How to make your admissions counselors more productive and increase enrollments 

A lot has changed in the last few years for college admissions.  

With more institutions entering the market and online learning becoming mainstream, students have far more options to pursue higher education than ever before. In fact, more than 5.7 million students enrolled exclusively in online programs in 2024.  

Amid this changing environment, admissions counselors face a pressing question: How do you attract the right students, evaluate applications efficiently, and communicate with prospective learners in a way that truly stands out? 

To find the answer, LeadSquared spoke with admissions leaders from top higher education institutions across the United States. Their insights revealed key gaps in the traditional enrollment process – gaps that can be bridged with the right technology. That’s where solutions like an Admissions CRM comes in, empowering teams to meet their recruitment targets.  

Why strategic admissions planning matters 

With the landscape of higher education shifting rapidly, having a well-thought-out admissions strategy is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. Let’s look at how a focused plan can give admissions offices an edge: 

• Financial stability: Consistent enrollment directly influences your institution’s bottom line. A solid admissions plan helps minimize those stressful “empty seat” scenarios by targeting the right prospective students, which means steady tuition revenue and fewer last-minute scrambles. 

• Mission alignment: A strategic approach ensures that the students you attract are a good fit for your institution’s culture and academic goals. Rather than filling seats at random, you’re building a vibrant community that shares your school’s values and ambitions. Think of it as curating, not just recruiting. 

• Cross-departmental collaboration: Strategic planning naturally encourages departments—academics, marketing, student services, you name it—to work together. When everyone pulls in the same direction, the applicant experience improves, and you see better recruitment outcomes. 

• Long-term success: Colleges aren’t just fighting for next semester’s class; they’re building reputations that attract future generations. With a strategic plan, your admissions process becomes sustainable and adaptable: whether your goal is growth, stability, or repositioning amid changing trends. 

• Enhanced communication and service: A data-driven, technology-supported approach (think CRM systems) lets you keep a pulse on your applicant pool. You’re better equipped to personalize outreach and deliver timely support—all while reducing manual effort for your team. 

Developing a strategic plan future-proofs your admissions efforts, helping you not just hit your numbers, but build a thriving, mission-driven student body. 

The power of teamwork: Bridging admissions and academic leaders 

Here’s the deal—while admissions offices might steer the recruitment ship, it’s the richness of a school’s programs and academic leaders’ passion that draw students in for the long haul. 

When admissions professionals regularly connect with department heads, faculty, and coaches, a few great things happen: 

• Greater alignment: By working closely, teams can ensure everyone is on the same page about the school’s strengths and selling points. 

• Richer stories: Academic leaders often have firsthand insight and success stories that can be shared with prospective students and their families—making your school’s unique offerings shine. 

• Consistent messaging: Collaborating helps sync up how opportunities are described, whether in info sessions, campus tours, or written materials. 

Even small steps—like inviting faculty to participate in open houses or Q&A panels—let prospects see the real people who will shape their college experience. After all, students and families are eager to meet those who will guide and inspire them. 

Bringing admissions and academic leaders together doesn’t just strengthen presentations; it helps create a more authentic, compelling narrative that resonates with today’s discerning applicants. 

For deeper insights, you can listen to enrollment experts – Tom King and Lexington Maximus from The Art of Admissions. 

Or, take this short-cut: scroll to read the takeaways below!

Tips for admission officers to increase enrollments 

While colleges are spending time recruiting reps, they don’t always have the right resources to optimize their performance. This seemingly simple shortfall leads to unfilled classes. 

The following tips can help admission officers in better recruitment.  

1. Chase the right KPIs 

Getting hold of a student, setting an appointment, and ensuring they show up is, no doubt, difficult. It is also the most important part of your enrollment cycle.  

Once they show up, it’s relatively simple to get them excited with virtual or in-person tours (especially if they are even slightly interested in your program). If you can master the “lead capture to show up” process, you can expect a massive increase in your enrollments. 

However, when we asked admission officers what KPI(s) are most important for your admissions team, 65% of them responded – number of starts.  

We get the impression that admission counselors are more focused on the results, whereas they should focus on the KPIs that will bring those results.  

Career schools and colleges that successfully meet their admission targets focus on the following KPIs. 

• Lead contact rate: It is the percentage of inquiries that admission officers contact via phone calls/emails 

• Appointment set rate: The percentage of student inquiries that translate to appointments 

• Appointment show rate: The percentage of appointments that show up for counseling, virtual campus tours, etc. 

• Application rate: It is the percentage of students who showed up apply for a course 

• Enrollment rate: It is the percentage of applicants who enroll. 

• Start rate: The percentage of enrolled students who start. 

Once you start tracking these KPIs, you will know exactly where the problem is. For example, if your appointment show rate is low, you’ll devise measures to fix that. You can send a reminder SMS/WhatsApp text to the students about the appointment schedule and reduce the instances of no-show.  

This way, by monitoring individual KPIs, you can identify and address bottlenecks, ultimately leading to a higher number of admissions.  e more admissions. 

2. Create an enrollment process for your internal teams and follow it diligently

Many times, institutions have a chaotic, unstandardized follow-up process. They often don’t know where the inquiry is coming from and who is following up with them. It is also the reason for a low inquiry-to-appointment show rate.  

When we asked higher-ed institutions about their inquiry-to-appointment show rates, 58% of schools have an inquiry-to-appointment show rate below 30%. 

Most admission reps want to maximize their “Appointment Set” rates. But not all of them are good at appointment setting. It’s not that they’re not putting in the effort. The gap is because they are not trained for such tasks. Also, because they are doing everything else – engaging with prospects, doing paperwork, getting the enrolled students started, and 100 other tasks – they don’t have enough hours a day to set appointments.  

Solution: To let your staff focus on a dedicated task, split your admissions team to handle the following tasks. This approach is key to increasing productivity and outcomes for your admission counselors. 

1. Appointment/Enrollment Coordinators: Have dedicated staff to set appointments for counselors/reps. Result = Higher appointment rates = Higher show rates. 

2. Admission Reps: These are the people that love face-to-face or virtual interactions, showing off what your school is all about, making a great connection, and can get those enrollments.  

3. Student Coordinators: These are the people that handle all of the paperwork, ensure that everyone can get the financial aid they need, facilitate orientation or other meetings. These are the people that make those starts happen. You don’t want your admission reps or your appointment setters chasing these jobs. 

So, when your staff/team members are able to do their tasks proactively, you’ll observe better results. 

3. Turn your community into enrollment champions 

When it comes to increasing student recruitment, your school’s community is your secret weapon. Students, parents, alumni, and even teachers can become natural advocates—no fancy marketing budget required! After all, who better to tell your school’s story than the people living it every day? 

Here’s how you can put that community power to work: 

• Launch a referral program: Give current families a simple way to invite friends and neighbors. Whether it’s a “Bring a Friend” open house or a quick online form, make it easy and rewarding. 

• Empower easy sharing: Equip families with shareable resources—think Canva-made social graphics, ready-to-go email templates, or buzzworthy event invites—so they can naturally spread the word in their circles. 

• Celebrate your ambassadors: A thank-you note, a spotlight in the school newsletter, or small tokens of appreciation (hello, Starbucks gift card!) go a long way in motivating your cheerleaders to keep sharing. 

Word travels fast when people are genuinely excited. The reality is, prospective families trust real stories from real people more than they trust glossy brochures. Tap into your school’s living network—and watch your enrollment conversations begin where they matter most: in the community.

4. Have a contact strategy in place

In our survey, we found out that 40% of schools do not have a pre-defined contact cadence. Only 10% of schools have a set script (a specific sequence of emails and call scripts). 

If you let your reps use their unique methods every time, you will never know what works best. If your team doesn’t know what to communicate, there’ll be inconsistency and ambiguity in your messaging. 

So, brainstorm and create a plan (with scripts, replies, resources) before the enrollment season. Share all the materials with everyone involved in the admission process.  

To sum up: 

1. Plan a contact strategy: Your team must know when to call/text and when to email. Do not over or underdo these. 

2. Script everything: Define every conversation and everything else that needs to follow a consistent pattern. Aim at exploratory talks. For instance, what interests you in becoming a cosmetologist? What inspires you to become a cosmetologist? 

3. Prepare a follow-up structure: Define every possible follow-up path. How to follow up with no shows, with someone who shows up and doesn’t apply, and for every possible drop-off point.  

5. Influence students to enroll in your course

42% of schools have an appointment-to-enrollment rate below 30%. 

Campus tours exist to attract students with the look and feel of the college. Without this, schools may witness drop-offs from their admissions funnel.  

However, you can still focus on virtual presentations and campus tours and recreate a similar experience. We have seen virtual presentations increase the lead-to-show rate by 29% and the lead-to-application rate by 19%. Virtual presentations are much easier as compared to in-person interactions. They can be fun, are much faster and compliant. Here are the best ways to do virtual presentations: 

1. Direct your set: Use green screens, good microphones, good light source, good video camera, etc. 

2. Direct your audience: Make the presentation engaging and charismatic, rather than just reading the lines mechanically. It will inspire way more action. 

3. Direct yourself: Train your admission reps to be great presenters. Don’t just leave them with a camera and a Zoom room.  

With a helpful presentation, you can influence students to apply and enroll.  

6. Focus on delivering an outstanding parent and student experience 

Admissions isn’t just about numbers—it’s about creating a memorable journey for prospective families. Every step, from the initial inquiry to signing the enrollment form, leaves a lasting impression about your school’s culture and values. 

Here’s how you can ensure a positive experience every time: 

• Speed matters: Respond to inquiries as quickly as possible. A timely, friendly reply can set your school apart in families’ minds. Use automation for this.  

• Remove hurdles: Make the application process straightforward. Use simple, jargon-free forms and provide clear instructions, so parents and students aren’t left guessing what to do next. 

• Personal touches: While automation tools (like FloStack or DocuSign) can streamline routine tasks, be sure to keep the human element alive. Personalized emails, thank-you calls after campus tours, or handwritten notes can make families feel truly valued. 

• Consistent communication: Keep parents and students updated at every step—acknowledge when forms are received, notify them of next steps, and offer reminders for upcoming deadlines or appointments. 

Remember, a smooth admissions experience doesn’t just help fill seats—it encourages positive word-of-mouth and builds foundations for long-term relationships. 

7. Take ownership

In general, because of the lack of a streamlined process, admission officers don’t have complete ownership over leads. That is why the instances of missed follow-ups and lesser enrollments are important. 

A simple way to make your team accountable for their tasks is to track their performance regularly. However, not all institutions do that. We found out that nearly 40% of higher-ed institutions generate reports manually (through excel sheets). 

But if you see, tools like a higher education CRM provide automated reports that can save hours spent navigating excel sheets. It is also the success mantra of many renowned institutions. These tools are essential for increasing productivity and outcomes for your admission counselors. 

So, get an admissions CRM that lets you customize and generate daily activity reports with just a few clicks. You can create custom dashboards and see just the information that matters to you and remove the rest of the noise. 

To make your task easy, here’s something a happy client had to say:  

“With LeadSquared, our contact rate went up by 13%, and scheduled campus appointments improved by 5%” 

– Kim Gasper, Corporate Director of Marketing, Asher College.

Try LeadSquared. 

FAQs from Admissions Counselors

Additional Links

The Ultimate Guide To Higher Education Marketing In 2025

5 Education Marketing Channels & 8 Strategies: Boost Conversions