The Great Opt-Out

The nation is seeing a historic decrease in college-going among students from all backgrounds, including the most affluent. While many of the contributing factors might seem beyond any one admissions team’s control, there are things we can do, right away, to help turn the situation around.

This report examines the different reasons why students opt out and assesses their relative importance, with special attention paid to problems that enrollment leaders can realistically hope to impact.

Included in the report are:

• Analyses of large national data sets illustrating the decrease in college-going
• Findings from large-scale surveys of non-consumers regarding their reasons for opting out
• Tactics for better understanding your non-consumers and finding potential non-consumers to recruit
• Guidance on optimal timing, messaging, and channels for your recruitment outreach to potential non-consumers
• A look at the large role that summer melt plays in non-consumption

Download the Insight Paper