Higher Education
Developing Connections: A Look at One University’s Early Actions
Amid a changing enrollment landscape and competing campus priorities, Loyola University Maryland acted early with a new enrollment tool to stay one step ahead: Connections™.
“Our decision wasn’t just about the benefit to the school knowing that our name would be out there with students early on in their high school career,” says Genna Mongillo, senior director of enrollment marketing and communication at the university. “It was about the missed opportunity for students and schools to hear from the breadth and depth of institutions like ours if we’re trying to help increase access. I saw the advantage of us being in Connections early on.”
College Board launched Connections in the fall of 2023 as the primary way for students who take an in-school assessment to be recruited. Since then, millions of students are using Connections to take control of their college planning process. Students can opt in to Connections when they take the PSAT/NMSQT®, PSAT 10TM, or SAT ® School Day and hear from nonprofit colleges, scholarship providers, and government agencies offering education programs interested in students like them, all without sharing any personal information.
Students also benefit from receiving messages from institutions earlier in high school, and centering outreach plans on students earlier in their college journey is an essential recruitment strategy for college leaders. For Loyola, Connections is a chance to connect with students well before the moment of choice when many are still considering their options.
“For example, we’re launching a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program this fall. Connections will be an invaluable tool to reach students interested in nursing early in their high school careers. It will allow us to share messages about our program and foster an affinity for Loyola during their college search,” Mongillo explains.
In addition to segmenting by major or academic interest, Connections enables us to tailor our messaging for in-state versus out-of-state students. Increasing applications from Maryland has been an institutional priority, and we’ve developed specialized messaging strategies to effectively communicate with students closer to campus through Connections.
Genna Mongillo, Senior Director of Enrollment Marketing & Communication, Loyola University Maryland
With Connections, institutions create audiences based on three criteria: graduation year, geographic area, and score band. Mongillo describes Connections as part of a collective strategy not only to be present where students are (i.e., their mobile phones), but also when students are thinking about what's next.
Students who opt in to Connections can receive messages through BigFuture ® School, a free mobile app designed for in-school test takers. Getting students to focus on planning for their future can be hard. With BigFuture School, students can access their assessment scores and planning tips in the mobile app, so colleges like Loyola are sending messages at a time when students are engaged.
Mongillo points out a key benefit of Connections for students:
Connections puts students in the driver’s seat and that’s so important because we want students to find their best fit. We don’t want students coming to our university who won't thrive. If they’re driving, they’re likely to thrive.
Genna Mongillo, Senior Director of Enrollment Marketing & Communication, Loyola University Maryland
Connections can also advance personalized communication. Loyola began by selecting messages that worked well on other platforms. Now they’re thinking about how to adapt those messages, such as a nursing plan and other major-specific communication plans that could run alongside a broader master plan. “We can be personalized while not knowing exactly who the students are on the other end,” Mongillo claims. “The privacy conversation isn’t going away. Connections is anchored in privacy” so students are protected and don’t miss out.
Because more than 3 million students are using BigFuture School, and two million students are opted in to Connections, College Board is confident that interest will continue to grow.
This upcoming fall, students will have the power to plan at their fingertips if they choose to engage with BigFuture School and Connections during the PSAT/NMSQT or SAT School Day. They’ll be able to view their scores in the app to see areas of strength and places to improve, as well as explore curated messages based on factors such as time of year and grade level. They don’t miss out on actions they can take now to plan. Educators and counselors with access to the K-12 Reporting Portal can see how their students are engaging and use that information to help their students make the most of the timely information available in the app.
As more institutions and students engage, Connections will continue to evolve to serve every audience’s needs.
Mongillo concludes on a positive note: “It’s early, but I'm surprised by the number of inquiries we’re getting from students. These are likely students earlier in high school. I assume they’re extremely interested if they took action to learn more. We’re seeing a 9% save rate of our profile and a 7% click rate from a message. If you ask me, those rates for a first-year student, sophomore, or junior in high school are pretty great.”