Private colleges try to round out fall’s enrollment into summer – USATODAY.com

 

Sewanee took the path less traveled.

Private colleges try to round out fall’s enrollment into summer – USATODAY.com.

Our thought: Parents and students need to be empowered consumers when it comes to the college search and application process.

“The boldest strategic shift this year may have been by the University of the South, which in February announced that it was cutting all student charges for the next year (tuition, fees and room and board) by 10 percent. At the same time, Sewanee announced that it planned to end the bidding wars for top students who, while not necessarily needy, were asking the university to match offers from other institutions. Notably, the announcement came in February — too late to influence applications, although the shift was expected to have a major impact on whether accepted applicants enrolled.

The results so far suggest that Sewanee’s strategy paid off. Last year at this time, Sewanee had 397 deposits. This year it has 424. With the university hoping to enroll a class of 425, it may admit a few off the waiting list to offset any “melt” during the summer. The academic quality of the class appears to be similar to last year’s. And the yield (the percentage of admitted applicants who sent in a deposit) is up by half a percentage point, to 23.5 percent.”