How involved are parents of current university students? Are they satisfied with the college experience of their students? Eager to hear from your institution? Worried about how they will pay for college? These are some of the many findings in the "2023 University Family Engagement Report," a survey of more than 21,000 families of…

In fall 2021, Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL) published its first "Graduate Student Recruitment Report" (ED618011), a survey of 1,500 prospective graduate students that explored their program demands and preferences, search processes, enrollment decision making priorities, and key expectations of the institutions to which they inquire, apply,…

How has the cost of recruiting a student changed during the pandemic years? How many staff members do admission offices have per student? What are the budget priorities for colleges and universities? These are just a few of the 14 findings in the "2022 Cost of Recruiting an Undergraduate Student Report." This report--based on a survey of…

Nearly all parents and guardians of college-bound high school students are involved in the college search process. Most institutions understand this and would say they communicate with those families or provide information for them. However, is that information really reaching families? Is it accessible, comprehensible, and useful to them? Ruffalo…

The pandemic period of the past two years has altered many aspects of the high school and college experience for students. With more emphasis on hybrid and virtual experiences, how has this impacted the college search process for high school students? What do they value, what do they need to know, and what information have they seen? Ruffalo Noel…

High school counselors play a vital role in helping students prepare for attending college. They are the link between students and families and institutions, providing counseling, information, and motivation to help students make it through their enrollment journeys. Along the way, they have to help students cope with a wide variety of challenges:…

This report is organized around 10 challenges (and associated solutions) based on data from a survey of 1,609 survey respondents, each of whom was screened to ensure that they had firm plans to enroll in a fully online program in the next year (online course takers in otherwise hybrid or classroom programs were not eligible). They also had to be…

Find insights into college student persistence, progression, and retention with this benchmark report, taken from a survey of college and university officials. These benchmarks can help your institution compare your outcomes for first-time-in-college (FTIC) students as well as transfer students. This report features 12 key benchmarks in three…

For more than 25 years, thousands of colleges and universities have used the Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL) Satisfaction-Priorities Surveys to assess their students, strengthen the student experience, increase student success and completion, and prioritize campus planning initiatives. The surveys are valued so highly because they reveal where…

What are the experiences, expectations, and challenges of college-bound high school students and their families regarding college financing? To answer that question, Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL), Ardeo Education, and PLEXUSS surveyed 1,250 high school students from the 11th and 12th grades about how they become interested in colleges and…

High school students nationwide spent the whole academic year fully online or in and out of a cobbled together hybrid format. While these students are digital naturals, they were asked to do even more online and lost opportunities to engage traditional in-person milestones like prom, graduation, and college visits. After a year of "Zooming it…

The COVID pandemic created an unprecedented crisis for students and their families. Parents saw most of their college-enrolled children switch to hybrid or fully online learning. Student and family engagement became almost exclusively electronic and online. And the economic fallout of the pandemic impacted the ability of students and families to…

Data in this report reflect responses from 296 four-year and two-year colleges and universities that collectively enroll approximately 1,700,000 undergraduate students (according to data reported to IPEDS). Respondents participated in the Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL) national electronic poll of Effective Practices for Student Success, Retention, and…

This report captures motivational data from students at the end of 2020--students who were in the thick of the pandemic and the pivot to online and hybrid learning, along with historic levels of social and economic upheaval. Starting strong is crucial to student retention. When entering students get off to a strong start, they are more likely to…

Graduate student enrollment has become increasingly important for universities. At the same time, competition for graduate students has increased, and the way those students search for programs of study has changed dramatically in the digital era. How can your program adapt and reach its graduate enrollment goals? This benchmark survey report…