How University Admissions Offices Are Leveraging Facebook [Infographic]

Much has been made of the use of social media by colleges, specifically in the admissions office. As we’ve written before, some schools are doing an excellent job, while others struggle. Sometimes we have to ask ourselves, “Do they have any idea what they are doing?”

Facebook is currently a hot topic among administrators and students alike because is being used as a tool to investigate potential students. The infographic below highlights research from a study performed by Varsity Outreach, whose team helps universities engage with students on social media sites. It doesn’t get into the messy world of researching students online, but it does give insight into how admissions offices are using Facebook; who, exactly, is managing the experience; and what issues they are running into. Perhaps the most significant takeaway is not the popularity of social media but the struggle of schools to engage users, post regularly and analyze metrics. For teams not trained in Internet marketing, who often rely on students, this is proving to be a critical issue.

The infographic below is a visual representation of the data found in Varsity Outreach’s whitepaper “Facebook and Admissions: A closer look at how college admissions offices use Facebook.” For more information, you can download the PDF here.