Written by: Alex Pacifico
Client Success Manager, Raftr
Yield has long been an admissions metric. Today, though, it’s evolving into something much bigger: a cross-departmental key performance indicator (KPI). In a competitive and uncertain enrollment climate, it’s no longer enough for admissions teams alone to worry about yield. Student affairs, academic advising, financial aid, and orientation offices all have a stake in ensuring admitted students not only say “yes” but feel confident and supported from day one.
The challenge? Traditional recruitment tactics aren’t built for this new landscape. And that’s where solutions like Raftr step in—bridging the gaps between offices, creating seamless communication, and activating admitted students through meaningful pre-orientation engagement.
What’s Not Working
If yield is everyone’s KPI, why are institutions still struggling? Research and campus feedback point to common gaps:
1. Overreliance on transactional communications.
Most admitted students receive a steady stream of emails about forms, deadlines, and financial aid. But email fatigue is real. Studies show that just 55% of college students regularly check their email, compared to over 95% who engage daily with platforms like Instagram or TikTok (Inside Higher Ed, 2022). Transactional reminders don’t build the sense of belonging students need to confidently commit (Castleman & Page, 2015).
2. Siloed operations.
Financial Aid, Housing, Orientation, and Advising often run on their own communication timelines. From the student perspective, this creates a fragmented journey filled with duplicate, conflicting, or confusing messages (Education Advisory Board, 2021). Instead of a smooth pathway to enrollment, the process can feel like a maze.
3. Minimal pre-orientation engagement.
Most “belonging-building” efforts don’t begin until orientation. By then, it’s too late to influence students who are still comparing offers or feeling unsupported over the summer. Research shows that early, pre-matriculation touchpoints significantly increase persistence and enrollment (Proving Ground, n.d.).
4. Waitlist dependence as a backstop.
With yield less predictable, many campuses lean heavily on waitlists. But using the waitlist as a strategy is reactive. It risks destabilizing classes further and undermines institutional credibility when admitting they were “plan B” (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2023).
Together, these gaps create an activation void during the crucial months between admission and arrival—precisely where Raftr delivers value.
How Raftr Bridges the Gaps
Where traditional approaches fall short, Raftr provides a virtual community platform that connects admitted students with peers, staff, and campus resources before they ever set foot on campus. This approach addresses each gap directly:
- Beyond email: Instead of relying on transactional reminders, Raftr meets students where they already spend their time—on mobile, in community-driven spaces that encourage authentic interaction.
- Cross-departmental alignment: By centralizing updates and resources, Raftr breaks down silos. Students see one coordinated communication stream, not a fragmented puzzle.
- Pre-orientation belonging: With Raftr, admitted students can connect with classmates, explore interest-based communities, and access guidance long before move-in. Belonging begins months earlier.
- Reducing waitlist dependence: Stronger engagement of admitted students makes enrollment outcomes more predictable, reducing over-reliance on the waitlist.
In other words, Raftr doesn’t just fill communication gaps—it transforms them into belonging-building opportunities that matter for both admissions and student affairs.
Why Belonging Drives Yield
Belonging is no longer a “soft” concept; it’s measurable and mission-critical. Students who feel connected before arriving are more likely to enroll, persist, and thrive. As one EAB report put it, “yield is no longer just about conversion, but about confidence” (Education Advisory Board, 2021).
For institutions navigating demographic cliffs, shifting financial aid policies, and an increasingly competitive marketplace, yield optimization requires more than transactional touchpoints. It requires strategic, cross-campus collaboration—and digital tools like Raftr make that collaboration not just possible, but seamless.
But What Does That Mean?
Yield is everyone’s KPI now. Admissions may initiate the relationship, but sustaining it takes a coordinated, cross-campus effort. By activating admitted students through meaningful, pre-orientation engagement, Raftr helps institutions move from transactional communication to transformational connection—closing the activation void and turning admits into confident enrollees.
References
Castleman, B. L., & Page, L. C. (2015). Summer melt: Supporting low-income students through the transition to college. Harvard Education Press.
Education Advisory Board. (2021). Shaping the student journey: How institutions can foster belonging from day one. Retrieved from https://eab.com
Inside Higher Ed. (2022, March 29). Students don’t check their email (but colleges still send them). Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com
Proving Ground. (n.d.). Early student engagement and its impact on persistence. Retrieved from https://provingground.wceruw.org
The Chronicle of Higher Education. (2023). Admissions officers rely more on waitlists amid yield uncertainty. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com