The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) is a nonprofit, voluntary, professional association that relies on its membership to provide content, leadership, feedback, and financial support. The association promotes the well-being and advancement of professionals in the higher education community by engaging…

The college admissions process can be confusing and inconsistent, requiring students to navigate a complex web of information, procedures, and admissions requirements from different postsecondary institutions. All of these require extensive social and cultural capital, which many students do not possess (Klasik 2012). Systemic change in college…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine school counselors' preparation for college admissions counseling, strategies counselors utilize to stay current on college admissions processes and trends, and professional development needs related to college admissions counseling. Study findings indicated school counselors did not complete…

In light of the current discourse around the alleged discriminatory nature of the SAT and ACT exams against underrepresented minority students, and the increase in American institutions of higher education choosing to adopt test-optional freshman admission policies, this study sought to identify weather these policies are associated with changes…

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) was one of many universities that adopted a test-optional admissions policy for the Fall 2021 incoming cohort. However, unlike many institutions that went to test-optional admissions out of necessity, the decision made by IUPUI faculty and administration was thoroughly considered, data…

This study examines U.S. national colleges and universities that have de-emphasized or eliminated ACT and SAT scores and have implemented test-optional policies for undergraduate admissions. The study investigates the test-optional admissions trend and provides a "pre-post" quantitative analysis of test-optional policy effects on the…

As the country and college campuses shut down in the Spring of 2020 in response to COVID-19, institutions needed to quickly pivot their plans into a digital environment to yield their accepted class. Through the Wisr platform, institutions communicated directly with their admitted students and their families through discussion board functionality…

Enrollment offices deploy various outreach methods including mailings, brochures, phone calls, and email campaigns. For these undergraduate admissions offices, working with high school students creates opportunities to shift the enrollment approach every academic year. Evolving admissions strategy created a chance to change the print marketing…

Brian C. Rosenberg, President-in-Residence at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, served as Macalester College's sixteenth president from 2003-2020. During his tenure, enrollment of U.S. students of color at the college increased significantly. Moreover, under his leadership, the college prospered during a challenging economic…

Students need to be able to complete a meaningful higher education degree without crushing debt. That is the simple, straightforward perspective of Eric Waldo, Chief Access & Equity Programs Officer at the Common App and Executive Director of Michelle Obama's Reach Higher initiative. In an age where higher education may feel out of reach for…

More than a quarter of Americans--around 100 million people--have been arrested and/or convicted of a crime. Being "criminal justice system-impacted" (Underground Scholars Initiative 2019) has many social and economic consequences, including far lower chances of accessing and succeeding in higher education. Some observers raise safety…

The unique nature of 2020 had the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) focusing on creating more benchmarking changes in practice and policy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and less on its surveys or other projects. However, they also engaged with the American Council on Education (ACE) in a large…

The literature on college choice is extensive and navigating it for purposes of review is complicated by the dual meaning given to the word choice. To clarify, in this article, the phrase "college choice" refers to the concept defined by Don Hossler and Karen Gallagher in their seminal 1987 article entitled "Studying Student College…

In this article, Staci Phelan interviews the following enrollment management team members from Idaho State University: James Martin, Director of Financial; Debbie Green, Director of Scholarships; Nicole Joseph, Director of Admissions; and Brooke Barber, Director of New Student Orientation. The following questions are addressed in this interview:…

Responsibility Center Management (RCM) budget models are designed to create financial incentives that encourage expense reduction and revenue generation. This article--a primer on RCM--equips enrollment management leaders and other higher education professionals with the knowledge required to support the attainment of enrollment headcount and net…