V WHAT MOTIVATES PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS? EXAMINING THE DECISION- TO-ENROLL PROCESS A Collaboration between Datamark and Kaplan University

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE AND METHODOLOGY Gain insight into the decision-making process 2 phases of the decision process: Initial idea-to-research and research-to-enrollment Online Panel distributed across:  Prospects, applicants, enrollees  Undergrad, graduate programs  Online and ground schools

KEY QUESTIONS ADDRESSED  Why do prospective students seek higher education?  How much time do prospective students spend gathering information, and how do they go about it?  How do prospective students narrow their choices?  What influences a prospective student’s decision to apply to a particular school?  What factors carry the most weight in a prospective student’s decision to enroll?

KEY FINDINGS Initial Interest and Motivations  Prospective students are seeking more education to achieve a set goal. Research  The majority of prospective students start the research process within one to two months of deciding to further their education.  The primary source of information are school websites and internet searches. Selection  The most important factors in narrowing down their school consideration list are the program of interest is offered and the cost of the program. Application  About one-third of prospective students did not apply due to financial reasons.  Of those who did not apply, 62% still intended to further their education. Enrollment  The three most important factors when deciding which school to enroll in are accreditation, amount of financial aid provided and program cost.

TOP LIFE/CAREER SITUATIONAL MOTIVATORS

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE STUDENTS TO DECIDE ABOUT GOING BACK TO SCHOOL?

WHERE DO STUDENTS GO TO RESEARCH SCHOOLS?

HOW MUCH TIME PASSES BETWEEN THE RESEARCH & APPLICATION PHASES?

HOW DO THE PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS NARROW DOWN THEIR SCHOOL CHOICES?

NUMBER OF SCHOOLS NARROWED TO CONSIDERATION

REASONS FOR NOT APPLYING

DECIDING TO APPLY

DECIDING TO ENROLL

LEARNING APPLIED  Prospect marketing  Remarketing  Dialog  Admissions

CONCLUSION:  Focus on the prospective student’s end goal  Focus on the key consideration variables  Provide the right information at the right time

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR A SCHOOL?  Why is it important to understand decision to enroll?  Decision to enroll does not start at the generation of the inquiry  Decision to enroll has multiple touch points  Segmentation  Student experience

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND DECISION TO ENROLL?

Decision to enroll different for students with more risk factors

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND DECISION TO ENROLL? … decision to enroll less obvious for students who are traditionally not marketed to

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND DECISION TO ENROLL? … for profit tuition prices likely not sustainable at current levels

IDENTIFY DECISION TO ENROLL EARLY IN FUNNEL

IDENTIFY DECISION TO ENROLL EARLY IN FUNNELL … CREATES VIRTUOUS CIRCLE Identify Decision to Enroll Early Lower Admissions cost, re-investment in academic quality Improved LTR, graduation rates, job placements Higher quality alumni advocates Lower Acquisition cost (pull vs. push) Higher market share and growth Higher Quality Inquiries

HOWEVER, IDENTIFYING EARLY NOT AS EASY … Inquiry Score Phone Verification Inquiry Authenticity Inquiry Velocity Inquiry Age Inquiry Contactability Compliance Fraud Device IP And risk a series of costly binary decisions around “good” or “bad” …. Current screening technologies have high value but do not answer the fundamental question … “WHY”

ESPECIALLY TAKING MULTIPLE TOUCHPOINTS

HOW TO INCORPORATE RESEARCH  Understand the student  Understand (and measure) the journey  Find white space and differentiate  Segment the enrollment process  Post enrollment should pull pre enrollment

UNDERSTAND THE STUDENT Academic concerns / preferences Personal challenges Revisions to motivations / dedication Academic concerns Personal challenges Revisions to motivations / dedication Program challenges Motivations/ dedication Past schooling (credits, GPA) Best contact medium/time/day Computer access Standardized test scores Time commitment Attitude towards debt 360° student profile FA Advisor Admission advisor First Term Academic Advisor Personal challenges Instructor concerns / tickets (eg logging in, but not posting) Poor quality posts GPA Attendance Participation Professors IT development needs Hardware specs / literacy IT Support

MEASURE THE JOURNEY

FIND WHITESPACE AND DIFFERENTIATE For working parents Most personalized experience Best customer service Most unique and different Best student community experience Best students Most practical, real world education Most support to make you successful as a student Most degree choice/breadth Most challenging Best professors/faculty Hardest, most rigorous academic program Most difficult to be accepted into Most/best career placement Most prestigious Most successful alumni Most respected by employers Best/most memorable ads/marketing Most affordable For women School 1  School 2  School 3  School 4  School 5  School 6  School 7  School 8  School 9  School 10  Experience Academic Outcomes Other

ADJUST ENROLLMENT PROCESS AND SUPPORT SERVICES STRUCTURE Diagnostic recap Decision to enroll differs across student populations Online universities viewed largely as same by students Needs and attitudes differ across student "life stage” Decision to enroll is a life changing decision Price and out of pocket are key drivers to enroll Key recommendations Incorporate use of segment profiles by degree and by selected program in marketing efforts, inquiry scoring, and in enrollment reengineering Test and prioritize differentiated positioning, leverage big data Dynamic messaging across all touch points over the life stage of the student. Segmented contact strategy Don’t underestimate the value of support services Current price levels at many for-profits are not sustainable. Re-engineer the business model

MAKE POST ENROLLMENT PULL PRE ENROLLMENT Profiling Value Based Pricing Advisor Matching MARKETING ADMISSIONS PRE ENROLLMENT ASSESSMENT SUCCESS PATHING Risk Assessment Skill Based Diagnostics Modularized Education Program Evaluation Placement POST ENROLLMENT GRADUATION Support Services

Thank you.