Student Success The Road to Understanding Retention

MASFAA ConferenceNovember 5th, 2009

Iris Godes – Quinsigamond Community College

Sue Lanzillo – Framingham State CollegeBernie Pekala – Boston College

Enrollment as Strategy

Boston College Founded 1863 Irish Catholic Immigrants Boston Immigrants Emerging Boston Middle Class Returning Boston GI’s Boston Leadership Coeducational Regional National National Elite Global

Self-Reported Family Annual Income

5.1% 4.5%

11.5%

27.9%

21.5%

12.6%

17.0%

0.7% 1.1% 2.1%

7.8%

12.4% 11.4%

64.5%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

US Family Households BC Freshmen

AVERAGE FINANCIAL AID OFFERED BY BOSTON COLLEGE, BY COMPONENT

Avg Financial Aid Package

Avg Need-Based Scholarship /Grant

Avg Self-Help Assessment (Work Study/Loans)

Avg Need-Based Loan (excluding PLUS)

Boston College $29,349 $26,241 $5,041 $3,412

Each component average is based on all students who received that form of aid; components will not total $29,349.

COMPOSITION OF AVERAGE FINANCIAL AID PACKAGE, BOSTON COLLEGE, 2008-2009

Scholarship/Grant 84%

Self-Help 16%

Need-Based Loans 11%

Work Study 5%

Student Financing Strategies

70’s Post Financial Crisis Strategy

Repositioning of financial aid Adoption of Need-based Awarding

80’s National Emergence

Higher tuition and higher financial aid Targeted preferential packaging of aid

90’s Top 25% Strategy

Top 50 Universities First steps to meeting full need

Current Strategies Improve access to talented students

Need blind admission Guarantee to meet full financial need Neutralize cost in college choice

Commitment to increase on-campus diversity

Increase Boston College’s international programs

Portable aid to students studying abroad in Boston College Programs

Increase four-year international undergraduate students

Managing College Enrollments

Enrollment as StrategyProspect/ApplicantAdmittedDepositedEnrolledReturningGraduating/Alum

8 , 3 7 8

2 7 , 9 2 6

3 9 , 8 3 7

9 0 , 5 3 8

4 3 1, 12 3

2 , 0 9 2 , 8 7 4

3 , 5 9 6 , 0 0 0

4 , 13 7 , 0 0 0

R eligious P r ef er en ce is C at holic

Wit h en r ollmen t of mor e t han

5 , 0 0 0 st uden t s

P lan t o at t en d a pr ivat e college

or un iver s it y

Wit h a f amily in come of

$ 12 5 , 0 0 0 or higher

S cor e 12 0 0 + on S A T or 2 6 on

A C T

Who will t ake S A T I an d/ or A C T

T est

Number who will have complet ed

High S chool

M ale an d f emales age 18

The National Enrollment Funnel for Private Universities

Source: Census, ACT, College Board, NCES – NLS88, FISAP, EIS

Prospect/Applicant - Research

Most Appealing Attributes by Region

NewEngland Mid-Atlantic Midwest South West Southwest Other

Academic reputation 48.4% 37.6% 30.0% 29.0% 24.0% 22.7% 26.7%

Financial aid guarantee to meet full need 37.0% 26.8% 25.0% 22.2% 22.0% 23.3% 33.3%

Quality of program in your preferred major

25.1% 23.7% 19.3% 16.4% 18.1% 16.5% 26.7%

Institution near Boston 37.7% 23.2% 18.3% 12.3% 14.5% 8.6% 46.7%

Medium enrollment size (8,500 undergraduates)

26.2% 21.6% 17.3% 14.3% 14.7% 11.5% 13.3%

Teaching quality 17.3% 16.7% 16.3% 11.4% 13.6% 13.0% 20.0%

Suburban location 16.1% 15.7% 11.3% 8.8% 9.2% 6.2% 13.3%

Focus on preparation for graduate/professional school

12.6% 14.1% 8.0% 8.3% 10.1% 10.9% 20.0%

Division I athletics 11.0% 9.9% 9.0% 9.0% 8.4% 5.0% 6.7%

Undergraduate research opportunities 10.8% 5.4% 6.3% 7.9% 8.6% 8.0% 0.0%

Jesuit/Catholic affiliation 5.8% 9.4% 7.3% 4.2% 6.0% 4.7% 6.7%

Commitment to service learning 6.5% 5.2% 4.0% 2.9% 4.4% 3.8% 13.3%

Name recognition in my home state 12.3% 4.9% 2.7% 3.1% 2.0% 1.5% 0.0%

Admitted, Deposited & Enrolled Surveys

Deposited – Side noteSummer Melt

ToolsOrientationCourse and/or Roommate SelectionFollow-up by letter, email and telephoneSocial Networks

Analytics ClearinghouseBy Admit typeBy Category

Student Surveys CIRP – Cooperative Institutional

Research Program (Frosh)NSSE – National Survey of Student

Engagement (Frosh and Seniors)

Enrollment Planning (Retention Analytics)

Reports – Projection vs. ActualFrosh, Undergraduate and Graduate

EnrollmentFinancial AidReceivables

FrequencyWeekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Mid-year, Annual, 4 year and 10 year

Competitor analysisBC Top 25

Enrollment Planning (Retention Analytics)

Retention Models – By Class and Admit Status – Frosh and 4

yearsBy School – (includes transfer frequency)By Major – (includes transfer frequency)By Category – Needy, No Need, No App,

etc..By IncomeBy EFC

Enrollment Planning (Retention Analytics)

Need BlindMeet Need-Loan

PolicyTravel AllowancesAppealsOTEDefer Expected AidRegistration HoldHousing HoldDefer One SemesterO/S Aid Policy

IM/FM ConundrumBook Cash CardsLaptop Grants$uccessful StartDean’s CreditSummer AidBC LoansJYA AidTrustee AwardsLast $ Policy

Enrollment Planning (Policies and Tools)

Safety Net Financial Aid Team Student Services Team Admission Team Orientation Team Student Accounts Team

Trained in Financial aid (2 Former Aid Officers) Deans Faculty Advisors Students Staff Woods School

Enrollment Planning (Retention Policies)

AVERAGE TOTAL INDEBTEDNESS OF 2006 GRADUATING CLASS, BC AND "TOP 25"

Boston College

Thank You!