Happy 2025! The start of the spring semester brings a familiar pressure to most admissions teams. Now is the time to focus on the all-encompassing task of confirming the incoming class.

There are multiple strategies to this step beyond sending a welcome packet. Like enrollment management in general, they all have value (if done correctly). The challenge is having the time, while also maintaining the ongoing cycle of enrollment (more on that below).

A few options include:

1. Direct contact conversations have the greatest impact. Admissions counselors will be calling and texting prospects in the hopes of having a direct conversation. The opportunity to listen to questions and concerns at this stage is critical, especially if a relationship has been established. (I can’t tell you the number of times students have told me they chose a particular school because of their rapport with an admissions counselor—including my own son.)
    
2. Email and text messages, specific to this stage, are sent as part of the communication flow. These messages should outline the confirmation process, invite students to attend Accepted Student Day, and also reiterate the institution’s key value points or promise. I recommend including one message from a current student who shares the value of their decision to confirm.
    
3. A letter from a Dean or Department Chair, sent to both the student and parent, is a simple, and effective means of outlining a program’s value, while showing a personalized approach to learning.

Of course, these things take time and effort. Admissions counselors are often on the phone well into the evening, and it is the best use of their time at this stage. Meanwhile, there’s more to be done that can bring in students. Two examples:

• Late-to-enroll digital campaigns: Create an online campaign (social and programmatic/display) that reaches late-to-enroll students and parents. The messaging of the campaign is key to reaching the right prospects. We did a summer enrollment campaign that ran 30 days and yielded 136 first-year and transfer applications and 33 deposits.
   
• Decision-Day campaigns that target admitted students. We did a five-week campaign that converted 62% of the incoming class from admitted to confirmed.

The Challenge

Enrollment management teams are spread thin and they cannot drill down to this level. Yet, there’s more to be done that can bring prospects from “admitted” to “confirmed.”

So, how?

Hire Calculate to support your team and to maximize your incoming class.

While counselors are your best form of direct contact, we can:

• Create, build and launch conversion campaigns
• Write effective messaging, including #2 and #3 above, along with viewbooks and communication flows
• Maximize your website for enrollment, including SEO