Integrating Digital, Slate Student Search, and Strategy Drives Measurable Enrollment Growth

94%

of deposited students attributed to Carnegie campaigns

170

stealth applicants attributed to digital or Slate campaigns

A coordinated approach to digital marketing, Slate Student Search, and brand execution helped York College of Pennsylvania strengthen its enrollment pipeline and dramatically improve attribution across the student journey.

An integrated enrollment strategy drives measurable growth.

York College of Pennsylvania understood that enrollment success required more than isolated campaigns. Digital advertising, Slate Student Search, brand strategy, and analytics were all influencing prospective students. Opportunities for efficiency and impact demanded intentional alignment.

Through close collaboration and integrated execution, York positioned itself to engage students more meaningfully while building a smarter, more accountable enrollment pipeline.

The Challenge

York College of Pennsylvania was navigating an increasingly complex enrollment environment. Multiple recruitment efforts were underway—digital campaigns, Slate communications, SEO initiatives, brand messaging. But performance insights were fragmented, and there was untapped opportunity for further optimization.

York wanted to increase enrollment while ensuring that its Student Search strategy aligned seamlessly with digital marketing efforts. They also wanted a stronger sense of attribution to ensure campaigns were agile and that investments were going where they were most valuable. This necessitated a more unified, data-informed approach that would connect strategy, execution, and measurement across the full student journey.

Our Approach

Carnegie worked closely with York leadership to understand the institution’s brand positioning, historical performance, enrollment priorities, and current channels. These insights informed a plan for an enrollment strategy that united York’s many channels toward the institution’s goals.

In addition to campaign execution, we created clear pathways for York to collect, centralize, and act on their data. Strategy was built directly within their Slate instance to manage Student Search communications, application generation, and performance reporting—providing a transparent hub for real-time visibility and ongoing optimization. Clarity™ (our on-site attribution tool) further strengthened attribution by offering precise insight into how prospective students engaged with digital campaigns and on-site content, including identifying stealth users before application.

What Worked

Slate Student Search and Communications to align name buy strategy, campaign execution, portal maintenance, and ROI reporting.
Digital marketing initiatives, including paid media, analytics, and search engine optimization, to drive awareness and engagement.
Brand and creative development spanning campaign concepting, traditional advertising, MOI, and DARTS audience segmentation.
Web personalization and attribution reporting through Carnegie Clarity to strengthen insight across the enrollment funnel.

The Results

With a strong foundation of collaboration and a willingness to innovate, York achieved measurable gains across the full enrollment journey—demonstrating the power of an integrated strategy. Students who engaged across multiple coordinated channels deposited at significantly higher rates than those with limited or no engagement, underscoring the impact of alignment and attribution clarity. Through centralized data management in Slate and precision measurement via Clarity™, York gained unprecedented visibility into performance—enabling continuous optimization and smarter investment decisions year over year.

94%

of deposited students attributed to Carnegie campaigns

484

deposited students directly tied to Carnegie services

25%

deposit rate for students engaged across digital, Slate, and Student Search

3.56K

students with Carnegie attribution receiving a decision status

170

stealth applicants attributed to digital or Slate campaigns

96%

positive admissions decision rate among attributed students

When the right students find the right college, outcomes improve across the board. At York College, we built a holistic, strategy-driven enrollment approach—blending paid media, personalized communications, and data insights—in close partnership with Carnegie to reach students who aren’t just choosing college—they’re choosing York.