Freshman Admissions Predictor: An Interactive Self-Help Web Counseling Service

Colleges and universities must seek or develop the most competitive enrollment management tools in order to reach and admit qualified students. However, institutions that utilize transactional Web features are more effective if they can personalize services by providing useful customized information in real time for the prospect. Well crafted high touch features combined with high tech interactive services give an advantage to any college admissions office over other peer institutions. Kennesaw State University (KSU), the third largest public university in Georgia, is a popular choice among traditional-age students. In early 2003, the University raised its admissions standards, and as a result, the Office of Admissions was faced with the challenge of becoming more customer friendly, especially with regards to communicating information about the increased standards and its impact on applicants. After the new standards implementation, the demand for appeals and informal reconsiderations reached an all time high. Due to the volume of unprecedented requests for personal appointments by denied applicants, the Office of Admissions developed a Web tool to help prospective students, guidance counselors, and parents evaluate an applicant\u27s eligibility. The Freshman Admissions Predictor (FAP), described here, is a timely advisement tool that promises to increase the percentage of eligible applicants while decreasing the number of applicants not meeting admission standards