NRCCUA NEWS!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 10/9/2007

Study Rates College and University Admission Websites

The Best Sites at Helping Young People and Securing Students

(Lee’s Summit, MO) – The National Research Center for College & University Admissions (NRCCUA), the leading organization connecting young people and their families with colleges and universities around the country, today released its annual rankings of the admissions Websites of more than 3,000 postsecondary institutions. The 9th annual Enrollment Power Index® (EPI), a research-based analysis, rates how well the functionality and design of college and university websites provide information to potential students to take them from prospect to applicant.

This year, Lawrence University in Appleton, WI has the highest-rated admissions website. Of the 3,087 postsecondary institutions whose sites were graded, less than 30% earned A or B grades. The top 10 rated schools were:

1. Lawrence University
2. Pennsylvania College of Technology
3. LeTourneau University
4. University of New England
5. Bellarmine University
6. Wayne State University
7. Gonzaga University
8. Saint Vincent College and Seminary
9. Lakeland College
10. Newberry College

“Today’s technically savvy generation of students has extremely high expectations when it comes to the amount and type of admissions information they find on university websites,” said Don Munce, President of NRCCUA. “Meeting these expectations with quality, up-to-date websites will help students better navigate the admissions process and ensure that colleges and universities are attracting students in the Internet generation.”

Only 140 institutions received an A, 713 received a B, 1369 received a C, 635 received a D, and 230 received an F. No sites scored in the 90s or 80s on the 100-point scale, only 16 scored in the 70s, and nearly one third earned scores in the 50s or 60s. Scores for the top 10 schools ranged from 74-71 on a 100-point scale, a significant decrease from last year’s top scores of 82-78.

The highest rated school in the North region was Pennsylvania College of Technology, Lawrence University in the Midwest, Bellarmine University in the South, and LeTourneau University was the highest rated in the West. (A full breakdown of the top ten institutions in these and other categories is available in a fact sheet following this release.)

“Overall, approval ratings of college and university websites have continued to decline over the last several years, indicating a level of dissatisfaction among today’s students,” said Munce. “To satisfy prospective students and encourage them to apply, college and university admissions offices need to continue updating and enhancing their websites to keep them dynamic.”

EPI measures the ability of a college or university admissions website to take students from a prospect to an applicant. It provides a detailed analysis of trends and clear indicators of what institutions can do to improve the effectiveness of their sites.

To identify the site features that have the most significant impact of a potential student’s perception of the site, an email survey was sent to more than 100,000 college-bound high school students asking them to rate two admissions websites. Next, over 3,000 sites were evaluated to identify functional features present on each site. Statistical tests were then used to identify the functional features that were important to students and their relative importance.

The study examined 34 different criteria that were divided into five main categories.

• Prominence of an admissions office link on the institution’s home page (10.61 possible points).
• Admissions Web page design and ease of navigation (23.25 possible points).
• Online access to admissions materials (13.42 possible points).
• Additional admissions information (38.97 possible points).
• Ability to contact the admissions office (13.75 possible points).

Trends on Features

Since the technology for admissions websites is constantly advancing and changing, so are the expectations of potential students on the type of information available to them. The EPI survey takes this into account as the research criteria are updated, on a yearly basis, to reflect changes in technology and the students’ expectations. Certain features, such as the website search feature, have become standard but not universal and now carry less weight in the rating system.

This year’s research revealed three items that have become more critical to admissions websites and are expected by potential students who use the sites.

• Interactive functions such as instant messaging and live online chat rooms for students to communicate with admissions officers as they explore their college options
• The presence of information about the community/city where the college is located and an online campus visit date scheduler
• The ability to apply online, as well as track the application status online

“Our in-depth and comprehensive research tells us that innovative admissions websites are increasingly more important to students as they consider their college options,” said Ron Morris, NRCCUA director of admissions marketing research. “A small but growing number of institutions, for instance, are starting to incorporate text message reminders, current student blogs and interactive chat features into their admissions procedures.”

“We hope that the EPI research will give institutions a bench mark of what students expect in the college admissions process as well as ways to further develop and enhance their websites.” said Munce.

For more information on the EPI study, please visit www.NRCCUA.org/epireport