March 27, 2026

Dr. Kyle Brantley
Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing & Communications

Every year, financial aid becomes a larger piece of the enrollment puzzle. In fact, according to recent research performed by NACCAP and the CCCU, cost and how to pay for college is the top concern for students and families (“What the Market is Telling Us: Strategic Insights for the Future of Christian Higher Education,” 2026). While the FAFSA isn’t required to enroll, it can be a strong indicator of enrollment outside of the normal funnel progression, just like a campus visit.

Track:

• FAFSA completion percentage
• FAFSA completion by recruiter territory
• FAFSA completion among admitted students

A student who hasn't filed the FAFSA isn't necessarily lost, but they may be stuck. And students who are stuck often don't enroll.

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Are students experiencing campus? (Campus visits)

I've yet to meet a college that doesn't see dramatically higher enrollment rates among students who visit campus. Students who visit campus are significantly more likely to enroll than students who never step foot on your quad.

Track your campus visits. Know how many visits you have versus years prior. If you realize in December you’re running behind, you’ll want to employ a full-court, hey-come-visit-our-beautiful-campus press in the spring to get students on your campus.

We’re likely not going to buy the car without test-driving it first, right? The same principle applies for campus visits. The more students you can get on your campus, the more likely you’ll see your enrollment grow. And you have to be able to measure campus visits to manage this well.

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Are we losing students after they commit? (Melt)

Every enrollment leader watches deposits. Far fewer study what happens afterward.

Track:

• Deposit melt percentage
• Melt by student type (freshmen vs. transfer, in-state vs. OOS, athlete vs. NSA, and so on)
• Melt by territory
• Common melt reasons

Every melted student has a story. Find enough of those stories, and you'll usually discover patterns you can actually fix.

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Which students are we serving the best? (Segmentation)

Now, let’s get nuanced.

• How are athletes converting compared to non-athletes?
• How do transfers compare to first-time freshmen?
• Are out-of-state students yielding differently than in-state students?
• Which academic programs are outperforming others? What are the top majors prospective students are most interested in?
• How are first-generation students progressing through the funnel?
• What is your in-state vs. out-of-state ratio, and is it changing? Should it change?

Once you start stratifying the data, you'll often discover opportunities that were invisible before. You’ll be able to answer “Who are we serving well,and who are we losing?”

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How are recruiters performing? (Reporting by territory)

Good recruiters appreciate clarity. Great managers provide it.

Every recruiter should understand the health of their individual territory. Not to create competition, but to identify opportunities for coaching, support, and improvement.

Helpful territory-specific metrics include:

• Inquiry volume
• Applications
• Admits
• Deposits
• Enrolled/registered
• FAFSA completion
• Visit volume and conversion

Beyond these territory outcomes, we also encourage institutions to measure recruiter productivity—the proactive outreach that helps move students through the funnel. Metrics such as high school visits, college fairs, phone calls, handwritten notes, emails, text conversations, and on-campus visits provide valuable insight into a recruiter's level of engagement.

Each recruiter—and their manager—should have visibility into these weekly activity metrics. Not because activity guarantees results, but because it provides the context for understanding them. When strong effort isn't translating into strong outcomes, it's an opportunity to ask better questions. Does the recruiter need additional coaching? Is the territory underperforming? Are there barriers preventing students from progressing through the funnel?

Measure both effort and outcomes. One tells you what happened. The other helps explain why.

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Is our incoming class financially sustainable? (Financial health)

Enrollment isn't just about filling seats. It's about sustaining the institution. That means your reporting should include important financial indicators such as:

• FAFSA completion rate
• Net tuition revenue
• Average institutional grant
• % of Pell recipients
• Discount rate

Sometimes the largest incoming class isn't the healthiest one. Sometimes a slightly smaller class with stronger net revenue creates a much healthier institution. Those conversations require data, not assumptions.