Nonmatriculated enrollments increase through revamping of shared-access program
For years, the general public has been able to take classes at the UW on a space-available basis by registering for state-funded classes through UWEO with the department's and instructor's permission. Many of you may remember these as shared-access enrollments. UWEO undertook a market study to learn more about who enrolls for classes as a shared-access student. We learned that the primary user – 50% of total enrollments – of shared-access was those who were fulfilling prerequisites for graduate school. The second largest group was those taking classes for career development, accounting for 20% of the enrollments. Research also told us that shared-access students are highly committed and have higher GPA's than the UW average.
Once we knew who these students were, we could better market this program to fill empty seats in state-funded classes and return revenue to schools and departments. UWEO renamed the program to give the general public a better idea of what exactly it was – Non-Degree Enrollment in UW Credit Classes. Because of the growing importance of the web in marketing educational programs, UWEO created a new web site that simplified the enrollment process for potential students. The marketing strategy for the "new product" was aimed at educating both the UW internal constituents and the general public. The new marketing strategy has only been in place since January 2005, but already positive results can be seen – winter 2005 enrollments were up almost 20% from winter 2004, and spring 2005 enrollments were up almost 15% from spring 2004.
Learn more about the Non-Degree Enrollment program at www.nondegree.washington.edu.