Optimize Your Graduate and
Adult Recruitment Strategy
With these 11 Metrics
Results and lessons from EAB's Adult Learner Recruitment Initiative
Consistent visibility into campaign performance is a critical component of an effective marketing and recruitment strategy. But too often, marketing teams lack the resources to monitor and respond to a range of marketing metrics effectively. And external partners often keep enrollment leaders in the dark about how leads are—or are not—progressing through the enrollment funnel.
This infographic is designed to help enrollment leaders zero in on the metrics they should monitor and respond to regularly. Explore the circles below to see results from our cohort of 100+ Adult Learner Recruitment partners related to each key metric. Hover over the circles to reveal strategies to ensure your team is using them to optimize your graduate, adult, and online student recruitment strategy.
Key: Stages of the Student Journey
Awareness
Prospects are just starting to engage in self-shopping to learn about programs
Consideration
Prospects are considering a variety of factors about schools and programs
Decision
Prospects are narrowing down their options and taking action towards application and enrollment
$2
Average cost-per-mille for impressions on LinkedIn among EAB Adult Learner Recruitment partners
Not all impressions are created equal. It’s important to make sure your ads are getting impressions on the right channel and are being seen by the right audience and at the right time.
1.7%
Average click-through rate on LinkedIn for EAB Adult Learner Recruitment partners across all campaign types
Click-through rate is one way to tell if your message is resonating with prospects. If your click-through rate is low, A/B test ad imagery and copy.
$45
Average cost-per-click for EAB Adult Learner Recruitment partners for the search term “online graduate programs”
Rising cost-per-clicks means enrollment leaders need a marketing partner that can develop specific keyword strategies and creative to ensure that clicks turn into conversion.
87%
Average inbox placement rate across EAB Adult Learner Recruitment partner
institutions
Prospective students can't engage with your marketing if they never have the opportunity to see it. Maintain your inbox placement by ensuring email volumes stay consistent over time.
5.1%
Average conversion rate on Facebook ads for EAB Adult Learner Recruitment partners
Lead generation strategies should vary by platform, as some audiences require more nudging than others. Give audiences multiple ways to engage and use lead forms to drive lead completion.
$50
Average cost-per-lead from Facebook advertisements for EAB Adult Learner Recruitment partners
As cost-per-lead grows, ensure you have maximum visibility into lead quality to avoid investing in leads unlikely to convert to enrollments.
1.8–4.5%
Email open-to-click rate for EAB Adult Learner Recruitment partner institutions
Evaluate open-to-click rates by call to action. Vary the layout of your emails to increase open-to-click rate. Understand trends in copy that are generating high and low open-to-click rates.
10%
Average paid search lead-to-application conversion rate for EAB Adult Learner Recruitment partners
Paid search campaigns are especially valuable in reaching prospective adult degree completers, many of whom rely on search engines to research programs.
18%
Average enrollment increase for graduate EAB Adult Learner Recruitment partners in their first year of partnership
Successful marketing execution and management across the funnel can yield outsized enrollment growth.
50–75%
Average admit-to-enrollment rate for EAB partner graduate programs (excludes specialized degrees like law)
Deploy integrated communication strategies to increase yield, such as response email campaigns and web pages that address adult learner's concerns about obtaining a degree (e.g., finances, work-life balance).
6:1
Average return on investment for EAB Adult Learner Recruitment partners
As budgets tighten, invest strategically to set your institution up for long-term enrollment growth.
How well are you responding to key recruitment metrics?
Determine where your institution has the greatest gaps and optimize your graduate, online, and adult degree completion recruitment strategy for growth with this self-assessment.
