Not all enrollment marketing and student success partners are created equal. And in today’s higher education landscape, where expectations are high and the stakes even higher, choosing the right partner is one of the most important decisions an institution can make.
It’s more than just a vendor selection—it’s a strategic commitment to your institution’s future.
How to Evaluate a True Enrollment Marketing + Student Success Partner
To help guide your decision, we’ve curated 12 essential questions every team should ask before signing on the dotted line. These will help you uncover the difference between a surface-level service and a true higher ed enrollment partnership.
1. Do you own your student data?
If you’re paying for it, you should own it. Full access to your data allows for strategic pivots mid-cycle, year-over-year analysis, and long-term planning. And if your partnership ends, your insights—and your momentum—shouldn’t walk out the door.
2. Is the contract built around your needs—or theirs?
Flexibility matters. While long-term contracts can offer cost efficiencies and continuity, the right partner prioritizes your performance—not just their retention—by allowing you to adjust terms as your goals evolve.
3. Is the partnership custom-built—or off the shelf?
Every institution is different. Your scope should be co-created to reflect your unique priorities, combining your challenges and opportunities with the partner’s strategic expertise.
4. Can you see performance in real time?
You deserve complete visibility into the work being done: communications, advertising, funnel performance, and engagement analytics. Real-time insights ensure smarter decisions and build trust with stakeholders.
5. Will you have a consistent, expert team?
A revolving door of contacts slows progress. Look for a dedicated team that understands your goals, knows your context, and brings continuity to your strategy.
6. Are strategies integrated across the student journey?
Avoid siloed thinking. A true partner connects enrollment and student success strategies through shared data, integrated tools, and consistent personas—so your enrollment marketing strategy works across every touchpoint from prospect to graduate.
7. How will your partner help you deliver true personalization?
Demographics alone won’t drive decisions. The right partner leverages psychographic segmentation to understand motivations and behaviors—then helps you apply those insights across all channels, including your most powerful tool: your website.
8. Do you have full access to your Student Search CRM system?
Transparency is non-negotiable. You should be able to view workflows, communication sequences, engagement scoring, and reporting at any time. More access means better alignment and more powerful results.
9. Is the lead strategy diversified?
Avoid dependence on a single source. A modern partner is source agnostic and supports a multi-execution strategy, using a blend of first- and third-party lead sources to build a robust, sustainable, and high-yield pipeline.
10. What yield strategies are built in?
Today’s higher ed enrollment strategy requires more than a name list. From market analysis and intelligent name buys to video personalization, engagement scoring, and financial aid modeling, yield begins before the student clicks.
11. How does your partner support student success?
Retention shouldn’t be an afterthought. The right partner helps you recruit students who will thrive and support them with assessments, strategy roadmaps, and community-building programs to boost persistence.
For insights on how higher education leaders are navigating student success today—including strategies to improve outcomes and foster belonging—check out our Carnegie Conversations blog on international enrollment, public trust, and student success.
12. Who owns the assets?
Everything you create together—data, content, designs, tools—should be yours. That’s not just fair; it’s future-proof. These assets don’t just support a single campaign, they power ongoing enrollment marketing strategy, insight, and growth.
Build a Smarter Enrollment and Student Success Strategy
If you’re exploring new higher education enrollment marketing partnerships, ask these 12 questions. They’ll help you cut through surface-level solutions and find a partner who brings lasting impact to your enrollment and student success strategy.
If you’re seeking a partner who works as an extension of your team, leads with data, applies scientific methodology to student engagement, and supports every phase of the student journey, Carnegie can help. Reach out and start a conversation to learn more.
We’re offering free 30-minute strategy sessions to help colleges and universities identify smarter, more integrated approaches to enrollment marketing and student success. Reserve your session now to connect with an expert and get personalized recommendations you can act on right away.
Want to dive deeper into designing a connected student journey?
Join Trent Gilbert and our team of enrollment and student success experts for the upcoming live webinar, Designing the Student Journey: From Discovery to Distinction, where we’ll explore how integrated enrollment and student success strategies can spark interest, build trust, and lead to lasting impact beyond graduation. Save your seat for the webinar to gain new perspective, practical examples, and a fresh approach to student-first strategy.