Looking at Enrollment Yield

Applicants, Admits, and New Enrollees

There are a variety of factors that can influence enrollment yield. Enrollment yield is the proportion of applicants who are admitted and go on to enroll. A first step is to determine what that yield is for a department, school, or institution for all students or for different subgroups of students. Using this tool, you can explore trends in both the percent of applicants who are admitted and of admitted students who enroll.

To use the tool:

Enter your starting academic year.
Enter the number of years over which you would like to have enrollment yield percentages.

For your starting year and for each succeeding year, enter the number of students who applied to the PhD program, students who were admitted, and students who enrolled.

Academic Year
PhD Applicants
PhD Admits
New PhD Enrollees
 
Percent of Applicants Admitted
Percent of Admits Enrolled
Percent of Applicants Admitted
Percent of Admits Enrolled

Interpreting the Results

Percent of Applicants Admitted

If the percent of applicants admitted is consistently high and there is satisfaction with the quality of the admitted students, it appears that recruitment strategies are both effective and cost-effective.

If the percent of applicants admitted is increasing over time, you may want to ask:

  • if newer recruitment activities are targeting students with a high probability of being admitted;
  • if admission requirements/decision-making procedures have changed, making more recruited students eligible for admission;
  • if the number of available slots has increased.

If the percent of applicants admitted is decreasing over time, you may want to ask:

  • if newer recruitment activities are targeting students with a lower probability of being admitted;
  • if admission requirements/decision-making procedures have changed, making existing recruitment strategies less effective;
  • if recruiters and recruitment materials are presenting a clear picture of what is needed to be a successful candidate;
  • if the number of available slots has decreased.

If the percent of applicants who are admitted is consistently low; you may want to ask:

  • if recruitment activities are targeting appropriate students.

If the percent of applicants admitted is volatile, consider entering data from earlier years to see if more of a pattern emerges.

Percent of Admits Enrolled

If the percent of admitted students who enroll is increasing or consistently high, it appears that post-admission recruitment activities are effective.

If the percent of admitted students who enroll is low or is decreasing over time, you might want to ask:

  • if the financial aid packages are competitive and/or high enough to cover student costs;
  • if students are applying to more graduate programs;
  • how admitted students respond to post-admission recruitment activities.

If the percent of applicants who are admitted is volatile, consider entering data from earlier years to see if more of a pattern emerges.