Justice Department Lawsuit is Forcing You and Your College to Compete More for Students & Athletes
This will change the way everyone on your campus goes after new prospects
by Dan Tudor, President - Tudor Collegiate Strategies
Here’s what you need to know, and why this landmark ruling is important to your college recruiting efforts:
Over the last few months, drastic changes in the way colleges recruit students and athletes have taken place.
It culminated yesterday when the U.S. Justice Department sued, and then simultaneously settled, with the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) for allegedly violating anti-trust rules in recruiting practices.
Some of the things that were deemed to be unlawful:
Not allowing member colleges to offer incentives for students and athletes who commit early, like first choice of housing, or better financial aid packages.
Not allowing members to ask for admissions decisions earlier in the process.
Not allowing colleges, and coaches, to continue recruiting students and athletes who have already announced their intention to go to another school (timely conversation, given a controversial recruiting strategy article we published earlier this week, and the debate that ensued).
Not allowing colleges, and coaches, to continue to recruit students and athletes who were applicants the previous year who are now enrolled at other schools.
Officials from the Justice Department commented that the old rules established by NACAC “had the effect of unlawfully restraining competition among NACAC’s college members, resulting in harm to college applicants and potential transfer students”, and added “by establishing and enforcing the recruiting rules, NACAC substantially reduced competition among colleges for college applicants and potential transfer students and deprived these consumers of the benefits that result from colleges vigorously competing for students.”
In short, this completely changes college recruiting - especially on the admissions side of campus. Some colleges had already been pushing the envelope, but operated in a gray area of traditional college recruiting. Now, it appears they have an operational head start in a new recruiting landscape that’s emerging.
As colleges begin operating in this new environment, here are the imperatives to discuss with your admissions, coaching and college peers on campus:
Your messaging plan, and how it makes the case that your campus is best for the prospect, takes on a new level of importance.
Your incentive plan for deciding earlier, rather than later, is going to become crucial. In the same way that Black Friday and Cyber Monday has influenced the way we buy gifts and merchandise during the holidays because of the incentives that are offered, how your college positions itself against the competition will be a prime consideration for the prospects you are recruiting.
Your counseling and coaching staffs are going to need to become experts in the sales process. Make sure you’re spending time training and discussing sales strategies, marketing research and how to professionally lead the prospect and their family through the decision making process. Sales isn’t about pressure; sales is about helping to guide buyers to a decision.
Your approach to a shrinking field of available prospects. According to our research, as well as analysis of future college classes entering the market, there is going to be a decreasing number of available prospects - meaning an increased amount of competition for those students.
Your plan for the continued recruitment of verbally committed student and athlete prospects, as well as a plan to market to the previous year’s students who may have chosen to go elsewhere, but are now feeling like they might have made a mistake.
This likely marks a defining moment in college admissions history. Whether you agree with the decision, or decry it, the fact remains: The way you and your college does one of your most important jobs is changing drastically.
Free resources for further understanding:
“Getting Students to Choose Your School Over Their Other Options”
“Making Your Financial Aid Conversations Less Confusing”
“How to Steal the Attention of Your Competitor’s Recruit”
“Justice Department Sues, Settles with NACAC”
Recruiting Training & Strategies Customized for College Admissions Departments