Navigating the Landscape of Student Recruitment in New York

Reframe liberal arts ROI as flexibility, not a missing answer
Admissions teams at liberal arts institutions often try to sidestep the "what will I do with this degree?" question. Ben Boivin's approach at Manhattan College is to run toward it instead: position the open-ended path as the point, not the problem. As Ben put it, "you are an open-minded student, the world is your oyster and that's what liberal arts is all about." For institutions with similar programs, that shift in framing, from defensive to confident, is worth testing in your messaging and campus visit scripts.

Build your recruitment pitch around where your graduates end up, geographically
Ben's observation that "where you study is where you build your network" is one of the cleaner recruitment arguments for urban institutions. Students who want careers in finance, media, or health care in New York have a practical reason to choose a New York school beyond prestige. If your institution is in a major employment hub, that career geography argument belongs in your recruitment materials, especially for domestically-focused students who are weighing options across cities.

Add print to your Gen Z outreach mix, digital volume has hit a saturation point
Students Ben's team works with are receiving simultaneous outreach from 20 to 30 institutions. In that environment, a well-designed physical piece cuts through in a way that another email doesn't. Ben noted that print "really makes an impact because they like that tangible feel of something when they're always carrying around those mini computers." It's a counterintuitive spend to defend internally, but it's worth piloting for high-priority segments like admitted students or campus visit invites.

Set up CRM alerts for summer melt signals before May 1
Double-depositing has made the summer melt window harder to predict. Students commit with a deposit but stay enrolled at multiple schools, and the real decision often comes much later. Ben's team monitors CRM behavioral signals through the period from May 1 to the first day of class to catch students who are drifting. If your CRM isn't tracking engagement drops, portal login frequency, or financial aid deadline behavior during that window, you're catching melt after the fact rather than before.

Replace recruitment webinars with 1-on-1 virtual appointments
Zoom fatigue has made large-format virtual events far less effective than they were in 2020 and 2021. Ben's team found that small or individual virtual touchpoints convert better than group webinars because they restore the personal connection that broadcast formats can't replicate. If you're still running 50-person information sessions on Zoom, consider reallocating that time to shorter, direct conversations with high-intent students, particularly those who are too far away to visit in person.

Treat your institution's location as a personality filter, not just a selling point
Ben's framing of New York City as "a gift and a curse" is practically useful for any institution in a high-intensity urban market. NYC draws students who want that energy, but it also deters students who won't thrive there. Rather than softening the city's character in your recruitment messaging, Ben's advice is to lean into it: students who are a genuine fit will self-select, and students who aren't will save everyone time. That same logic applies to any campus with a strong geographic or cultural identity.