with Jennie Winton If you know what makes your school special, but struggle to describe it in a succinct way, this presentation is for you. Learn how to use the Minute Message Model to powerfully...

with Stephen Milich, Kirk Brennan, E. Whitney Soule, and Laurel Baker Tew With a declining student population, rising tuitions, and a proliferation of educational disrupters, many independent...

wiht Whitney Soule and Matt McGann In January, the Harvard Graduate School of Education published the much talked about Turning the Tide report, signed by admission deans and leaders at top...

with Jesse Roberts Predictability of your admission results is vital in an increasingly competitive market. This presentation examines a new approach for making your funnel predictable, yielding...

with Leslie Marchesseault Learn how a suburban school provides a program that strongly links to the greater community, provides a five-week enrichment camp to under-served academically able...

wiht Angie Jackson and Pam Mason-Norsworthy Of course you want every prospective family to fall in love with your school—and quickly. So it’s tempting to shower prospects with exhaustive lists of...

with Scott Allenby and Lesley Fisher By now, every independent school should understand the relationship between effective marketing and enrollment. Yes, word of mouth marketing remains critical...

wiht Lesley Nesbitt and John Kerney The Winchendon School, a grade 9-12 boarding school in Winchendon, MA, has undergone a significant institutional change in recent years and called for...

with Kate Saunders and Lisa Leidy Case studies honoring a variety of types of schools –from the small school with a limited budget to those with the most luxurious of endowments. We need to shift...

with David Darby This presentation examines one school’s efforts to improve the customer experience through improved communication, trust, culture, and accountability, and explore the rationale...

with Elise Morgan, Ann Halupka, and Reto Camenzind Converting the engagement your school has with prospective students into enrollment is vital. This presentation describes approaches for making...

with Todd Ormiston and John Visgilio A strategic admission marketing plan is your essential roadmap for enrolling and retaining your school’s best-fit students. You may know what you need to do,...

with Lisa Leidy and Hans Mundahl Are you using terms like “small class sizes” and “caring faculty” in your admission materials? Unfortunately, so is everyone else. Communicating your unique story...

By Allison Ewing, Senior Content Strategist and Sean Williams, Managing Consultant, True Digital Communications It’s no secret that Generation Z (ages 13-19) use social media constantly. But...

In this blog, Mike Connor discusses why it's important for trustees to take a proactive ambassadorial role for their school, armed with objective data about their school's value proposition, as...

The results of our  2016 State of the Independent School Admission Industry report – much to our frustration -- revealed little change from our 2013 study in the level of influence that...

By Luc Martin, associate director of admissions, Sonoma Academy (CA) As we all know, the admission landscape gets more and more competitive each year and we’re all searching for unique ways to...

Christina Dotchin Coffey Director of Outreach (Western, Southwest, and Midwest U.S.)ccoffey@enrollment.org How did you first get involved with independent education? I have always known I wanted...

Independent schools have long relied on community-based organizations to help them identify talented youth from families not familiar with or unable to afford independent day and boarding...

Brian Beale, Director of Enrollment, Brimmer and May School (MA) Though Brian hails from the Philadephia suburbs, he considers himself a New Englander at heart. After attending Bates College in...

 (in photo above, l-r: Executive Director Heather Hoerle, Kathy Mitchell O'Neal, Eric Barber, Peter Gilbert, Chris Bartlett, Board Chair Kevin Plummer) Two distinguished members of the...

In conjunction with member schools, The Enrollment Management Association offers nearly $1 million in fee waivers for the SSAT and the SAO each year for students in need who are seeking...

By Jane Maxwell Hulbert, founder, and Maureen Irwin Maguire, senior consultant, The Jane Group (IL) A crisis impacts a school like nothing else does. Some of that impact is obvious: Parents,...

with Admission Leadership Council members Heather Eckert, Director of Admissions, Indian Mountain School (CT) and Anne Behnke, Director of Admission, St. Mark's School (MA) Are you looking for...

Photo, above, l-r: Louise Thompson, John Thompson, Sarah Markhovsky, Amy deBorst, Wendy Kyle.  Not pictured: Valerie Stelzer. Describe the attributes that characterize Greenhill School and make...

By Nicole Suozzi, Chief Member Relations Officer, The Enrollment Management Association (NJ) Given the high-stakes nature of the independent school admission process, regular audits of the tools...

By Jeffrey Shields, FASAE, CAE, president and CEO of the National Business Officers Association (NBOA) I’ve worked with business officers for many years in both higher education and independent...

Our society’s dependency on technology is undeniable, and it just takes one power outage to remind us just how dependent we are. As schools work to integrate new technologies into their...

Reforms and innovations crowd the educational landscape. Some are focused on new thinking or the latest research in curriculum design and assessment, which may or may not demonstrate...

by W. Dennis Facciolo, Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management, Tampa Preparatory School (FL) The mad rush this decade by many independent schools to embrace the international student...

by Jen McGurnDirector of AdmissionsPace Academy (GA) Kat SullivanDirector of AdmissionBay School of San Francisco (CA) When SSATB rebranded this fall and successfully rolled out The Enrollment...

with Stephen Held, Director of Admissions, Thomas Jefferson School (MO) Many schools' admission offices are managed by sole practitioners. How do you get through a day's (or year's) worth of...

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet." Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2) As classic, romantic, and heartfelt as Juliet’s line remains to this day,...

by ALC Members Kimberly Carter, Director of Enrolment Management, Branksome Hall (Toronto, Canada) and Polly Fredlund, Director of Enrollment Management and Communications, The Bush School...

Welcome back to a new school year.  I know, as a former admission professional, how exciting the opening days of school can be!  Isn’t it satisfying to see the new class of students that you...

In case you hadn’t heard, SSATB has become The Enrollment Management Association! In a recent blog, I described the input and thought behind this change, as well as how it will help to inspire...

by David Baker, Director of Admission & Financial Aid, St. Mark’s School (TX)As always, my summer project ambitions have greatly exceeded the fleeting number of remaining summer days. As an...

by Ann Halupka, Assistant Director of Admissions, Crofton House School (BC, Canada) We all have them: orientation programs that ease the transition of new students to our campus. Typically, we...

Welcome to the online headquarters of your association, The Enrollment Management Association, formerly SSATB. Many companies and organizations have famously – and sometimes infamously – changed...

by Carson Roy, Director of Admission and Financial Aid, Potomac School (VA) Summer is typically a slow and rejuvenating time for most independent school admission professionals, but for those...

by Reto Camenzind, Head of Admissions - Senior School, St. George’s School (Vancouver, BC)Ten months ago as I was starting the Leadership in Enrollment Management certificate program through the...

As we say goodbye to our students and ease into the rhythm of summer, I reflect back on a year of tremendous professional growth born from the many challenges and well-deserved successes we...

by Jenna R. King, Director of Admission and Enrollment, Riverdale Country School (NY) Many of us chose the admission profession because we enjoy the constant buzz of prospective families...

with Andy Hoge, Director of Admissions and Placement, NJ SEEDS (NJ), Dr. Heather Jenkins, Director of Academics & Program Evaluation/Director of High School Prep for Buffalo Prep (NY), and Karin...

by Alyson Waldman, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Montclair Kimberley Academy (NJ) In the competitive world of admission, every institution focuses their attention and resources on...

by Frankie Brown, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Sidwell Friends School (DC) If your school is one of the lucky ones with a healthy wait pool of families still clamoring to be admitted...

with Laurel Baker Tew, Chief Enrollment Officer, Viewpoint School (CA) When a head of school search is underway, admission and enrollment leaders are placed in a unique position during such a...

By Benjamin H. Douglass, Director of Admission, Saint James School (MD) Admission is a tough job. As difficult as it is to fill the "admission bucket" each year with strong, mission-appropriate...

Paige Brewster, Director of Admission & Financial Aid at The Boston University Academy, describes challenges faced in achieving enrollment each year as well as effective marketing tactics. What...

By Laurel Baker Tew, Chief Enrollment Officer, Viewpoint School (CA) “What is the…personal attribute that allows individuals to keep learning, growing, and changing, to escape their fixed...

The Enrollment Management Think Tank Develops Senior Leader Track for the 2016 SSATB Annual Meeting While immersed in the busy admission season, members of the Enrollment Management Think Tank...

As attracting and retaining students (and alumni) becomes more complex, independent schools are increasingly establishing marketing and communications offices to steward, lead, and shape the...

By Alexandra Scott, Educational Consultant, Blogger for The Huffington Post, and author of Prep School Transfender During the past several years, the rise in public consciousness about...

The The Enrollment Management Association board of directors is pleased to announce the appointment of four new trustees beginning their terms this July 1. John Kerney, governance committee...

By Aimee Gruber, Senior Director of Outreach, The Enrollment Management AssociationIt is tempting to create a board report that paints a rosy picture of enrollment and trends. After all, boards...

By Rachel Hanley, former director of online communications, Williston Northampton School (MA) How do you take a private boarding school from a place where there are no online student voices to...

by Nicholas Kent, (formerly) High School Principal, Concordia International School, Shanghai (China) (currently Deputy Head of School,Jakarta International School, Indonesia); Jay Lasley,...

Emails and phone calls from this year’s applicant families are fresh on the minds of admission officers everywhere. More than once, admission officers were likely asked by anxious parents,...

By David Hanson, Chief Financial Officer and Joanne Lembo, Director of Student Activities of Phillips Exeter Academy (NH)When admitting students to an independent school, one of the most...

The Enrollment Management Association Pilots a Standard Application Program with Community Organizations and Member Schools 78 Families Submitted 269 Applications to 63 Schools Access. For...

Application deadlines. Financial aid deadlines. Notification deadlines. Deadlines for international students versus U.S.; domestic boarding students versus day students. And finally, the deadline...

Successful retention for your school depends on and draws from a strong marketing and enrollment plan. Enrollment management should be in place to work in tandem with a retention plan. The...

by Sean Atkins and Ed Thompson Applicants and their families endure a long wait during the secondary school application process. March 10 comes, good news finally arrives in the mailbox (or now...

We are pleased to partner with the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education's Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice (CERPP) to provide scholarships to and...

SSATB is pleased to partner with the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education's Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice (CERPP) to provide scholarships to and...

As enrollment offices prepare and launch into the admission year’s busiest season, we have curated a list of The Enrollment Management Association resources to assist you and your committee. The...

SSATB is pleased to partner with the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education's Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice (CERPP) to provide scholarships to and...

As admission deadlines approach, we are pleasantly reminded that so many families are seeking the many opportunities independent schools offer. As you embark on reading season there are many ways...

SSATB is pleased to partner with the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education's Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice (CERPP) to provide scholarships to and...

by Craig Tredenick, Director of Enrollment Management, All Saints’ Episcopal School (TX) As we work through the most critical time of the admission season, it is a great opportunity to evaluate...

Bretnall award winner Tommy Adams (second from right) and Gourley award winner Reveta Bowers (second from left) with The Enrollment Management Association Executive Director Heather Hoerle and...

In each issue, The Yield profiles The Enrollment Management Association member schools, asking how their offices tackle processes and procedures and integrate trends and data into their...

From September 16-19, 2015, The Enrollment Management Association welcomed its largest-ever group of attendees—794—to the 58th Annual Meeting, at the Red Rock Resort and Casino in Las Vegas,...

We asked for volunteers and the responses were plentiful! The Enrollment Management Association recently put out a call to our membership seeking volunteers for our Digital Assessment Working...

by Aimee Gruber, Senior Director of Outreach, The Enrollment Management Association As international inquiries and applications continue to climb at both boarding and day schools, the ability to...

By Carol Dougherty, Associate Headmaster, The Perkiomen School (PA)  Stop—take a minute. What is the “ job” of the board of trustees? Understanding the role of the board will make your reporting...

There are a number of admission consortia working to raise the profile of independent schools in their respective regions. These consortia, which vary in size and geographic reach, collaborate in...

In partnership with University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice (CERPP), SSATB announced earlier this year the opportunity...

Admission committees are more than just a group of admission professionals and faculty in a room saying yes or no to files. How do these groups train and come together to build the future...

After landing a new admission office hire or replacing someone who has left, the onboarding process begins—navigating the first day of school traditions, getting the right paperwork to HR,...

by Richard Phelps, Director of Research, The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) Since the 2011-2012 school year, The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) has requested enrollment numbers by...

by Alisa Evans, Director, Business Development, SSS by NAIS I do believe independent schools are potentially changing the trajectory of the lives of the children who benefit from financial aid....

By Dr. Lillian Diaz-Imbelli This is particularly important for underrepresented groups, who may not be as familiar with independent school culture. Access to our schools is not where it should...

Enrollment management, research, and assessments are hot topics at all independent and private schools, whether they are stateside, in Canada, or around the world. The Enrollment Management...

After each round of conversation and research review, The Enrollment Management Association’s ThinkTank on the Future of Assessment became more convinced that measuring noncognitive traits during...

While “standardized testing” has garnered more than its fair share of negative media attention in the last few years, it is important to remember what “standardized” actually means. Standardized...

Published in the Winter 2015 issue of The Yield A woman’s fight to get ahead. Her internal struggle of career versus family. Pay inequities. The challenge of finding support networks both inside...

with ALC members Jennifer McGurn, Director of Admissions, Pace Academy (GA) and Victoria Muradi, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Durham Academy (NC). Are you prepared for the admission...

Reading season has become one of the most exciting parts of the admission process, yet also one of the most challenging. The reading season is a marathon, not a sprint. Before reading season...

SSATB is pleased to partner with the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education's Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice (CERPP) to provide scholarships to and...

While most successful enrollment stories are years in the making, a new service—cooked up by inveterate global marketer Mary Danby—has begun to substantially help international students find...

By Leo Marshall: Director of Admission and Financial Aid, The Webb Schools Yet, there are few things I am not going to miss in my conversations with families as I move to retirement. Topping the...

with ALC Member Frankie Brown, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid & Dr. Philip McAdoo, Director of Equity, Justice and Community, Sidwell Friends School (DC) This video offers some ideas...

I typically enjoy a business best seller during my annual beach vacation, but this year I picked up The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George, and this piece of historical fiction...

This September, nearly 800 of us rolled into Vegas for the annual SSATB conference, marking record attendance for the largest annual gathering of independent school admission professionals. And...

with Mike Connor, President, Connor Associates Predictive modeling shows at rooftop level where full pay prospects that are "mission-appropriate" are located in relation to your school's...

Stop - take a minute. What is the “job” of the board of trustees? Understanding the role of the board will make your reporting stronger and more directed towards what they need to hear to be...

From The Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/29/15 by Eric Hoover As The Chronicle first reported last fall, participating institutions, including all eight Ivy League colleges and several public...

The Enrollment Management Association's Latest Report Examines Four Competitive Models that Will Impact Enrollment at Independent Schools in the U.S. As independent schools make sense of the...

It has often been said that no one has a “ degree in admission.” However, thanks to The Enrollment Management Association’s partnership with the Center for Enrollment, Research, Policy and...