Fixing the leaky funnel: Enrollment management strategies that actually work

Closing the gap between inquiry and enrollment

Enrollment is a hot topic for institutions nationwide — and for good reason. Over the past year alone, higher ed has seen: 

• International student enrollment declining even more than predicted in 2025
• Undergraduate enrollment numbers shifting drastically across institution sectors
• The number of college-eligible high school seniors projected to drop in a long-forecasted “demographic cliff” 

These insights mean that institutions must think beyond enrollment for the “traditional” learner and evolve their strategies to include underserved and overlooked student populations in order to keep up with the shifts. 

While many institutions are investing in more marketing and new technology to bridge the gap, the irony is that this can lead to a de-personalization of the enrollment process. Students know when they’re receiving an automated message, and often this AI-generated response leads to a direct loss of marketing investment due to distrust from prospective students.

What’s more, according to UPCEA’s latest secret shopper report, nearly half (44%) of all prospective student inquiries received no response. The report also found that even though institutions are adopting more advanced CRMs, automation tools and communication platforms, “personalized follow-up remains the exception rather than the norm.”

To close the gap, institutions need a better answer to their enrollment challenges; something that can keep up with the demand for stronger outcomes, create the capacity to engage with all prospects who have inquired and make sure students feel connected to the institution — and supported from the moment they reach out. In this blog, we’re diving into how Enrollment Coaching is one such answer to this problem. 

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What the UPCEA report tells us about student inquiries

In addition to the 44% of all prospective student inquiries receiving no response, here are a few highlights from the report that show where this enrollment "leak" is happening: 

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What do these stats mean? Namely:

1. The high non-response rate for individual emails highlights the importance of directing inquiries into structured, trackable systems and away from inboxes that lack accountability
2. When institutions don't allow students to ask questions directly on the inquiry form, they miss a key opportunity to gather valuable insights and encourage deeper engagement from the very first touchpoint
3. Most email-based inquiries are not captured in a CRM, which greatly limits an institution’s ability to build awareness, sustain interest and move prospective students through the enrollment funnel

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Why Enrollment Coaching is the key to a human-centered process

More marketing doesn't always mean more students successfully navigate through the enrollment journey. Instead, institutions need enrollment management strategies that are both scalable and human-centered.

Through InsideTrack Enrollment Coaching, institutions can not only increase conversion rates but also help prospective students define long-term goals, identify the best program fit, connect to resources, prepare for registration deadlines and ultimately feel a stronger sense of belonging. This all leads to students who feel ready to start strong and are committed to your institution — and their futures.

Enrollment Coaching is designed to be:

• Proactive: Coaches reach out to students proactively to follow up on their original inquiry.
• Personalized: Every interaction is tailored to the student’s unique goals, barriers and/or questions.
• Scalable: Our technology allows us to impact thousands of learners while maintaining that personal feel. We’ve offered Enrollment Coaching to institutions of all types (two-year, four-year, online and traditional) and sizes — from 250 prospective students to over 40,000.
• Proven: Our methodology is evidence-based and research-confirmed to drive lasting results.

While the UPCEA report found that 44% of inquiries receive no response at all, InsideTrack coaches outreach to 100% of qualified inquiries, ensuring every prospective student has a dedicated contact who can connect them to any resources on campus and encourage them to complete the enrollment process.

Read our blog for five enrollment best-practices from an expert coach.

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4 ways Enrollment Coaching addresses key gaps in the leaky enrollment funnel

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1. Replacing automated templates with personalized, informative emails 

The UPCEA report found that some inquiries triggered low-quality, automated emails with missing information, minimal content, inconsistent formatting and a lack of institutional branding. These errors leave students feeling de-motivated to learn anything more about your institution.  

Templated responses are often the first point of contact a student has with an institution, and while they’re essential for scalability, they shouldn't feel cold, impersonal or like an afterthought. Putting in the upfront effort to ensure these interactions are as welcoming as possible can make all the difference.

Dr. Clayton Steen, associate VP of online education enrollment strategy at Penn State World Campus, voiced a similar sentiment during our recent webinar on enrollment: "Language is important. Let’s not imply in any way that the student is not meeting a certain standard [with inappropriate or inaccurate language]... and provide language that's really saying ‘these are some of the things that we're adding to your pathway to success.’" 

InsideTrack Enrollment Coaching includes complex, cross-channel communication flows that feature relative links and information — alongside personal, relationship-building language that make students feel welcome and heard. Every single email, call or text from a coach is designed to encourage questions, and coaches always introduce themselves and frame themselves as a guide who’s there to personally ensure the student gets what they need. 

This immediately humanizes an often daunting and impersonal process. When a student replies directly to an enrollment coach, that student always receives timely, personalized follow-up.

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Watch “Enrollment With Impact: Building Belonging and Lasting Student Success” on demand to learn more about how coaching can help fuel enrollment.

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2. Creating space for questions and curiosity 

A significant pain point found in UPCEA’s secret shopper analysis was that 75% of RFI forms lacked a field for students to ask questions — and only 38% percent of personalized inquiries placed through an individual email received a response. When prospective students don't have an opportunity to ask individualized questions, they may feel that their unique circumstances are not being prioritized. UPCEA rightly recommends that RFI forms include an open-response field, but it’s essential that institutions are staffed to respond to these questions with a personalized touch.

Assessment is a core element of InsideTrack's coaching methodology and is critical for coaches to use during the enrollment process. If a student signals that they have an enrollment barrier related to finances, for example, a coach doesn't just send them a link to the financial aid office. Instead, they might ask deeper questions and uncover that the student is actually worried about keeping their part-time job while staying in school. With this information in mind, the coach can walk them through flexible course options or fully online classes that might fit their schedule better.

Allowing students to ask questions — and to pose curious follow-up questions — through holistic assessment helps coaches connect them to the right resources and increases student trust in the institution.

As Dr. Greg DeSantis, associate VP of education practice at Jobs for the Future, suggests, this intentional connection is vital for long-term success: "Making sure that, at the onset, we’ve thought about how a student is developing a plan, a sense of belonging and a sense of purpose from day one is really crucial to making sure folks are retained and persist.” By creating room for this dialogue early on, we ensure students feel seen and confident as they enroll.

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3. Tracking all inquiries in one central platform 

As previously noted, UPCEA’s report found that 78% of RFI inquiries enter promotional email sequences, but only 2% of email inquiries trigger the same follow-up within 30 days. What does this mean? Institutions are missing a massive opportunity to nurture prospective students who have fallen through the cracks. 

Having a centralized platform is key to maintaining regular communication and ensuring a swift response across all channels — and to all students. InsideTrack’s custom coaching platform was designed based on millions of coaching interactions to reach the right learners at the right time. Any communication with a prospective student — whether via email, text, call or video — is documented in our platform with assistance from AI, which aggregates learner insights and coach notes about focus areas, challenges and next steps. 

What’s more, data integration with our partners ensures we have up-to-date student data that informs our proactive outreach. This allows coaches to follow up in a timely manner and track a learner's progress to ensure their main priorities remain our priorities.

As Dr. Steen explains, once students are admitted to an institution, many different offices often converge on them at once. This can be extremely overwhelming and confusing. Coaching acts as the "air traffic controller for us," he says, ensuring that conversations are specific to the student, helping them determine the exact next steps they need to follow in the enrollment process.

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4. Maintaining engagement through every phase of the journey 

The UPCEA report noted that only a select few institutions continued their outreach beyond initial contact. This means institutions are missing out on connections with students at the most critical point in their decision-making process. 

InsideTrack coaches work with students throughout the entire journey. We ensure every learner has a coach in their corner from inquiry to admittance, especially during the critical "summer melt" months where an estimated 10-20% of students fail to show up to fall semester. Touchpoints include frequent one-on-one meetings — via phone call, text message, email or a combination — to discuss pain points with the application or any barriers that may arise after they’re enrolled. It’s incredibly impactful on a student’s persistence to have a go-to person they trust and have built a relationship with during the enrollment process. This long-term engagement helps learners not just enroll, but complete an education that will support them in their future career.

Brian Gann, VP for enrollment and student services at Wake Technical Community College, emphasizes that this connection is about showing students that they’re valued: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. And so that’s our goal: to imbue that culture of care across our college." When students have someone in their corner, they don't just enroll — they gain the confidence and support needed to persist all the way to completion.

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From first impressions to lifelong impact

Closing the enrollment gap isn’t just about efficiency, better technology or more marketing — it’s about better relationships. As Dr. DeSantis noted, institutions must help students develop a plan that leads to "a sense of belonging and a sense of purpose from day one.” By prioritizing clear communication, structured systems and human connection, institutions can help more learners enroll in and complete the education they need to achieve their goals.