As your admission department prepares for a new cycle, you may want to consider what high school counselors say they will be looking for from colleges this fall.
Cappex recently conducted a national survey of 260 counselors about what colleges should provide to make the process easier for them and their students, and how and when they should contact counselors.
How can you make the process easier?
Address the money aspect.
The most critical need identified by counselors is centered on financial information. In the current economic climate, money trumps all. Among the top answers to the survey: 65% of counselors surveyed wanted more clear financial information on colleges' websites. 52% wanted easier access to merit aid information, and 47% wanted more clear tuition information.
This is not surprising because in a student survey conducted by Cappex last January, students indicated financial aid, scholarships and tuition were at the top of their lists, too.
The implication is that, on your website, you should make financial information a priority, easy to find and easy to digest - that is once you have first communicated your college's point of difference or "brand" identity.
Improve navigation and prioritize.
Slightly lower down the priority scale, counselors indicated a need for easier to navigate websites. With the depth of information and the different audiences that college websites need to accommodate, it all comes down to how you prioritize the information. Are the majority of your visitors finding what they need with just a few clicks?
Some other key priorities mentioned were easier access to application deadlines and prospective student event calendars. These milestones can be very important for planning a college search curriculum and helping students focus their time.
Also mentioned was easier access to information about majors. As you know, many students search for colleges by major, so you should consider having a search-by-major keyword capability on your home page.
A challenge remains the ability to have both depth and breadth of information and easy navigation, and there will always have to be tradeoffs.
How should you contact them?
E-mail and high school visits are the preferred methods. Some counselors said "nothing replaces a visit to the high school." Counselors appear to be comfortable with concise e-mails about "news from your college" or about setting up a visit.
It is interesting that only 38% of responders said call me or mail me information. This is likely a part of a general consumer trend of greater reliance on electronic communications vs. mail and phone. Of course, there will always continue to be some instances where it just makes more sense to pick up the phone or send something in the mail.
When should you reach out?
54% of counselors said at the start of fall semester. The next most popular answer, with 39% of responders, was a few times during fall semester. Some counselors clarified with further detail saying they wanted to be contacted in the fall for their seniors and in the spring for their juniors. Spring visits may be key if your college wants to gain early awareness among juniors.
You should also consider reaching out to counselors and students year-round on college search sites like Cappex.com. Next to a college's own website, students say they prefer getting college information on college search sites like Cappex.com, and more than 10,000 high school counselors recommend Cappex.com to their students.
With 1 million+ student users, Cappex is a highly cost-effective way to reach students as they are researching colleges online and generate quality inquiries. To learn more, click here, or contact Alex Stepien at