The Future Is Already at the Door: Enrollment Questions Presidents Should Be Asking
Many campus leaders underestimate just how early the admission and enrollment processes begin.
This time of year, it’s easy for presidents and provosts to think enrollment as largely settled for fall 2026. Deposits are coming in and financial aid packages are going out. It feels like the hard part is over.
Enrollment success is never confined to just one cycle, though. It takes many strategic choices year over year on the part of many campus leaders, not just the enrollment or admissions team. Enrollment success is a sustained effort, something that should be understood and owned across the entire campus – and embraced by the president and cabinet.
The Cycle Begins Earlier Than Most Leaders Think
Many campus leaders underestimate just how early the admission and enrollment processes begin. Students who make your incoming class formed their impressions long before they applied. They and their parents have been paying attention to your institutional reputation, your academic offerings, the campus visit experience, and cost for some time.
A rule of thumb: the students who will enroll five to six years from now should already be engaged. Your enrollment team spends years developing and nurturing relationships long before the application cycle for each class launches. Enrollment does not begin with an application; it begins with awareness.
Enrollment Is an Enterprise Responsibility
One of the persistent myths I saw as a Vice President for Enrollment Management was that enrollment belongs to a single division. Quite the opposite. Enrollment is where your mission, your place in the market, your academic offerings, and your financial health converge. It is a task that requires constant oversight with care. When presidents and provosts engage enrollment as a priority, institutions are better positioned to navigate whatever comes next, such as the coming demographic shifts and growing competition.
Presidents create the conditions necessary to deliver on the institution’s promise. A campus that sees the importance of this engagement will thrive. To ensure it happens, encourage regular sharing of the numbers and explanations with context at senior-level meetings by making it a set agenda item. Empower faculty and staff to see themselves as partners in enrollment by engaging with prospective students, supporting visit programs and/or personally connecting with admitted students. And, when your enrollment leader asks for your assistance, listen and respond. They have their pulse on the market as student decisions are quickly being made. Students are not simply choosing an institution; they are deciding where they feel welcomed and positioned to succeed.
What Questions Should Leaders Should Be Asking Right Now?
As we head into spring, the following are questions that you as a president, provost, or other campus leader should be asking about enrollment. In truth, however, they are questions to consider year-round.
Are we shaping the class or simply reacting to it?
Throughout the spring semester, enrollment teams are actively recruiting and yielding the class. On which assumptions did we build the strategy? What are the data telling us? It is critical to review point-in-time enrollment data at least weekly to understand the class dynamics. Does any flexibility remain? Today’s data informs tomorrow’s outcomes.
Are we gaining momentum in line with the goals?
Application volume is only part of the story. Which programs are driving demand? Where are students saying yes? Success provides clues and leaders who understand that can ensure resources are aligned.
Where are students holding back or losing interest?
This is the season when doubts show up, when money concerns and competing offers often surface. As these worries emerge, students may quietly begin drifting away. Institutions that listen closely and keep students (and their families) engaged can respond before that happens.
Do institutional priorities support our financial aid strategy?
Discounting should never be the main enrollment strategy or simply a way of getting students in the door. It is a decision that shapes who enrolls with long-term consequences. Presidents and provosts must know how aid is used to achieve access, student success, and institutional financial health. There is always give and take but truly understanding net revenue in comparison with aid strategy for your campus is crucial to balance outcomes.
Is everyone focused on yield?
Students pick colleges where they can see themselves thriving. Academic engagement, faculty interactions, student ambassadors, and visible leadership matter. Yield should be considered a campus commitment.
What Your Enrollment Leader Wants You to Know
In my experience, the best presidents do three things to support enrollment. They make priorities clear so the enrollment team can forge ahead. They knock down barriers that slow progress. They share ownership. Enrollment must be something everyone supports. Consistent partnership and transparency are required. When leaders partner with their teams, results are stronger.
Institutions that succeed are working together through mission and open communication. Enrollment is not just an outcome; it reflects leadership, teamwork, and strategy through thoughtful attention.
Here’s hoping your fall 2026 goals (and your long-term aspirations) are surpassed!
