Community College Recruitment Strategies – Reaching Potential Students in 2024

Community colleges in the United States play a vital role in the local education system. Each year, millions of prospective students benefit from affordable undergraduate enrollment opportunities provided by these schools.

But during the past decade, admissions and recruiting teams have confronted an uphill enrollment battle. Campus leaders are scrambling to keep up as students change their expectations about postsecondary education and make unexpected pivots with their future career plans. How can recruiters continue to showcase these community institutions to attract students every fall?

In this post, we’ll provide practical higher education insights that recruiting teams can use to reach prospective students year after year.

What’s Going on with Community Colleges, Anyway?

With increasing higher education competition and a growing number of job or personal options, community colleges must be intentional with their recruitment strategies. To reach potential students, community schools can’t as easily rely on nationally recognizable brand identities or millions of dollars in endowment funds. Instead, the approach to community college recruitment (and retention) looks more like a “grassroots” effort.

But is it all doom and gloom for this type of college recruitment plan? Definitely not. While there are still enrollment challenges ahead, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center recently pointed out the following trends in student enrollment data.

"Enrollment at community colleges is beginning to grow this spring (+2.1% over last spring)... The first-look spring 2023 enrollment report found that the trend is due to an accelerated increase in dual enrollees and spring freshmen. Freshmen increased across all institution types, with most attending a community college (58.8%)."

If you’re a community college enrollment leader, these numbers and trends provide reason to hope. In a recent post, we went into further detail about the positive growth potential that community institutions hold in today’s educational market. Savvy admissions leaders recognize that potential there is to market to high school students, develop in-demand academic program offers, and capitalize on the flexibility and affordability that two-year schools provide.

>> Read More about Enrollment Trends << 

5 Sure-Fire Community College Recruitment Strategies

There are various strategies you can use to protect the future of your institution and recruit more community college students. 

Good student recruitment strategies must begin with understanding your ideal student, being able to communicate effectively about how your school can meet their needs, and becoming a true partner in the student journey. Don’t forget—students have a lot to juggle and consider; serving as an empathetic partner goes a long way in establishing a strong connection.

For now, let’s take a closer look at five strategies you can implement to improve the relevance and power of your college recruiting and freshmen enrollment. 

1. Identify Your Target Market to Attract Prospective Students

Understanding your target market or audience is one of the key components of any strong marketing campaign. And believe it or not, there’s actually a fairly strong connection between modern marketing and college recruitment strategy.

To ensure that your community college recruitment efforts are as efficient as they could be, your enrollment team must first know who the target audience is. Which students are a perfect match for your programs? What groups would find your flexible course offerings most appealing. You can even break down the data into demographic information that includes:

• Student age at enrollment
• First generation college students (or low income students)
• Academic and personal interests
• Long-term goals
• Personal background 
• Barriers to enrollment or key objections 

This market or target audience looks different for every institution, especially on a local level with community schools. Once you have the ideal student in mind, it becomes easier to target your marketing and recruitment messages in a way that matches the characteristics you’ve pre-identified.

Pro Tip: Still struggling to know your students at a deeper level? Connecting with learners starts from the first interaction, and a platform like Element451 lets you keep tabs on important activities, conversations, and relationships.

2. Leverage Multi-Platform Digital Channels to Answer Prospective Students' Queries

Digital natives (like the current cohort of high school and college students) conduct much of their decision-making processes online. As new reports show college enrollment falling from a macro standpoint, it’s more important than ever for smaller institutions to capture attention at times when students are actively searching.  

Campus leaders must consider the return on investment on activities related to digital marketing, website optimization, and social media posts Each of these platforms provide unique ways to recruit and reach potential students with the right messaging. 

Ensure that your school’s online presence is mobile-friendly since many students research on-the-go. This means that you’ll need a highly responsive website and a way to engage with prospective students through online interactions. (Hint: an automated chatbot is an exceptionally helpful admissions tool!) 

3. Partner with Local High Schools and Businesses

It’s no secret that community schools get the unique chance to enroll current students in high school—a privilege that a larger, four-year institution may not have. Because of dual enrollment, community institutions can start connecting with students much sooner and prove their value to learners who want to save both time and money. 

Because of this special position, local high schools are one of the best places to find students for community college enrollment. Take advantage of high school guidance counselors who regularly communicate with students and know how to match certain learners with new opportunities. As a best practice, community college leaders should also consider forming partnerships to participate or host college fairs and local events.

Another option? Syncing with local businesses, the chamber of commerce, or local governing bodies. Many of these are foundational to the regional community, and they also provide incredible opportunities for students to receive on-the-job training. If students can see what they stand to gain from studying at a community college (in terms of actual training and job skills), the decision to attend may become even easier for them to make.

4. Provide Practical Assistance to Meet Real Needs

Even at the community college level, not all students are in a position to navigate the application and admissions process with ease. Obstacles might include personal, academic, or financial barriers that hold students back or discourage them from submitting applications in the first place.

Community college teams must consider providing holistic assistance to future students. Not only does this practice help those students enter the admissions process, but it’s a move that also enhances your brand reputation. For community colleges, creating a public image as an institution that cares for attendees is one proven way to build trust and generate interest. 

Additionally, colleges should promote various assistance services throughout the recruitment process. A multi-level approach to helping students succeed includes activities related to admissions support, academic tutoring, and even counseling.

5. Use Creative Scholarship Programs for Recruiting Students

One of the most pressing worries for many new students is the sheer cost of education. Fortunately, tuition numbers at the community college level are much lower in comparison to four-year institutions.

Private scholarships are available and accessible to community college recruits, just as they would be if students were to attend larger public or private schools. Additionally, community colleges can (and should) encourage students to complete the FAFSA and access any eligible grants or loans that they might be able to use to pay for tuition.

Providing scholarships alleviates some of the stress that potential students face. To be able to offer these financial programs more easily, partner with local organizations or businesses that have a desire to sponsor students. Community schools can also offer public workshops on college funding and cut down on barriers to entry for new applicants. 

Remember—accessibility, fairness, and equal opportunity are all significant factors on the road to community college enrollment. 

How Can a Student Engagement Platform Bolster Community College Recruitment?

A student engagement platform like Element451 can streamline and enhance the comprehensive recruiting process. This is especially powerful in the context of community colleges, where there may be less time and resources to accomplish major growth goals. When personnel are few and staff time is limited, replacing manual steps with intuitive automations helps move the needle forward. 

Here are some ways a student engagement platform or CRM can help with college recruitment.

24/7 AI-powered Content Automation

Artificial intelligence technology is here to expand the realm of what community college admissions staff are able to accomplish. To recruit smarter (not harder), use AI functionality to reach more students and work on creating one-on-one relationships that matter most. 

Personalization

By personalizing new campaigns, community colleges can reach a greater number of students with more direct, impactful messaging that feels like a personal touch. 

Segmentation

Finetune your recruitment by getting the target audience exactly right. Element451’s segmentation tactics allow schools to leverage microsites, text messaging, university events, and so much more.

24/7 AI-powered Automation

Artificial intelligence technology is here to expand the realm of what community college admissions staff are able to accomplish. To recruit smarter (not harder), use AI functionality to reach more students and work on creating one-on-one relationships that matter most. 

Real Success Stories from Academic Leaders

One of the most significant barriers to community college recruitment? Effective communication with real students before the application process starts. 

Many small community college teams are up against the clock, and they often have lower staff numbers than larger schools. But these factors don’t have to stand in the way of finding recruiting success, especially when using a platform like Ignite Marketing Software by Element451.

Community institutions like the College of Albemarle (COA) and Randolph Community College in North Carolina have greatly benefited from features like:

• Two-way text communication with students 
• Easy-to-write (and send) email marketing campaigns
• Integrated tools that help schools replace extraneous programs and apps
• Simplified, single vendor relationship with advanced support
• Conversational AI features powered by ChatGPT

Devin Purgason, Director of College Relations, Marketing, and Communication at Forsyth Tech has this to say about working with a platform that really grasps student engagement:

“The Element451 team is an amazing partner for Forsyth Tech. I use the word partner very, very specifically because they really come alongside us. They understand our mission and our vision and they work really really hard to make sure that we are accomplishing our goals.”

Re-Energize Your Community College Recruiting Efforts

It’s a new world for higher education laters, and the ability to thrive means staying ahead of the trends. Colleges can no longer rely on traditional recruiting methods to reach potential students, especially when those students are receiving equally compelling messaging from other types of schools. 

To continually innovate and create adaptive recruitment strategies, college leaders must be willing to play both sides—sticking to well–proven best practices while combining new technologies

If your community college recruiting game plan needs a breath of fresh air—let’s chat. Element451 has the tools, technology, and results you’re looking for. Build the most effective student recruitment strategies starting now.

>> Schedule your personalized Element451 demo today. <<