The Changing Culture of Admissions
Predictive modeling primarily has been used over the past five years by institutions like Tuskegee to post enrollment gains. But Williams says more schools hope to shape enrollment composition with the practice.
As a result, some schools are using the software to strengthen the academic profile and are seeking wealthier students to reduce the school's financial-aid burden. While crafting entering classes based on specific financial or academic objectives is not a new practice, predictive modeling allows schools to pursue such goals with more accuracy, experts say.
John Hickey, director of assessment and institutional research at Regis University in Denver, Colo., says the switch to predictive modeling has represented a real culture shift for admissions officers at his institution.
In the wake of the new technology, some admissions professionals find that they have to pare some of the grassroots work that has been the hallmark of their field for decades, Hickey says.
"We're finding out that [high] schools where we've had long relationships have profiles that are not considered productive," he says. "It's tough for the admissions people to embrace just dealing with the numbers."
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