Eliminating Enrollment Pain Points

The applicant conversion challenge is exacerbated by the increasingly risky profile of incoming students. Over the past decade, more community college students are entering with remedial needs, applying for financial aid, and enrolling in college after years out of a formal educational setting (age 25 and older). These three factors place greater demands on college resources to help students navigate the enrollment process.

The five practices featured in this study offer guidance for college leaders to redesign administrative processes or introduce initiatives that eliminate the most severe enrollment pain points. The first three practices help students self-serve, and the final two outline strategies to serve students who require or prefer live support from professional staff on campus.