Debt burdens, the amenities "arms race," and technology are all changing the admissions landscape for colleges and universities. The annual cost of attending college at four-year institutions has risen three times faster than the rate of inflation. Many institutions are fighting harder than ever before for admissions growth. Is your web site communicating the vital information for decision-making, and are you following usability practices that will lead to conversions? This session will focus on: Programs, rankings, location, and costs -- how the best .edu websites are presenting this information. Content and features that help demonstrate the value of education at specific institutions.

1. ADMIT OR DIE
mStoner
How colleges and universities
can provide good information
about decision factors
on the web

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@DougGapinski

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Live tweets:
#mStonerNow

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#mStonerNow
What are some of the best admissions sites
or best admissions sections you’ve seen?

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Get the deck by the end of the week
via email and mStonerBlog.com

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Understand & explore
Narrow choices & apply
Decide & accept
Transition to being a student

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Understand & explore
Narrow choices & apply
Decide & accept
Transition to being a student

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• Decision factors: talking about what matters
most to your audience
• 10 great examples of content that supports
decision factors
• Questions?

9. DECISION
FACTORS

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Decision factors, in order of most
importance for Tier One Law Schools:
Rankings
Programs
Location
Cost
Outcomes / jobs

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Rankings
Programs
Location
Cost
Outcomes / jobs
This order will look slightly different
for every institution based on profile
and competition.

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Rankings
Programs
Location
Cost
Outcomes
But, these are the things I’m
calling primary decision
factors because they are
going to be a huge part of the
decision for almost everyone.

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#mStonerNow
What are other decision factors that can
influence the choice to attend
a college or university?

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Takeaways

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Addressing primary decision factors . . .
(rankings, programs, location, cost, outcomes)
. . . needs to be part of your content strategy.

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2Your marketing needs to speak to the
primary decision factors first.

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For colleges and universities, the
main site—or admissions microsite—
needs provide easy-to-reach and
compelling information for primary
decision factors.

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DECISION FACTOR:
RANKINGS

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https://www.baylor.edu/about/index.php?id=88794

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https://www.baylor.edu/about/index.php?id=88794

22. Highlights:
• Facts & Figures is in the
main navigation
• Authoritative publication
rankings are easily
identified at the top
• Individual department and
program rankings are
grouped in a single place
https://www.baylor.edu/about/index.php?id=88794

23. http://www.gatech.edu/about/facts-and-figures

24. Highlights:
• General information only;
program rankings mostly
located within school and
college sections
• Increasing diversity is a
top goal and the entire
third section of the page
speaks to that
http://www.gatech.edu/about/facts-and-figures

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Rankings help students decide to attend.
What you can do with your site:
•Be transparent. Prospective students will find rankings
no matter what. You can put the information in one
place.
•Acknowledge the publications that matter.
•Rankings can be used to make a recruiting statement.

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DECISION FACTOR:
PROGRAMS
(degrees, majors, minors, certificates)

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Remember: earning a degree is expensive, time
consuming, and impacts the rest of a person’s life.
Program pages should never be an
afterthought.

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Here’s a program page from a
state university that charges:
$15,204
per year
(in-state)
$26,000
per year
(out of state)

29. • They didn’t bother to give
each degree it’s own
page
• No information justifying
the cost OR value of the
degree is given
• No next steps are
provided
Does this look like a $104,000 product to you?

30. http://www.northpark.edu/Academics/Undergraduate-Studies/Majors/Biology

31. Highlights:
• The goal was to create
the ultimate product page
model for .edus
• Gives reasons to study
Biology in general for the
casual browser
• Shows content for high-
ability students
• Next steps and related
programs are shown at
the bottom
http://www.northpark.edu/Academics/Undergraduate-Studies/Majors/Biology

32. http://www.nait.ca/program_home_76755.htm

33. Each degree has its
own set of pages
http://www.nait.ca/program_home_76755.htm

34. Highlights:
• Leads with data: will you
graduate? What will you
be making? How long
does the degree take to
complete?
• Superb information
architecture that respects
the needs and next steps
of a prospective student
http://www.nait.ca/program_home_76755.htm

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What to think about with your program pages:
• Program (degree, major, minor, certificate) pages
ARE the product for higher education!
• Program pages should help justify the expense of an
education.
• Program pages should help someone understand
what they can do with the degree.
• These pages should be some of the richest and well-
maintained pages on a college or university site.

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DECISION FACTOR:
LOCATION

37. http://www.scad.edu/locations/atlanta/explore

38. Highlights:
• Pretty much covers all the
bases for a prospective
student
• Facilities link includes
residence halls and
pictures
• Links to events – get
them to visit
• The cities are already
desirable for some – they
went the extra mile
http://www.scad.edu/locations/atlanta/explore

39. https://www2.naz.edu/

40. Highlights:
• Transparency, even for
facts that aren’t that
appealing (like weather)
• Covers what your off-
campus options are
• Covers travel distances
https://www2.naz.edu/

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Location helps students decide. What you can do:
• Location is more than just a map. You must promote
the setting; it’s part of the decision process for
almost every student.
• Transportation, living arrangements, shopping, and
off-campus leisure are part of location that most
prospectives will care about.

42. DECISION FACTOR: COST

43. https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid

44. https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid

45. Highlights:
• Leads with powerful data
• Follows with calls to
action
• Amazing responsive net
price calculator
• A page explaining types of
aid page that is clear and
concise
https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid

46. http://www.bu.edu/finaid/

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DECISION FACTOR:
OUTCOMES / JOBS

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#mStonerNow
What are some outcomes that can
demonstrate the value of a degree?

49. http://www.kenyon.edu/

50. An entire section
devoted to outcomes
http://www.kenyon.edu/

51. Highlights:
• Amazing demonstration
of the value of a degree
from Kenyon
• Leads with data, follows
with stories
• Bonus round: first jobs in
recent years!
http://www.kenyon.edu/

52. http://www.rider.edu/outcomes

53. http://www.rider.edu/outcomes

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Justifying the value of a degree is increasingly
important. How can you help prospectives decide?
• Jobs help demonstrate the value of a degree.
• Use data AND storytelling, not one or the other.
• Group outcomes by school or area of study – an
music student has different goals than a business
student.

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Make sure you’re presenting these well:
Rankings
Programs
Location
Cost
Outcomes / jobs

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Questions?

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Thanks!
@DougGapinski mstonerblog.com