Background: Graduate admissions in psychology continue to be a popular and competitive venture, with the demand for new graduate student opportunities exceeding the annual supply. Objective: Our present work was a partial replication and extension of Appleby and Appleby (2006). We added closed- and open-ended questions regarding social media to…

As revenue uncertainties, an increased questioning of the value of higher education, and a decrease in the number of students graduating from high school have created a challenging landscape for higher education leaders, never has it been so important for colleges and universities to think like a business in order to attract and enroll enough…

Despite evidence that informational interventions can influence K-12 school choices, we know little about the mechanisms through which they work and the factors that produce heterogeneity in student responses. Through a school-level randomized controlled trial conducted in 473 New York City middle schools serving 115,000 eighth graders, we…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand demographic group (race, first-generation college graduate, gender, age) differences among perceived family and faculty social and family financial support within the US graduate school admissions pipeline in the social sciences. Design/methodology/approach Using data from a cross-sectional…

This research study analyzed the curriculum of school counselor preparation programs and programs' emphasis on preparing counselors to support students in their college admissions and college choice processes. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, including surveys of counselor education department chairs and document analysis of the…

Employee engagement, or the extent to which an employee is fully immersed in their work can lead toward higher retention, greater productivity, and increasing profits in a workplace environment. Engagement is driven by a variety of conditions, and when met has the ability to provide many positives in a work environment. Conversely, a lack of…

Undermatching continues to create barriers to access to post-secondary opportunities for low-income students from urban public high schools. According to Belasco and Trivette (2015), postsecondary undermatch occurs when students fail to enroll at a college or university that possesses a level of selectivity their academic credentials would permit…

As admissions counselors expanded their footprint in online spaces to connect with prospective students and families during COVID-19, the same has been done by many institutions--for years and long before the pandemic--with digital swag. This study will provide a baseline from which enrollment managers can understand how "digital swag"…

The purpose of this mixed methods action research study was to implement digital outreach strategies, which would enhance students' motivation to complete financial aid requirements and scale the departments' more time-consuming counseling efforts. Using self-determination theory as the primary framework, I implemented the use of a series of…

Purpose: This study investigated the usefulness of various communication means for providing university study information with prospective students before and during the pandemic for three consecutive academic years. Design/methodology/approach: Students who had recently taken undergraduate program admission indicated how useful communication…

Parents and guardians often have more fear than their students about the journey off to college. They are unsure about fit, cost and value, distance, health and safety, an empty nest, and more. COVID-19 has added even more factors into the mix. The pandemic drastically changed the way many colleges deliver instruction, as well as the ways students…

As the number of traditional-aged college students has declined, competition has risen. Admission counselors, who are responsible for recruiting entering students, bear the brunt of this challenge. Nowhere is recruitment more important than at tuition dependent institutions, where revenue from student charges is the financial lifeblood. These…

Like most National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) affiliates, the Western Association for College Admission Counseling (WACAC) earns most of its revenue from a trifecta of professional development events: Share, Learn, Connect (SLC) sessions, college fairs, and an annual conference. Last summer when the WACAC executive board…

There are a growing number of creative new ways that college admission professionals are reaching students and their families, but often, experts say, the biggest payoff can come from the simplest technique: building relationships. And those relationships may extend beyond the short-lived connections to the student who is inquiring or enrolling,…

There is a lack of research on institutional e-accessibility and transfer-credit-software adoption and how these technologies impact college students and professionals. Accordingly, this study explores how adopting technology products can improve the transfer process experience for transfer admission counselors and students. In doing so, the study…