Dive Brief:
- College recruiters are finding it more difficult to turn the lists of prospective students they purchase from companies like the ACT and SAT testing firms into enrolled students on their campuses.
- As the success rate declines, recruiters are buying more names to compensate, or targeting demographic segments that may produce more success, such as certain geographic areas, family income levels, or prospects with specific interests.
- The University of Iowa has boosted its spending on names and contact information to $122,758 for 315,667 names last year, up from $49,877 for 171,605 names in 2009, The Gazette reported. Iowa State University’s spending on names increased to $106,622 from $66,127 in the same period.
Dive Insight:
The Gazette uncovered the Iowa university numbers using an open records request. The University of Iowa is seeking names of increasingly younger prospects, which soon may include even high school freshmen or middle school students, according to the newspaper. The university is also considering outsourcing the purchase of name lists to a consultant that could target prospects by age, location, level of interest, and stage of college shopping, based on complex calculations.
