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Contact:
Nikki Martin
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Following in the footsteps of schools such as the University of Missouri and Troy University, higher education institutions are increasingly turning toward Internet-based technology in an effort to increase student enrollment yield. In the last year, the Enrollment and Retention Services Division of EducationDynamics has experienced unprecedented growth as colleges and universities seek innovative and cost-effective ways to engage students and prospects.

"Projected growth for any institution relies on several factors: constancy in the student mix, application, acceptance and enrollment yield. Any variations change this model, causing institutions to seek new ways to enhance enrollment rates," says Tracy Howe, executive vice president of the Enrollment and Retention Division of EducationDynamics. "We have developed a suite of tools to alleviate guesswork associated with growth projections, particularly enrollment yield. Our increasingly popular Internet-based initiatives focus on the crucial time between acceptance and enrollment, and have proven to increase in enrollment yield from 2 percent to 14 percent."

As bolstering enrollment rates emerges as a premier concern for higher education institutions, colleges and universities across the country are seeking one EducationDynamics product in particular: Enrollment Yield Optimization (EYOp™). EYOp is designed to connect with students during the window of vulnerability using interactive content to promote key institutional strengths. It also advises students on the next steps associated with enrollment through a virtual pre-orientation, which is custom built to suit an institution's objectives.

Deployed at small and large institutions nationwide, EYOp has proven effective in a variety of unique university settings, each yielding compelling results. The University of Missouri instituted the program during the 2006-2007 academic year and found the rate in which non-program users enrolled was 35 percent, compared to program users with an enrollment rate of 92 percent—a difference of 57 percent. Similarly, Troy University launched the EYOp program during the 2006-2007 academic year and experienced an equivalent outcome. Troy University has a slightly higher enrollment yield associated with non-program users of 50 percent. However, students who used the program enrolled at a much higher rate of 84 percent—a 34 percent difference.

While EYOp has been consistently shown to increase enrollment yield for higher education institutions, the benefits of the program are not limited to that pursuit. Additional advantages of implementing EYOp include the following:

"Besides the ability of EYOp to increase enrollment yield, the program serves as a comprehensive information resource for our students covering information not normally addressed in standard recruiting material," says Walter Peacock, dean of admissions at Valdosta State University, where the EYOp program was implemented in the fall of 2006. "As VSU enrolls a high rate of first generation college students, then having access to answers is critical to a smooth post-secondary transition, and has proven extremely helpful in easing anxiety about college."

After cultivating meaningful increases in an institution's enrollment yield, retention of those students becomes the next crucial challenge in managing a successful student lifecycle. EducationDynamics offers a variety of highly-effective retention products, including FYRe, designed to minimize attrition by enhancing student engagement; eCRUIT, designed to convert inquiries into applicants; SmartSearch, designed to convert sophomore and junior cold leads into inquiries; and SenTrans, designed to help graduating seniors successfully transition to the "real world" or graduate school.

For more information on EYOp or other EducationDynamics' enrollment and retention products and services, contact Tracy Howe at 201.377.3318 or tracy@goalquest.com.

About EducationDynamics
EducationDynamics, a portfolio company of Halyard Capital, is a leading interactive marketing and information services company focused on helping higher education institutions find, enroll, and retain students. Through some of the most visible education websites, including EarnMyDegree.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, and StudyAbroad.com, as well as its Internet marketing services team, EducationDynamics is one of the leading providers of qualified leads for colleges and universities. The company offers a full suite of web-delivered products and services to manage a school's relationship with students across their entire life cycle from inquiry through enrollment to retention. For more information on EducationDynamics, please visit www.educationdynamics.com.