Inside Higher Ed
October 13, 2022 Admissions, Student Success
The national average composite ACT score for the high school class of 2022 was the lowest in over three decades. The trend of declining average scores, however, began long before the pandemic. While more students took the exams this year, the numbers were still fewer than in 2020. There are also vast differences in the scores of students by race and ethnicity.
Higher Ed. Dive
October 05, 2022 Admissions, Enrollment Management Trends
Federally funded institutions must send their application counts to the U.S. Department of Education each year. The new IPEDS reporting policies could prompt institutions to examine the barriers for students to finish their college applications, which could help eliminate roadblocks that prevent underrepresented students from applying.
Inside Higher Ed
September 26, 2022 Admissions, Enrollment Management Trends
Diversity continues to be a top recruitment priority for university leadership. At the annual NACAC meeting, Admissions professionals across the country discussed efforts and strategies with an intentional focus on BIPOC enrollment.
Inside Higher Ed
September 12, 2022 Admissions, Enrollment Management Trends
U.S. News rankings will no longer punish schools where most student don’t submit SAT or ACT scores. In their new calculation, they increased the weight of high school class standing and average graduation rate for those schools that report SAT/ACT scores for less than 50 percent of new entrants. For test-blind schools, rankings value is equal to the lowest test score in their rankings.
Higher Ed. Dive
September 08, 2022 Enrollment Management Trends, Student Success
Researchers found that 5.6% of undergraduate and graduate students surveyed identified as caregivers. 3.2% cared for someone who was chronically ill or aging, and 2.9% cared for a minor. These students were disproportionately women, graduate students, financial aid recipients, and enrolled part time. Such students had lower average GPAs and a higher likelihood to report depression and anxiety symptoms. It is recommended institutions proactively identify such students and design policies to minimize emotional and academic risk factors.
Inside Higher Ed
September 06, 2022 Enrollment Management Trends, Student Success
As institutions navigate employees’ desires for flexibility in work location and hours, there is agreement that student needs should be central to decision-making. College and university officials may not realize, however, that most students don’t expect or feel they need in-person, non-faculty staff on campus. Students indicated via a recent survey, however, that certain departments should always have at least some staff physically working on campus, such as financial aid and counseling centers.
Inside Higher Ed
August 30, 2022 Research, Student Success
A recent study found that male-female research teams produce more innovative, impactful research than all-male or all-female teams. Male-female teams publish up to 7 percent more novel papers, and are also 15 percent more likely to be highly cited than all-male or all-female teams.
Higher Ed. Dive
August 19, 2022 Student Success, Value and Affordability
A student who is a parent and works 10 hours per week at a minimum wage job cannot afford tuition and child care at a public institution in any state. On average, these students need to work 50 hours per week to meet their expenses. Increasing the federal minimum wage, doubling the Pell Grant for low-income students, expanding on-campus child care, and collecting additional data about student parents are potential strategies to help mitigate this disparity.
Higher Ed. Dive
August 12, 2022 Admissions, Enrollment Management Trends
The Common Application will expand a pilot program that offers students who create Common App profiles and provide their academic histories automatic admission to select institutions. Representatives from the Common App said students were more likely to apply to institutions if they received automatic admission.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
August 04, 2022 Admissions, Enrollment Management Trends
In the weeks leading up to the start of classes, a portion of students who commit to attend a given university will “melt” away. Lost students leave gaps in campus budgets and vacant seats in classrooms. While efforts from enrollment managers have helped combat some melt, additional strategies may need to be explored to keep students engaged with the university.