As College Enrollment Falls, Admissions Officers Become Post‑Acceptance 'Success Coaches'

Kathy Cabrera Guaman not only cleared the nerve-racking hurdle of applying to college—she was accepted by three institutions. The relief was short-lived: she quickly confronted the long list of tasks that follow acceptance and come before the first day of classes.

For many students, the weeks after admission have traditionally meant navigating a complex maze—financial aid and loan paperwork, choosing a major, placement exams, class registration, housing and roommates, textbooks and meal plans, health insurance and immunizations, plus transportation—largely on their own.

Admissions Officers Step Out From Behind the Desk

At Augsburg University, where Guaman has decided to enroll, admissions director Stacy Severson sat down with her in a conference room and walked through each step: what her financial aid covered, when to register for classes, where to look for outside scholarships, which express bus serves campus and how to coordinate carpooling and parking costs. Severson closed the meeting by sharing her phone number and email, reassuring Guaman: "Remember, I’m just a phone call or text or email away. You won’t be rid of me yet. I’m here to help you."

This hands-on approach—called admissions success coaching at Augsburg—is part of a broader shift in higher education. As enrollment declines and the perceived return on a college degree is scrutinized, more institutions are reimagining admissions officers’ roles so that they actively help admitted students complete the steps required to enroll.

Why Now?

Demographic and behavioral changes are driving the transformation. Beginning this fall, the number of 18-year-old prospective freshmen will begin a long-term decline. The share of high school graduates going directly to college fell from 70% in 2016 to 62% in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Meanwhile, the proportion of accepted students who actually enroll (known on campuses as the "yield") has been slipping, prompting colleges to rethink how they retain admitted students.

"Some admissions offices don’t even post their admissions officers’ names or contact information," said Erwin Hesse, director of NACAC’s Center for Innovation in College Admission. "There’s this mysterious handoff that happens when a bunch of students still haven’t decided whether they’re coming to your college, and the only answer you give them is, 'We’ve already admitted you. Go talk to your academic adviser.' That feels overwhelming for no reason. We’re expecting way too much of 17-year-olds."

New Tools Free Up Staff Time

Two trends are helping admissions teams step into more supportive roles. First, more colleges are using direct admission, automatically accepting students who meet set academic criteria; the National College Attainment Network reported more than 400,000 students received direct admission offers in the most recent academic year. Second, some schools are piloting artificial intelligence to help read essays and streamline routine parts of application review.

At Augsburg, those changes have translated into practical time savings: direct admission has freed the equivalent of about 48 hours per week across the admissions staff, said Robert Gould, vice president for strategic enrollment management. That capacity is being redeployed to individualized outreach and coaching.

Coaching That Puts Students First

Admissions success coaching is not just about persuading students to enroll at a particular school. Counselors at Augsburg encourage admitted students to revisit other campuses they’re considering to make a confident choice. "Definitely go visit again," one counselor told a prospective student. "Then just figure out what’s best for you."

Administrators say the deeper relationships built through coaching can improve enrollment outcomes and create positive word-of-mouth—even if a student ultimately chooses another institution. "Deeper relationships create demand," Gould said. "They work as a recruitment tool."

Parents, Students, And Counselors Respond

At a chilly campus event in Minnesota, families praised Augsburg’s more personal approach and contrasted it with experiences at other, larger institutions where admissions offices felt inaccessible. Parents also noted that high school college counselors are stretched thin—NACAC reports an average caseload of about 405 students per counselor—leaving many families with little individualized support.

Back in Severson’s office, practical items were discussed: finding classmates to carpool and split a $195-per-semester parking fee, timing class registration (which opens in May), scheduling around a part-time job, employer scholarships that might cover textbooks, and whether federal student loans would be needed. Severson’s final reassurance to Guaman captured the new ethos: admissions staff are not just gatekeepers—they are guides.

This story about college admission was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger Report’s higher education newsletter.