Whether you have advantages over other institutions or have done hard marketing work, securing the enrollment of new students is a great achievement for a university.
Increasing enrollment requires a great effort from the communications and admissions department.
Despite this, dropout rates after the first semester continue to be one of the main problems universities face.
In this post, we present some factors you should consider to avoid losing students at your university.
They've enrolled, but the work didn't end there.
When the enrollment period ends, many institutions, even the most renowned ones, make the mistake of thinking their job is done. They cut off direct communication with the student once the orientation period is over.
Mistake #1: it has been proven that for students with profiles more prone to dropping out, the lack of communication and personalized attention, which initially helped them choose that university, can lead the new member of the student body to perceive this natural “silence” as a lack of interest in keeping them and decide to drop out.
Extend communication with the new student to start building loyalty and make them feel like an important part of the institution.
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They're adapting to their new environment. Be part of that too.
After the first impression the student had of the institution, despite the excitement of starting a college degree and how new it all is, once they are well into the curriculum it is almost impossible not to fall into a routine. The student is more prone to focus on the negative.
One way to prevent this is to organize events (festivals, sports tournaments, cultural and social events) that are not scheduled in the school calendar, to preserve the atmosphere of change while the student adapts to their new environment.
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Plus: besides helping new students acclimate to the institution and feel included through new experiences, this will allow you to enhance the university's image.
Vacation is here. Stay present without being a bother.
The first free months between semesters can harm the newly formed relationship you have built with the student, as the interests of teens and young adults tend to change drastically.
For this reason, it is recommended to remain present in each student's life even during vacation periods.
Contact should be planned so it does not come across as annoying, desperate or aggressive.
An email reminder with extracurricular activities and important dates for upcoming school activities is ideal for staying on the radar of incoming students, making voluntary dropout a somewhat more controllable problem.
There are many aspects of a student's life that educational institutions must consider to reduce dropout cases.
At Digitalegia we can help you with digital marketing actions that will allow you to be an institution in constant development, improving communication and relationships with your students and meeting their needs.
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