The Influence of Graduate Enrollment Management on Social Work Education

Graduate enrollment management in social work education is vital but often overlooked by leadership. This presentation will offer insights to help faculty and leaders grasp its impact, including opportunities to increase diversity and equity. Strategic recommendations will be provided to enhance engagement and lead to better program outcomes.

Graduate enrollment management at each institution is a crucial part of the student experience in social work education. Many in leadership are not engaged in the day-to-day activities of the enrollment cycle within their schools, yet the impact of this work is far reaching for all social work programs. This one hour partnership presentation by members of the National Deans & Directors of Social Work Admissions (NDDSWA) will help faculty and social work program leaders better understand the ways that the full enrollment cycle impacts almost all areas of social work education.

The presentation will cover trends in graduate enrollment, examples of successful enrollment management collaborations, and barriers and opportunities for increased diversity and equity. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with social work graduate enrollment professionals with decades of experience at universities across the United States. The discussion will examine the cycle of enrollment management beginning with prospective students through enrollment and graduation. The goal is to provide participants with strategic recommendations and ways to better assess and engage with and support the enrollment professionals at their institution.

To this end, the importance of understanding an institution’s prospective students and developing best practices for engagement will be discussed; including an examination of current trends in graduate social work program enrollment and how factors, such as inflation, the job market and competition impact recruitment, enrollment and retention. Data resources will be shared to assist in setting enrollment targets and understanding potential student populations.

Participants will be provided a number of innovative enrollment management illustrations from the broad membership of the NDDSWA. Examples will include the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion collaborations at the University of Michigan School of Social Work and the student retention and success initiatives such as Rutgers University’s “Summer Series” and University of Houston’s integrated admissions and student affairs office.

Finally, the presentation will challenge participants to assess internal graduate enrollment practices at their institutions and identify barriers that can be removed to increase diversity in the student population. Areas such as representation among faculty, administrators and leaders that reflect the changing student population and barriers like application fees and accessibility will be shared. An emphasis on what student supports can be removed or strengthened to support diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging will be provided.

Recruitment and admissions is everyone’s responsibility. Deans, Associate Deans, Program Directors, Practicum Directors and staff, faculty and adjuncts, and administrators all play a critical role in engaging and supporting students throughout the process. Learn what you can do in your role to support the student pipeline from prospect through graduation.