This article discusses Sundar Kumarasamy and how he is remaking the rituals of recruitment at the University of Dayton. For years Sundar Kumarasamy walked through the lobby of the University of Dayton's admissions building and daydreamed about changing every inch of the place. Mr. Kumarasamy, the university's vice president for enrollment…

Each year, admissions officers know that a small percentage of admitted applicants who sent deposits will not show up. The phenomenon, known as "summer melt," has many causes. Students might change their plans because they suddenly get off their first-choice college's waiting list--or because they opt to spend a year caring for penguins in…

The recession has turned Americans into numbers addicts. Seemingly endless supplies of statistics--stock prices, retail sales, and the gross domestic product--offer various views about the health of the nation's economy. Higher education has its own economic indicators. Among the most important is "yield," the percentage of admitted students who…

This article is the third in an occasional series on how colleges have tackled some of the basic challenges of internationalizing their campuses. Tufts University has long been an internationally focused institution. Yet in one area it has, until recently, been sorely lacking. Like many universities, Tufts made little attempt to connect with…

Despite the continuing economic slump, enrollment at private, nonprofit colleges is expected to increase slightly this fall compared with last year, according to a report to be released this week by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Undergraduate enrollment is anticipated to grow by 0.2 percent, with combined…

This article reports that with a weak economy and a record number of applications at many campuses, admissions deans have deliberately undershot their targets and lengthened their waiting lists. For months a four-digit number has hovered over Douglas L. Christiansen. It's there when he falls asleep and there when he wakes up. The number is 1,550,…

Admissions deans everywhere shared concerns about recruiting students during a recession as they tried to discern how, or if, the economy would affect demand for their institutions. Amid this uncertainty, colleges used many different strategies. Some recruited more here and less there. Some offered more merit aid, while others scaled back. Some…

Momentum can stall in a time of diminished resources. For colleges on the fast track, leaders have shifted money around and made some hard choices to keep growing. The author reached out to five up-and-coming institutions to find out how they manage their ambitions during tough times. As many colleges instituted hiring freezes to save money,…

The University of Illinois Global Campus, a multimillion-dollar distance-learning project, is up and running. For its March-April 2009 term, it has enrolled 366 students. Getting to this point, though, has looked a little like the dot-com start-up bubble of the late 1990s. Hundreds of Internet-related companies were launched with overly ambitious…

In Texas, as in other states, fewer than a quarter of the students earning associate degrees end up applying to universities. The eventual result is widespread underemployment and a stagnating work force that doesn't keep up with population growth. However, Texas educators are trying to change that with two ambitious programs--one aimed at college…

Indian universities had not historically done much to recruit foreign students, or to help the few that they had adjust to life in India. But in recent years, that has begun to change--if slowly. A handful of Indian institutions are making an effort to welcome international students to their campuses. And the government of Prime Minister Manmohan…

Community-college students, like students anywhere, begin to form their impressions of an institution the instant they set foot on its campus. And often what they find during those first few weeks can determine whether they come back for more, or turn heel and leave. Findings from a new study may offer some clues as to why those who leave do so,…

The crunch in the student-loan market, a weak U.S. economy, and declining home values are all conspiring to make this an unpredictable year for college enrollment. Some middle-income families have found it cheaper in recent years to borrow against their home equity to help pay for college, rather than take out private student loans. However, this…

Prestigious American universities are franchising their brands in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, building campuses and making it possible for students in those regions to receive an American degree while remaining at home. In doing so, however, they undercut an important component of American education and economy: educating international…

Today, more and more students and parents are asking whether college is about getting education or getting a job. The stakes these days are especially high. Tuition and student-loan debt have risen to record levels, while the economy has slowed. In a competitive market, a college degree is no longer the golden ticket to a professional career. Due…