Enrollment management yields impressive results
Archived article from Dec 8, 2000
By Phyllis Gottlieb
Both the number of Rutgers applications and the quality of students enrolling at the university have increased significantly in recent years, according to numbers released by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
Since fall 1996, the university has experienced an increase of some 31 percent in the number of students applying for first-year admission.
Applications from New Jersey residents increased 28 percent, while those from out-of-state and foreign students rose 44 percent. The applications came from 48 states and 136 foreign counties, indicating that Rutgers has a truly global reach, said Corinne Webb, associate vice president for enrollment management.
The quality of students choosing to attend Rutgers continues an upward trend, Webb observed. The mean SAT score for regular, enrolled, first-year students across all three campuses is now 1189, a rise of 15 points since 1996. This compares with a mean SAT score of 1011 for all New Jersey test-takers in 2000 and a national mean of 1019.
For the first time, mean SAT scores topped 1200 in New Brunswick and 1100 in Newark. Mean rank in class was fairly steady during the five-year period, remaining in the 81st or 82nd percentile.
More of the very best students in New Jersey are choosing to pursue a Rutgers education. The number of students with SAT scores of 1350 or above and rank-in-class in the top 15 percent increased 26 percent between 1996 and 2000.
This heightened interest in Rutgers has contributed to a bump in enrollment numbers. Total enrollment of first-year students increased 16 percent, from 5,681 to 6,574, between 1996 and 2000. The greatest increase was in Camden, where first-year enrollment jumped 124 percent from 189 to 423 students. Newark rose 38 percent and New Brunswick 9 percent.
Enrollment of under-represented minorities, including African-Americans, Puerto Ricans, Latinos and Native Americans, reached five-year highs in 2000 with 1,306 entering students, up from 1,225 in 1996.
By design, this rate of increase has slowed in the past year, Webb said. From 1999 to 2000, first-year enrollment increased by only 1.3 percent or a total of 87 students spread across all three campuses. Similarly, total university enrollment, which reached 49,724 in 2000, grew by only 259 students or 0.5 percent. There was an increase of 131 students in Newark and 199 in Camden, while New Brunswick total enrollment dropped by 71 students.
Webb credits several factors for the success of Rutgers' recruitment program: faculty involvement in the enrollment process; new honors programs and merit-based scholarships; a sophisticated document imaging system; a strategic marketing plan; and the hard work of the staff in the campuses' admissions offices.
Faculty on all three campuses are actively engaged in recruiting students to the university, Webb pointed out. They participate in campus open-house programs, host presentations for students and parents in their laboratories and classrooms, and telephone admitted students to field questions and welcome them to the university.
"Faculty have played a critical role in advancing the university's reputation as an institution of competitive choice among first-year admitted students," Webb said. Staff and board members are often partners in these efforts, she added, noting that they, too, share information about the university with neighbors and friends, and call prospective students to answer any questions.
In addition, the new honors colleges on the Newark and Camden campuses, along with the university's merit-based scholarship programs, have helped attract highly competitive students to the university. Merit programs include the Outstanding Scholars Award for New Jersey residents, the Rutgers National Scholarship Program for out-of-state students and the James Dickson Carr Scholarships for select minority students.
Improved technology has also contributed to better enrollment management, Webb said. A new imaging system now puts all applications and supporting materials right on the computer screen, allowing admissions officers to make decisions and immediately answer any questions applicants may have. In 2000, the admissions office rendered some 116,300 decisions on the multiple-college choices open to applicants.
In addition, computer technology allows staff to maximize recruitment efforts by targeting specific regions for visits to high schools, college fairs or other recruitment events. Concentrating efforts in areas with potentially high yield helps admissions staff meet application and enrollment goals, said Webb.
Throughout the recruitment process, Webb concluded, the message being conveyed to prospective students is clear and concise: Rutgers offers a high-quality education in a wide range of fields at a very affordable price.
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