Hope, Community, & Partnership That Skyrockets Enrollment

Challenge

Paul Smith’s College (PSC) is proud to be the “ultimate higher education destination where outdoor adventure meets hands-on learning meets preservation of our planet.” Proudly sharing this mission with prospective students, however, became more challenging over the past few years with staffing turnovers, a CRM shift, and budget restraints. Facing similar operating challenges as other small private institutions with limited budgets, the PSC team knew it was essential to find a new enrollment approach to turn around its declining new student recruitment. 

Solution

Going into the last recruitment cycle, PSC knew it had to be intentional at every stage of its enrollment strategy. The team remained hopeful and came alongside its community to refocus on its mission and audience. Turning to its expert team at Encoura, PSC dove into its student and market data, focused its budget on connecting with the right students using predictive modeling, and personalized its marketing to its student personas. Through refined student search, email, and digital strategies — as well as enhanced funnel insights — PSC strengthened its connections with adventurer students and families who would thrive at their college.