Scaling Enrollment Coaching to Recruit Future Graduates at Penn State World Campus
The Opportunity
As Penn State World Campus enrollment grew from 8,500 in 2010 to 19,000 current students across 200+ programs, the internal admissions team struggled to balance high inquiry volumes with individualized attention and support. This risked losing learner momentum and burning out staff — especially during peak enrollment cycles. To expand capacity, improve the student experience and maintain healthy enrollment numbers at scale, Penn State World Campus began partnering with InsideTrack in 2010 to embed Enrollment Coaching into their prospective student outreach.
The Opportunity
As Penn State World Campus enrollment grew from 8,500 in 2010 to 19,000 current students across 200+ programs, the internal admissions team struggled to balance high inquiry volumes with individualized attention and support. This risked losing learner momentum and burning out staff — especially during peak enrollment cycles. To expand capacity, improve the student experience and maintain healthy enrollment numbers at scale, Penn State World Campus began partnering with InsideTrack in 2010 to embed Enrollment Coaching into their prospective student outreach.
The Solution
Over a 16-year partnership that has continuously evolved to meet institutional goals, InsideTrack has supported more than 600K prospective Penn State World Campus students, 41K of whom engaged directly with a coach. Serving as a human-powered extension of the university's admissions team, InsideTrack coaches conduct proactive, 1:1 outreach to 100% of assigned prospective student inquiries. In the past five years, coaches have directed their attention to undergraduate admissions, helping prospective learners evaluate program fit, understand the rigor of a Penn State degree, navigate application and financial aid steps, build confidence and overcome real-life barriers to enrollment — allowing internal admissions staff to focus on other specialized tasks.
The Solution
Over a 16-year partnership that has continuously evolved to meet institutional goals, InsideTrack has supported more than 600K prospective Penn State World Campus students, 41K of whom engaged directly with a coach. Serving as a human-powered extension of the university's admissions team, InsideTrack coaches conduct proactive, 1:1 outreach to 100% of assigned prospective student inquiries. In the past five years, coaches have directed their attention to undergraduate admissions, helping prospective learners evaluate program fit, understand the rigor of a Penn State degree, navigate application and financial aid steps, build confidence and overcome real-life barriers to enrollment — allowing internal admissions staff to focus on other specialized tasks.
Proven Results
The Impact
From 2021-2026, InsideTrack coaches held more than 20,000 1:1 coaching conversations with prospective students and achieved a 35.8% contact rate across inquiries. That holistic, personalized coaching made all the difference — coached prospective learners were 7x more likely to apply, 11x more likely to be admitted and 10x more likely to enroll compared to their non-coached peers.
Coaching improved conversion at every milestone
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Beyond direct 1:1 outreach, InsideTrack enrollment coaches worked closely with the admissions team to identify prospective student hurdles, leading to policy adjustments like embedding fee waivers into the application process and streamlining credit transfers. The flexibility of InsideTrack’s evidence-based coaching approach allowed Penn State World Campus to scale support outreach up or down depending on their needs. In combination, these efforts turned prospective student interest into first-day enrollment and long-term completion.
The Impact
From 2021-2026, InsideTrack coaches held more than 20,000 1:1 coaching conversations with prospective students and achieved a 35.8% contact rate across inquiries. That holistic, personalized coaching made all the difference — coached prospective learners were 7x more likely to apply, 11x more likely to be admitted and 10x more likely to enroll compared to their non-coached peers.
Coaching improved conversion at every milestone
Beyond direct 1:1 outreach, InsideTrack enrollment coaches worked closely with the admissions team to identify prospective student hurdles, leading to policy adjustments like embedding fee waivers into the application process and streamlining credit transfers. The flexibility of InsideTrack’s evidence-based coaching approach allowed Penn State World Campus to scale support outreach up or down depending on their needs. In combination, these efforts turned prospective student interest into first-day enrollment and long-term completion.
Dr. Clayton Steen
Associate Vice President for Online Education Enrollment Strategy, Penn State World Campus
William Fritz
Senior Director of Admissions and Military Enrollment Operations, Penn State World Campus
Prospective B.A in Law and Society Student
Penn State World Campus
Carli Donovan
Assistant Director of Admissions, Penn State World Campus
Prospective B.S. in Economics Student
Penn State World Campus
Download the case study to learn more about how Penn State World Campus is transforming student support and increasing enrollment yield.
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