Recruiting Non-Traditional Students in the Midst of COVID-19

It’s a challenging time. Institutions of higher learning have had to send students home, rapidly transition to 100 percent online instruction, and, in some cases, make staff layoffs. However, this season could also mean huge potential for non-traditional degree programs, especially those that have already been fully online.

Non-traditional online programs are already adept at providing virtual academic experiences in a high-quality format—which makes them all the more valuable during this current lockdown. Plus, when people are laid off or furloughed for economic reasons, many consider returning to school. It may be a prime time to augment current skills to increase competitiveness in the market—or to switch to a new career altogether.

In other words, this is a great time to recruit for non-traditional programs.

Here are four mindsets to put your institution in an optimal position to recruit non-traditional students in the midst of COVID-19.

Acknowledge the Current Pandemic

It’s not necessary to mention COVID-19 in each and every communication with prospective students. But you should do so in many cases, even if indirectly. Recycling old content without mentioning that the world looks different today can make your school seem insensitive or out of touch.

Of course, make sure you are still conveying the major benefits of your program—the faculty, flexible course options, student support, etc. But the key is to communicate program offerings that, when necessary, also account for the current pandemic.

For example, you may normally highlight in-person writing support or career networking events. Great, and you should still highlight these since, eventually, we’ll move beyond many of the current limitations. But it would be better to also include how your school can offer these features online or in a new capacity, considering the uncertainties ahead.

Additionally, share how your school is working to ensure a high-quality academic experience despite the loss of in-person instruction. Since many schools already offer online programs or hybrid non-traditional programs, this is an opportunity to describe your longstanding experience with online instruction. Let students know that all courses offer a quality experience should all-virtual learning be necessary this fall.

It’s also important to acknowledge what your school is doing to ensure the safety of students. Has your school created a “health council” of some kind to promote student safety moving forward? How is your school making decisions related to the current crisis? Sharing information like this not only shows that your school cares about the safety of students, but that you’re willing to be transparent about this process.

While your school might already be doing this, don't forget to present information in a clear and easy-to-navigate way. Pepperdine University has done an impressive job of compiling all things related to the coronavirus on a single landing page with appropriate updates, links, and resources. And Wheaton College in Massachusetts engages users with a single, well-designed page featuring COVID-19-related stories easily accessible in one place.

Acknowledging the current crisis also means being flexible with prospective students. This might mean waiving certain application requirements or fees, extending deadlines, or allowing students to defer studies to another semester. In other words, do what you can to ease the burden as much as possible during this already-burdensome time.

Biola University offers a simple example, where they have updated their "Steps to Apply" with clearly demarcated design elements related to COVID-19. It could be something as simple as that. Or it may be something more substantial, such as a clear call-out that your school is waiving all test requirements like Illinois Tech has done for Fall 2020.

University of Georgia is going above and beyond to accommodate students by offering 10 free continuing education courses. This allows prospective students to see what pursuing a program at UGA might be like.

Develop New Ways to Connect with Prospective Students

Take time to brainstorm new content ideas and services that can, as much as possible, offset the lost opportunities for prospective students due to COVID-19.

For example, prospective students are not able to visit your campus. As a compromise, how about creating special videos (they can be cheaply done on an iPhone) by someone walking around the campus? While the campus will be empty and most of the buildings closed, it can still give students a better feel for the campus and surrounding area than just photos.

Another idea is to have faculty conduct short videos describing what they love about teaching the program. You could also ask alumni and current students to do the same. While you may already have video content like this, it can be compelling for students to see that these videos are new and were created in response to the current crisis. The fact that a faculty member or current student took the time to make a video from his or her home in lockdown might be more memorable than simply directing students to a polished video from five years ago.

Here are a few other simple ideas:

• Create a Slack channel allowing accepted prospective students to communicate with current students.

• Encourage counselors to offer one-on-one Zoom “coffee hours” with prospective students.

• Host virtual meet-ups with a group of prospective students and faculty.

New efforts like these also reflect that, in the midst of this challenging situation, you are willing to go above and beyond expectations. They demonstrate that your institution’s community really does care about its students—and knows how to show it.

Keep Business Running Like Normal (as much as possible)

You likely already have a plan in place for recruiting non-traditional students. You have email campaigns, landing pages, paid advertising strategies, and so on. Keep these things running to the greatest extent possible. If you offer career coaching sessions, keep them going (albeit online). If you offer in-class visits, invite prospective students to join a Zoom class discussion with current students.

Also, don’t forget to update your website to present the latest campus news and important dates. If you run a student blog or online alumni magazine, keep posting fresh and compelling content. Prospective students are still engaging with your digital content, and it’s important to keep their online experience fresh and up-to-date.

Lipscomb University hasn't just updated their website to offer new updates and date changes, but they have actually integrated the current crisis into how they talk about their programs. For example, they rewrote their Health Care Degrees landing page in light of the current situation. It's a small move that goes a long way in showing that the school is grateful for all those serving in such fields.

If you put things on hold too much or for too long, then you potentially lose out on students for next semester. And since non-traditional students usually have longer buying cycles, you could even miss out on prospective students who are interested in starting a program down the road. Yet, now that people are spending more time at home and online, and with the workforce suffering as it is, some people may be considering school who weren’t before.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with prospective students., There may be more people than ever considering non-traditional programs, and you’re already ahead of curve.