Higher education professionals in college and university admissions utilize various forms of communication in enrolling their fall class. The problem with the digital generation, also known as the Millennials, is that students have disconnected from the personal touch - the connection that is established between the student, their admissions counselor and the institution. Often it is found that this connection helps prospective students find that perfect fit in selecting a college.
This study identifies several technological approaches and evaluates their effectiveness in undergraduate admissions recruitment. A review of the literature revealed that recent technological advances such as social media, personal electronics and electronic communication have changed the overall engagement of students, and how they select a specific institution post high school. This is a mixed method study using both qualitative and quantitative data that examines student attitudes and participation in recruitment.
Results indicated that colleges and universities are actively participating in digital marketing tools to boost recruitment. The most common tools have been identified as email communication, online net price calculators, website recruitment pages, email searches and Google Analytics.