Purdue University-West Lafayette Freshman Recruitment, Admissions, and Retention

1. Purdue University-West LafayetteFreshman Recruitment, Admissions, and Retention President’s Forum October 16, 2007

2. Topics • The Pipeline • Freshman Recruitment • Purdue Trends in Freshman Admissions • Retention and Graduation Rates • Challenges, Strengths, Opportunities Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

3. U.S. High School Graduates Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

4. Midwest High School Graduates Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

5. Indiana High School Graduates Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

6. U.S. High School Graduates of Color Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

7. Midwest High School Graduates of Color Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

8. Indiana High School Graduates of Color Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

9. All 2006 Indiana HS Grad SAT takers Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

10. 2006 Indiana SAT takers with HS GPA >= B- and SAT >= 1000 Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

11. 2006 Indiana SAT takers with HS GPA >= B+ and SAT >= 1200 Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

12. 2007 Recruitment by the Numbers • 242,712 Prospects • 87,692 Inquiries • 25,992 Applicants • 20,429 Admitted • 6,888 Enrolled Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

13. 2007 Recruitment by the Numbers • 644 High School Visits • 696 College Fairs • 29 Out-of-State Receptions • 17,327 participants in Daily Campus Visits/Tours • 12,929 additional campus program visitors • 1,064,499 central admissions pieces mailed • Estimated 300,000 + program specific pieces mailed • 296,764 recruitment emails • 59,836 incoming calls • 34,811 inbound emails Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

14. Freshman Application Volume Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

15. Selectivity Rate (% of Applicants Admitted) Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

16. Yield Rate (% of Admits Enrolled) Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

17. New Freshman Enrollment Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

18. New Freshman Enrollment of Students of Color Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

19. SAT Average (Critical Reading + Math) Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

20. Geographic Diversity of 2007 Freshmen • Top feeder Indiana counties: • Marion, Hamilton, Tippecanoe, Lake, and Allen • Top feeder Indiana high schools: • Carmel, Harrison, Hamilton, Southeastern, Lake Central, West Lafayette, and Jefferson • Top feeder states outside of Indiana: • Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Texas, California, Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York • Top feeder countries outside the United States: • South Korea, India, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Malaysia Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

21. Big Ten Comparisons Source: US News and World Report America’s Best Colleges 2008 Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

22. 2007 Admitted Student Survey • Reasons for selecting another institution rather than Purdue (closed-ended responses) • Stronger academic program for their interests (54%) • More attractive location (39%) • Affordability (38%) • Better overall academic reputation (36%) • Would better serve career development (36%) • Closer to home (36%) Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

23. 2007 Admitted Student Survey • Open-ended responses from non-enrolling admitted students • 57% of out-of-state students mentioned high cost of out-of-state tuition/lack of scholarships • In-state students were looking for a smaller, more personalized educational experience • Physical characteristics of Purdue’s campus and surrounding community were negatives Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

24. 2007 Admitted Student Survey • Peer Comparisons • Universities of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and IU account for 24% of non-enrolling Purdue-admitted students • An additional 7% enrolled at 8 other peers • Two-thirds enrolled elsewhere – outside of the Big Ten, Purdue’s competition is diffuse • Higher-ability students more likely to enroll at institution of higher academic standing (in student’s estimation) Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

25. Retention and Graduation RatesWest Lafayette Full-Time Freshmen Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

26. Average Six-Year Graduation Rates at Big Ten Public Universities Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

27. Challenges • Prospective students, especially high-ability and/or financially secure, have many choices • 78% of Purdue’s 2006 freshman class said that Purdue was 1st choice • Students are applying to more schools – of Purdue 2006 freshmen 28% applied only to Purdue, 42.3% applied to four or more • National average of applications is four, and for higher-ability students up to 10 or more • Yield much more difficult to predict than in past • Increased competition EVERY year in recruitment Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

28. Challenges • Increased competition with both merit and need based financial aid • Indiana University is now guaranteeing “no loan” program for admitted 21st Century Scholars • IU also offering automatic academic scholarships for all students with 1150 SAT plus 3.7 GPA • Other examples include Michigan State, Ohio State, Minnesota offering similar programs to non-residents • Retention and graduation rates • Increased competition for international undergraduates and uncertain global situation Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

29. Examples of Purdue’s Strengths in Recruitment and Retention • Purdue’s visit programs and customer service highly regarded • Campus-wide involvement in recruitment, particularly by schools and colleges • Direct mail (historically among the best and most frequent among peers; but competition increases every year) • Overall academic reputation and well-known reputation of some specific programs • Excellent reputation for employer relations and placement • Highly regarded first-year programs recognized by peers in U.S. News Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

30. Examples of Opportunities • Increase out-of-state recruitment efforts; particularly in “exporting” states, e.g. NJ, NY, CA, TX, FL • New recruitment activities • Integrated communication messages to focus on outcomes and strength of Purdue programs across the disciplines • New and improved web sites • Modify rolling admissions process and application for admission (speed and ease not hallmarks of quality) • Alignment of merit and need-based financial aid with enrollment goals Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management

31. Additional Opportunities • Create clear pathways and partnerships for transfer students • Retention studies to inform strategic assessment of first and second year experiences and needed changes to existing programs and/or addition of new • Expand opportunities for personalized experience through honors programs, additional faculty-student research opportunities, and learning communities • Expand partnerships to widen pipeline of well- prepared high school graduates, particularly low-income, first-generation, and students of color Purdue University Office of Enrollment Management