set up now is very overwhelming”
Want to try this at your school?
Access guidance and templates to build your own dynamic, personalized, actionable enrollment road map to help students complete the necessary steps to make it to Day One of classes.
Explore behavioral best practices for written communications that drive engagement.
Email us at education@ideas42.org with any questions or to learn more.