Students begin as "leads" and go through many steps before officially enrolling at the school. Below is the ✨Lead Life Cycle✨ that every student goes through in their Admissions journey.
1. Lead Generation
What is a lead? A lead is a prospective student who has shown some level of interest in either our school directly, or the programs we offer here. Leads often vary in how much they know about our school, requiring very individualized approaches to help nurture their interest
Initial Data: Leads typically only have essential contact information and academic interests. Further information about them is gathered once we get in contact.
Sources: Our leads primarily come from the following sources: Christian Connector, NACCAP Magazine, SLAM, referrals, The Academy for GOD, Niche, our website, social media, etc.
Christian Connector - This is how we find the bulk of students that are interested in attending a Bible and Missions college like ours. It is a website where Christian students can sign up to receive information from Christian colleges. We end up with their information and then contact them.
Niche - A platform where students can learn more about schools throughout the country. Students we receive from here have expressed direct interest in The Institute, and are often moderately familiarized with our school and programs.
NACCAP Magazine - NACCAP (North American Coalition for Christian Admissions Professionals) releases a yearly magazine featuring hundreds of Christian colleges that gets distributed to schools.
2. Lead Nurturing
Outreach: Connect with leads through personalized outreach (emails, calls, texts) to introduce yourself and The Institute, build rapport, and answer initial questions they have.
Communication Strategy: Individualized voicemails/texts to match the student’s interest. Then using both automated and personalized follow-ups to stay engaged.
3. Information Gathering
Lean More : After initial times of contact with a student, your responsibility is to keep learning more about the student and connecting with them regularly. This is the time where we want them to feel seen and known, and also for us to get more information about them to discern whether or not they are fit.
Qualify Interest: Discover the student’s motivations, goals, academic background, and potential barriers to enrollment (financial concerns, academic requirements).
4. Application Submission
Encourage Application: Transition the student to an application by highlighting unique aspects of our school, and how they coincide with the student’s interests. Tell them about our programs, campus culture, etc. and encourage them to move towards an application.
Application Support: Assist with any application challenges, providing reminders about deadlines and requirements.
5. Admissions Decision
Review: Once an application is completed, all documents are compiled and sent to the Acceptance Committee. Decisions are made within two weeks of the applications getting sent to the committee.
Acceptance & Next Steps: Upon acceptance, continue to be there for the student, guiding them through the “Next Steps” of enrollment and encouraging them to get their necessary forms in.
6. Enrollment & Transition
Enrollment Tasks: Help the student through the process of finishing their documents, paying deposits, and getting their final official transcripts for enrollment.
Ongoing Support: Be there for the student through the months leading up to move-in as a source of support, prayer, and encouragement in an often-chaotic time of transition.