Leveraging the Web to
Recruit Graduate Students
Graduate Program Directors Retreat
October 14, 2011
Recruitment Tactics
• Mailings (print and electronic)– Student inquiries– Department chairs at other universities– Colleagues in the field
• GRE Name Purchases– By score, geography, academic interest
• Posters– Previous employers of graduates– University career centers
• Open Houses and Information Sessions– On- and off-campus
Most Effective Tactics?
Recruitment Type Average Perceived Effectiveness*
Website (n = 247) 2.67Local/State Recruiting Events (n = 228) 2.19Regional Recruiting Events (n = 164) 1.91
On-Campus Career Fairs (n = 145) 1.88National Recruiting Events (n = 150) 1.78International Recruiting Events (n = 66) 1.74
Off-Campus Career Fairs (n = 143) 1.71
*Where: 3 = Highly Effective; 2 = Somewhat Effective; 1 = Not Very Effective; 0 = Don't Know
Average is calculated for all responses that rated event between 1 and 3; "0" (don't know) and no response are not included in the average.
NAGAP Recruiting Survey by The National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (NAGAP), released in 2006.
Student Expectations
62.4% of prospective Graduate Students would rather look at a website about a graduate program than read brochures sent in the mail.
What they look for most:
CategoryImportance rank (5 = extremely
important)Graduate program detail 4.77Assistantship/scholarship information 4.62Financial aid information 4.57Assistantship opportunities and information 4.4Tuition/cost/fees 4.38Length of time to complete program 4.35Connections with employers or career services 4.18Details on faculty 4.03
"Advanced Degrees of E-Recruitment: The E-Expectations of Prospective Graduate Students,“ 2007 Noel-Levitz, Inc.
Optimize Your Web Presence
Ways to:1. Drive prospects to your department’s website2. Give them better online experiences
• Incorporate social media
3. Measure success
Recognizing:• You have limited time, staffing & budgetary resources• You may have staff with limited skills in web design &
maintenance• Untapped student resources?
1. Drive Students to Your Website
• Web Banner Advertisements– GraduateGuide.com, etc.
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM)– Google Ad Words
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)– Number of visits– Content on the page (keywords)– Meta Tags (hidden)
• Social Media
Student & Faculty Blogs
• Authentic voices• Interactive with comments• New content & new webpages (great for SEO)
2. Improve Web Experiences
• What resources does your department’s website offer prospective students?
• How strong and noticeable are the calls to action (APPLY! VISIT!)?
• Are prospective students getting to the right webpages?
• How frequently is new content posted?
• How are prospective students finding your website?– SB University Homepage?– Publication?– Google?– Graduate Search Website?
3. Measure Success
• Free
• Simple Installation
• Easy to Use
Google Analytics
Google Analytics
Google Analytics
Resources
• NAGAP: www.nagap.org
• Noel-Levitz E-Expectations: www.noellevitz.com
• Social Media: www.stonybrook.edu/connect
Questions?
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