Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are courses offered for free for any students with an internet connection. Many institutions now offer free MOOCs, including prestigious state universities and private schools. MOOCs are differentiated from ordinary online classes in several ways. Some MOOCs may have as many 50,000 students enrolled in a course…

Online learning is revolutionizing the way colleges do business. Study via the Internet makes more knowledge more easily obtainable for more students than ever before. Along with expanded access to higher education, many people are optimistic about an accompanying benefit--a lower price tag. Basic economic factors make the prospect appear…

Over the past several years, the admissions officer has been confronted with a situation that does not fit into the scheme of his normal operations--namely, the admission of foreign students. Often, because it has not been in the order of things, he has delegated this "irksome" problem to some "lowly" assistant or to the interested professor who…

Since the publication of Dremuk's article 45 years ago, the landscape of international educational exchange has changed significantly. Some of the most notable trends distinguishing the past from the present are highlighted. Forty-five years ago, Dremuk's article emphasized the importance of institutional commitment to international educational…

In his 1988 article, Nathaniel Jackson inspired NACAC with four objectives to meet the challenge of leading the charge in minority students access. In this article, the author discusses three more that he believes will challenge colleges in the decades ahead: (1) Focus on the Public Good; (2) Honor Transparency; and (3) Measure Collective Success.…

The U.S. college admission environment has changed enormously over the last three decades. What have those changes meant for the profession of college admission officers? In this paper, the authors will describe the enormous changes that have taken place in high schools, colleges, and the entrepreneurial admission sector. They will describe how…

While admission to a community college is simple--"apply and you're in!"--the institution itself is quite complex. Community colleges serve several purposes: transfer, vocational, recreational, and remedial. Community colleges see students through many lenses. What should counselors know in order to help their community college-bound students make…

Many things have not changed since Esther Hugo's 2006 article on community colleges. For the most part, "open-door" means just that: "apply and you're in." The lenses community colleges use to see students are still complex; the purposes of community colleges are still many. Students of all ages come for transfer, career and vocational training,…

Stealth applicants who do not flow through the traditional admission funnel now represent nearly one-third of the national applicant pool. This study employs a consumer behavior framework to examine the behaviors of stealth applicants at a private university. The findings provide a rich illustration of how stealth applicants search for college.…

This case study examines the collegial behavior of enrollment professionals within an admission consortium. Resource Dependency Theory provides a guiding framework for the analysis and discussion of the findings. Data collection for this case study was derived from interviews with enrollment deans and directors who represent public universities…

The fiscal climate for institutions of higher education has changed dramatically in recent decades. Public and private colleges and universities have felt the squeeze of the economic downturn while many public institutions have experienced regular and significant declines in state appropriations. At the same time, families are being asked to pay…

The study examined the factors that affected minority students' choice to enroll at private four-year faith-based institutions in the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) in the United States. The study utilized the data from the College Board's Admitted Student Questionnaire PLUS (ASQ PLUS) survey. The final sample included 283…

Using third-party education agents is a well-established practice in many countries. As a result, the number of international students placed by agents has grown considerably over the past years. However, in the US, the practice of using agents to increase international enrollment still carries a derogatory connotation in the educational…

It has become universally known that Americans as a nation have fallen behind other nations in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). According to the National Science and Engineering Indicators, produced by the National Science Foundation in 2006, the United States has one of the lowest STEM to non-STEM degree…

Lewison and Hawes (1997) discuss target marketing strategies of differentiated, concentrated or orchestrated marketing in their article "Student Marketing Strategies for Universities." While the authors agree with some of the suggested strategies and reasons behind them, their perspective as faculty teaching in a graduate education program offers…