As one of the first clients to work with RHB to bring its search in-house, Fairfield received counsel to create and successfully launch a multi-channel RHB lead and application generation campaign. This campaign aimed to inform, inspire and motivate 10th and 11th-graders through a combination of print and digital communication flows, all driving toward expertly designed dynamic search portals.

Key components of the solution included:

• Segmented, inclusion-minded emails and dynamic portal content that reflected the institution’s unique position in its competitive marketplace and tied back to institutional goals and priorities
• Identification of primary and expansion markets for name licensing as part of strategic search counsel
• Development of an innovative engagement scoring system to predict applicant propensity to yield, which Fairfield used to shape its admitted student pool

Results

In the three admission cycles since it began its work with RHB, Fairfield University has seen extraordinary success:

• Applications have increased by 23% (from 12,586 to 15,463)
• Selectivity has dropped 11 points (from 56% to 45%)
• Yield has increased 5 points (from 16% to 21%)
• New student enrollment has grown 29%, with annual gains of:
  • 13% in 2021 (the first enrollment cycle after the COVID enrollment year)
  • 6% in the following year
  • 8% in the most recent year
• First-year Catholic student enrollment has increased 18%
• First-year enrollment from Jesuit high schools has grown from 60 to 94 students