Skidmore enlists faculty to recruit students as national enrollment rates fall

Colleges are rebranding their admissions offices to appear less intimidating as they compete for a shrinking pool of students. Institutions are moving away from a secretive, exclusive image toward a more open and friendly process to secure enrollment. This shift is driven by a projected 13% decline in the supply of traditional-age freshmen over the next 15 years, according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

The financial pressure is forcing administrators to rethink how they interact with prospective students. The proportion of high school graduates who attend college dropped to 63% in 2024, down from 70% in 2016, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Two-thirds of admissions leaders reported trouble meeting enrollment targets in at least one of the last two years, according to a Niche survey. Ninety-seven percent expect competition to increase.

Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, is implementing a new strategy that involves faculty members in the recruiting process. Historically, faculty left this task to the admissions office. Now, professors meet with prospective applicants and open their labs and classrooms to them. Jess Ricker, the college's vice president for enrollment, said this helps create a sense of belonging and distinguishes the school from competitors on students' lists.

The college's enrollment numbers are currently stable, with an acceptance rate of 24% and a yield of 24%. However, President Marc Conner noted that Skidmore faces the same headwinds as other institutions. The college encourages staff from dining halls to groundskeepers to be welcoming to visitors. More than three-quarters of admitted students who visited campus last year for reasons other than a standard open house requested to sit in on a class or meet with a faculty member.

Faculty members are being persuaded to join the effort by connecting student enrollment to their own financial stability. Johnnie Johnson, vice president for enrollment management at Washington College in Maryland, told faculty that each student represents programmatic funding and potential raises. He noted that faculty are aware of colleagues at institutions that have closed or cut programs. At Ohio Northern University, at least one faculty member now meets with every visiting applicant.

The changing dynamics also affect how colleges manage yield, the percentage of admitted students who actually enroll. Yield at public colleges fell from 32% in 2014 to 22% in 2024, while yield at private nonprofit institutions dropped from 24% to 18% over the same period, according to federal data. Colleges must admit around five times as many students as they need to fill their classes. Common App users now apply to an average of more than seven schools, making it harder for enrollment managers to predict final numbers.

Angel Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, stated that the majority of U.S. institutions accept the majority of applicants. Nearly 8 in 10 first-year applicants to public colleges and 7 in 10 to private colleges are accepted. Only 33 colleges and universities in the country admit 10% or fewer of their undergraduate applicants.