This study investigates how universities can increase the effectiveness of the search process by featuring in their advertisements expert and celebrity endorsers who attended the institution. How can universities gain the attention of prospective students using the star power of experts and celebrities? Experts and celebrities promoting a…

On-campus admissions events are the secret weapon that colleges and universities use to convince students to apply and enroll. On-campus events vary depending on the size, location, and type of institution; they include campus visitations, open houses, preview days, scholarship events, admitted student events, and summer yield events. These events…

The purpose of this qualitative study is to analyze and understand what information students seek from a college's Web site during their college search. Often, college Web sites fail either to offer students an interactive dialogue or to involve them in the communicative process, negatively affecting students' college search. Undergraduate…

This article utilizes data from a two-year study of Latino urban high school students to understand more about the role of peers in college choice and access. Findings suggest that peers can support college goals.

Perceptions of Yale and sixteen of its major competitors were obtained from high school students offered admission to Yale and from undergraduate students attending Yale. Ratings of similarity between colleges were obtained in one study, and the semantic differential technique was used in a second study to corroborate the findings. (SW)

The concept of family members assuming buying roles in various purchasing decisions is applied to parents and students in the college choice process. Prospective students (high school seniors) and their parents were surveyed in Milwaukee; the results and their implications for college marketing are discussed. (MSE)

Compared development of postsecondary education plans of African American and White ninth graders, vs variables of the Hossler/Gallagher Three Phase Model of College Choice. Subjects were from 2,930 households with students attending 21 Indiana high schools. Results indicate the variables were more predictive for Whites than African Americans, and…

This study analyzed the admissions materials sent by four major Midwestern research universities to each of four hypothetical prospective students (first- through fourth-year high school students). The material was analyzed on the basis of timeliness, personalization, pricing, image, and segmentation. (MDM)