Some schools are outperforming enrollment trends. Here's what they're doing differently.
Three institutions. Measurable gains. A repeatable approach to admissions and financial aid content that moves students forward.
Some schools are outperforming enrollment trends. Here's what they're doing differently.
Three institutions. Measurable gains. A repeatable approach to admissions and financial aid content that moves students forward.
Some schools are outperforming enrollment trends. Here's what they're doing differently.
Three institutions. Measurable gains. A repeatable approach to admissions and financial aid content that moves students forward.
Clarify Admissions, Strengthen Enrollment
Some colleges are growing enrollment. Here’s what they’re doing differently.
Clarify Admissions, Strengthen Enrollment
Clarifying Admissions & Financial Aid Content to Support the Student Journey — and Strengthen Enrollment
Clarify Admissions, Strengthen Enrollment
Clarifying Admissions & Financial Aid Content to Support the Student Journey — and Strengthen Enrollment
Clarity strengthens the enrollment journey.
At NewCity, our work across higher education continues to reinforce a simple truth: when institutions make it easier for students and families to understand programs, cost, aid, requirements, and next steps, the entire enrollment journey improves.
This pattern is consistent across institutions. Here we share what we’ve learned, what can be improved, and why this approach consistently supports stronger enrollment outcomes.
In short, every investment a university makes to simplify and clarify the admissions and financial aid experience pays dividends for years.
Why?
Students expect a unified digital experience.
This is why your website is still your strongest enrollment tool.
90%
of students use your website to decide
(Modern Campus Report)
84%
of FAFSA submitters enroll
(Nat’l College Attainment Network)
4x
rise in stealth applications since 2020
(Education Dynamics)
Research First
Understanding the Enrollment Journey Through Evidence
Every project begins with research to understand how students look for information, what they struggle to find, and where friction slows their progress. That work includes:
- behavior pathway analysis
- usability testing with prospective students and families
- content inventories to identify inconsistencies and redundancies
- search performance evaluations
- stakeholder interviews across Enrollment, Admissions, Financial Aid, and MarComm
Strengthen your Admissions & Financial Aid content with these three proven actions
Each lever reflects how real students think, decide, and consume digital information. We use UX research to help us understand how students look for information, what they struggle to find, and where friction slows their progress. Then we use this research to build pathways that serve their goals.
1. Content that delivers what students actually search for
Simplify, streamline and clarify your admissions and financial aid content so it’s understandable to students and families. Answer their top questions right away, so they stay for more detail.
2. Simplified IA and unified CRM pathways
Streamlined Apply, Visit, and RFI flows. Slate templates aligned with main-site content to remove blocks.
3. Strategic cross-linking that supports real student paths
Programs → Requirements → Cost → Apply.
No dead ends. Students move around, but always forward.
Clarify Content
Students arrive with three questions: Do they have my program? Can I get in? How much will it cost? When pages are built around those questions, students engage with the page. And search engines start sending them your way.
Creighton University
THE CHALLENGE
Creighton’s program and admissions content was thorough but scattered across departments, duplicated in places, and hard for search engines to make sense of — which meant students searching for exactly what Creighton offered couldn’t find it.
WHAT WE DID
We rebuilt program pages as structured, comprehensive destinations that answer key student questions in one place. Fragmented content was consolidated, redundant pages were reduced, and stronger connections were created between Programs, Admissions, and Cost & Aid.
RESULTS
Students found Creighton by searching for programs, not by name. That’s what good content structure does.
OUR APPROACH
We used Core Content Modeling to map every program page against the questions students actually bring to search. Each page was rebuilt to resolve all three questions in one place.
Streamline Student Pathways
A strong enrollment pipeline requires smooth handoffs across systems: Visit → RFI → Apply → Deposit. These steps should feel connected and consistently branded. When you design your content as one unified experience, a student’s journey through your funnel feels natural.
Radford University
THE CHALLENGE
Students were engaging with key admissions pages but the transition from website content into Slate forms and portals felt disconnected, creating friction at critical decision points.
WHAT WE DID
We aligned Admissions and Financial Aid content with Slate workflows. We clarified next steps across key pages. And we designed branded Slate templates that extended the website experience into forms, event registration, and application pathways.
RESULTS
Post-launch analytics confirmed that optimized admissions pathways helped direct students to Cost, Program, and Apply pages, and deeper into the funnel.
OUR APPROACH
We made main site content and Slate-powered portal pages feel like one connected experience.
- Visit landing page: Designed to guide prospective students to key actions—like scheduling a visit- with clear content and strong visual hierarchy.
- Branded Slate portal pages: Styled with Radford’s headers, footers, and typography to feel like a natural extension of the main site.
- Content strategy: Page goals, audience needs, and next steps were defined up front—ensuring continuity from the website into Slate forms.
Strategic Cross-Linking
A strong enrollment pipeline requires smooth handoffs across systems: Visit → RFI → Apply → Deposit. These steps should feel connected and consistently branded. When you design your content as one unified experience, a student’s journey through your funnel feels natural.
Oklahoma State University Admissions
THE CHALLENGE
Pathway analysis showed strong interest but uneven flow through the OSU Apply and Transfer journeys. Students could find entry points, but requirements, deadlines, scholarships, and application steps were not connected.
WHAT WE DID
We clarified the two ways to apply (OSU vs. Common App), added “Before You Apply” preparation guidance, integrated scholarship and financial aid information, and built a clear pathway connecting Transfer, Requirements, Scholarships, Deadlines, and Apply.
RESULTS
Post-launch usability testing found that students had a clear path, and were better prepared to apply, thanks to refreshed pages that combined application steps and requirements into a clear outline of key steps.
OUR APPROACH
We streamlined the Apply journey at each stage by building a clear and affective 5 step pathway.
Outcomes
- Clear Evidence of Stronger Enrollment Performance
Each institution began from a different place — one optimizing a healthy funnel, one improving critical pathways, one increasing visibility — yet all saw meaningful gains in enrollment-related performance.
And importantly:
These gains are achievable without a full website redesign.
Creighton University
- Lead quality
- Organic visibility without additional marketing spend
Radford University
- Early-stage engagement
- Clarity for transfer and international audiences
- Result: stronger continuation across multi-step journeys.
OSU Admissions
- Inquiry → applicant conversion
- Cross-campus governance
- Staff efficiency across Admissions & Financial Aid
Conclusion: Clarity Creates Confidence, Which Builds Belonging, Which Drives Enrollment
Across Radford, OSU Admissions, and Creighton, one truth stood out: when institutions clarify the information students rely on most, students move forward with confidence. Whether stabilizing, growing, or planning for future cycles, improving Admissions and Financial Aid content is one of the most effective, measurable ways to strengthen enrollment outcomes.
Talk to us about your enrollment strategy.
We help higher ed teams use human-centered design to align people, goals, and digital strategy around enrollment success.
