2017 Overview

Recruiting, Enrolling, and Serving a Record-Setting Class

Every fall is an exciting time in the world of higher education. The fall of 2017, however, feels particularly special at Indiana University Bloomington as we welcome our largest, brightest, and most diverse freshman class ever. Welcoming these 8,001 new Hoosiers, helping them adjust to campus life, and watching them thrive in their new environment—these moments bring home the importance of the work being done year-round in the Office of Enrollment Management.

With unprecedented collaboration and alignment across units, OEM is doing its part to recruit, enroll, and serve the students of IU. This year, we continued to build on the goals set in our strategic plan: recruiting high-achieving and diverse students, reducing their financial burden through scholarships and aid, communicating effectively about IUB programs and resources, and streamlining the student experience from first contact to graduation and beyond.

We are constantly innovating to create the best experience for all students—from first contact to graduation and beyond.
David B. Johnson, Vice Provost, Enrollment Management

The new class of Hoosiers joins an already impressive student body. The OEM team and I look forward to serving all undergraduate students on the IUB campus this academic year. At the same time, we are also working on new ways to continue—and enhance—our efforts to recruit, enroll, and serve students in the most effective, innovative ways we can envision.

Thank you to all who have contributed to this record-setting class. I look forward to working with you further to create even more opportunities for current and future IU students.

David B. Johnson
Vice Provost for Enrollment Management

Supporting Hoosiers: More Indiana Residents in the Beginner Cohort Than any College or University

Freshman class of 2021 This fall, IU Bloomington welcomes its largest beginner class ever—and the largest number of Indiana residents on any campus in the world. Well over half of our 8,001 new students are Indiana high school graduates. By bringing so many in-state students together with students from across the nation and world, we are working to foster a global community right here in Indiana. This enhances the experience of all IU students—and it also strengthens our state.

This year, we reached or exceeded our targets in the key areas of academic quality, diversity, affordability, and international presence:

The incoming beginner class hit record-setting highs in academic quality, with a median GPA of 3.83 and an average SAT/ACT composite score of 1295.
They are also one of the most diverse IU Bloomington classes ever, with 1,244 underrepresented students enrolled—a five percent increase from last year and a 33 percent increase since 2012.
The Pell Promise awards, Cox Scholars Program, 21^st Century Covenant Program, Hudson and Holland scholarships, and many other scholarship opportunities are helping to make IU Bloomington an affordable option for students and families.
And our units continue to work collaboratively with the Office of International Services to recruit promising students from outside the United States and meet their unique needs as they adjust to life at IU Bloomington.

In alignment with university-wide bicentennial initiatives, the Office of Enrollment Management will continue to focus on attracting, enrolling, and serving bright students from all areas and backgrounds.

Ruby Flores Camacho, Class of 2021
Pre-Business
Indianapolis, Indiana

At first, Ruby wasn’t sure if IU was the right fit. As a first-generation college student, she worried about finding her place—and about the financial cost. When she stepped onto campus, though, she knew she was home. With a work placement at La Casa Latino Cultural Center through her Cox Legacy Scholarship, she’s getting a world-class education and connecting with students who share her culture. Now Ruby gets to study what she loves, lead meaningful campus projects, and even help other students navigate life at IU.

Being a Cox Scholar helps me tell people who I am. It says that people believe in me and have backed me up.

Expanding Reach: Created Multi-Faceted Bicentennial Recruitment Strategy to Promote Higher Education in Lowest Enrolling Indiana Counties

Our in-state efforts this year went beyond simply recruiting Indiana students. We’ve made it a priority to reach students and families in traditionally low-enrolling counties of the state. The Bicentennial County Scholarship provides funding to incoming beginner students from 25 Indiana counties where IU enrollment—and college enrollment more broadly—has historically been low. By extending such support, we are working to build a pathway to higher education in underserved or isolated areas of the state.

In the coming year, we hope to expand our reach and provide additional need-based aid to high school students throughout the state of Indiana. We are exploring bold initiatives to make IU Bloomington a viable option among Indiana families for whom affordability is the top priority.

Mallory Potter, Class of 2021
Apparel Merchandising
West Lebanon, IN

When Mallory arrived at her senior awards night, she had no idea her dream of attending IU was about to become much more real. That night, an IU representative surprised her with the news that she’d earned a Bicentennial Scholarship. As the only IUB freshman from her high school, she is making her own way, meeting new friends, and taking advantage of networking opportunities through the Retail Studies Organization—she’s already sat down with executives from the very companies she hopes to work for someday.

My dream is to be a retail analyst and buyer. With the opportunities here, that’s totally achievable.

Increasing Access: Implemented New Application Formats—Yielding a 21 Percent Increase in Applications

In order to ease the application process and make applying to IU a more accessible option for all, we implemented both the Common Application and the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success application. As an alternative to the IU-specific application, students were able to choose to apply to IU and a host of other schools using either of these two platforms. This allowed us to reach students who otherwise might not have had the time, awareness, or resources to apply, while also increasing and diversifying our pool of applicants. As with most schools that have implemented the Common Application, we saw a sizable increase in applications.

Percentage of Applications from Common, Coalition, and IU eApp

Jonathan Levy, Class of 2021
Media
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Jonathan knew what he wanted in a university: a state school, a college town, and a degree that would help launch his career in the entertainment industry. He found exactly that at IU Bloomington—and his Dean’s Scholarship sealed the deal. A direct admit to the Media School, he’s already learning about industry career options and participating in IU Student Television.

Earning a scholarship showed that IU wanted me. I’m invested in the school—and they’re invested in me.

Providing Aid: Offered More Gift Aid and Scholarships to More Admitted Students

The total number of beginner students receiving gift aid continues to increase (up 4.2% from last year), with 64% of the beginner class receiving some sort of gift aid (including federal and state grants and scholarships). By providing a variety of scholarship opportunities—and promoting those opportunities at scholarship events around the nation—IU Bloomington is enabling more students to access a world-class education.

We upped our game by adding swagger to the financial aid notification. Now students receive a stunning, informative set of financial aid materials that better portray costs and aid options.

61%Scholarship event conversion rate

25%More scholarship funding offered to admitted students, compared to last year

15%more admitted students received scholarships, compared to last year

Isis Smith, Class of 2021
Biochemistry
Hammond, Indiana

Before applying to IU Bloomington, Isis participated in IU’s pre-college STEM summer programs, learning about research opportunities, getting her feet wet measuring the composition of the Jordan River, and discovering her favorite scientific field: anatomy. Now a freshman, she is preparing for a veterinary career with the financial support of a 21^st Century Scholarship and the academic, cultural, and social support of the Hudson & Holland, Cox, and Groups scholar programs.

I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and building a network I can reach out to in the future. Now there’s nothing stopping me from being successful.

Innovating Through Technology: Built Tools to Meet Students Where They Are

Our prospective students live much of their lives online and make valuable connections through technology. To better reach them where they are, we’ve deployed a variety of new tools and technology platforms. This year, we continued to optimize the virtual IU tour, so that students and families who are unable to visit in person can still get a firsthand look at the beautiful IU Bloomington campus. Last year, more than 40,000 visitors toured campus—without setting foot in Bloomington.

Increased digital outcomes

75%Average increase in the number of social media engagements over last year

88%increase in deposits from social media advertising over last year

We’ve also improved our tools for online engagement and service to current students. Our virtual advisor, Ask Student Central, serves students as a 24/7 library of responses to over 500 questions about all aspects of registration, enrollment, financial aid, and more. In the past year, the virtual advisor has answered 55,131 questions so far, helping thousands of students find the answers they need at all hours of the day. Through the new IU FYE App, this year’s incoming beginner class was greeted with a more streamlined Welcome Week experience. The app will continue to help them stay informed about the more than 125 events that Experience IU promotes throughout the year.

Over 40,000 visitors toured campus without setting foot in Bloomington. Participants spent an average of nine minutes on the Virtual Tour, four times the average time spent on a typical website.

Start the Tour

Student Central call representative answering a call.

Student Central optimized operations to decrease caller wait time from 4:39 to 1:32 minutes and walk-in wait time from 15:39 to 5:35 minutes.

Ask Student Central

The new IU FYE App showcases the array of Welcome Week and Experience IU events. Since launching in April, it has been downloaded over 14,000 times.

Download FYE App

Guiding Students: Introduced New Tools and Programs to Ease the Transition to Campus

All of our efforts in the Office of Enrollment Management are rooted in successful collaboration across our nine units. This year, we continued to work together to establish best practices and increase our impact through new initiatives.

By streamlining the New Student Orientation experience, we allowed students to more easily confirm and update their major prior to orientation, leading to more positive first advising sessions and, by extension, more productive academic experiences at IU. By creating new Experience IU programming for students moving in pre-Welcome Week, we gave students an extra opportunity to acclimate to IU and meet other new Hoosiers.

In the second year of our pre-registration pilot program, nearly half of the incoming class was pre-registered before attending orientation for one, two, or three courses. This created more opportunities for students to get the classes they need and allowed them to plan better and build viable schedules.

We’re also excited to have begun implementing two new CRMs: Slate for prospective students and Salesforce for current students. With these new systems, we can communicate more effectively with prospective and current students and also maintain a more robust record of those communications.

**1. As part of our streamlined New Student Orientation experience, students were able to review, confirm, or officially update their major prior to orientation.**

**2. During orientation, students had the opportunity to confirm or decline their direct admit offer.**

**3. Having a more accurate major and direct admit status for each student enabled advisors to provide more robust consultations during orientation.**

**4. Ultimately, the enhanced process helped over 1,500 students change their major and over 2,700 students accept their direct admission offer.**

Learn more about the goals and accomplishments of the Office of Enrollment Management.

OEM Strategic Plan

Previous Overviews