Attracting Well-Matched Students for Long-Term Success

+50%

enrollment growth over two years

+5.9%

increase in yield

An integrated brand and enrollment strategy brought Kettering University more students who are likely to thrive.

CUPPIE Award Winner

Addy Award Winner

EduAward Winner

A transformative pairing of brand and enrollment strategy sets the stage for growth.

Though recognized nationally as an elite STEM institution with a unique Co-Op model, Kettering University had experienced a dip in both enrollment and market perception—creating a gap between the university’s reputation, awareness, and the quality of its programs. Kettering wanted to do more than meet their immediate enrollment goals; they wanted to regain their position in the market, boosting their reputation to attract the students who would thrive at Kettering and lead across industries after graduation.

The Challenge

Based in Flint, Michigan, Kettering University boasted a long tradition of excellence in STEM and experiential cooperative learning. Enrollment strategy and systems grew outdated, their numbers declined, and their brand’s value was no longer expressed as the differentiator that it is.

The Kettering team understood what made their institution special, but they needed a partner who could help them refine their brand and enrollment strategies to rebuild awareness, tell a better story, and connect meaningfully with their audience.

Our Approach

The keystone to this success story was the shared idea that attracting students suited to Kettering’s hands-on, career-oriented style of education was the most crucial step in building institutional and reputational health.

We began with extensive qualitative and quantitative research—both internal and external—to gain a deeper understanding of Kettering’s authentic brand. These insights informed a refreshed brand concept, which we implemented across the entire enrollment ecosystem. We developed a student-first enrollment strategy, starting with a communications framework that told a consistent story across digital touchpoints.

Within this framework, we created personalized, segmented communications to speak to students as individuals. We deepened that student-first methodology with a personalized financial aid approach, strengthening not only enrollment but retention efforts.

What Worked

Research-based brand strategy leveraged a market study and comprehensive audience analysis to develop an authentic and compelling messaging framework.
Extensive creative assets and campaign concepts informed the website redesign, audience segmentation tactics, enrollment print collateral, and Student Search communications.
A website re-development improved the user experience and clearly communicated their brand story.
Our proprietary Audience Segmentation (Darts) empowered Kettering to speak to prospective students’ motivations and distinct personalities.
A comprehensive digital advertising strategy met students on their platform of choice to drive awareness and top of funnel conversions.
A new Slate CRM instance optimized for Student Search supported the robust data infrastructure required for personalization at scale.
Individualized financial aid optimization offered custom packages per student to boost yield, address key subpopulations, and promote sustainable growth.

The Results

Despite a competitive admissions environment, Kettering achieved enrollment and yield success during each year of our partnership. They also increased the academic profile of incoming students, raising the average GPA year-over-year. Kettering was attracting more students and, more importantly, students who were better matched to the institution and thus more likely to graduate and achieve career success.

+50%

enrollment growth over two years

+5.9%

increase in yield

+1M

increase in net tuition revenue

+35%

YoY increase in net deposits

2.2M

organic impressions across optimized website content in the first 8 months

71%

engagement rate on optimized webpages

Working with Carnegie transformed how Kettering positions itself and presents itself to prospective students and industry partner audiences. The new brand has created synergy with our model of education and authentic ways to tell our story, helping us stand apart in a crowded market. The Carnegie team was a partner in every sense of the word, collaborating every step of the way, and delivering measurable results—substantial enrollment growth, increased brand engagement, and national recognition for the work we’ve accomplished together.

Jennifer Umberger Vice President, University Marketing and Communications Kettering University

Earned Media and Awards

Kettering’s brand campaign won multiple CUPPIE Awards, Addy Awards, and EduAwards. There was also a significant increase in earned media, with Kettering getting recognized in regional and national publications.