Case Study: Grand Rapids Community College boosts student engagement with Mongoose

Enterprise Texting for Community Colleges

Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC), a large community college in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, was facing declining enrollments, a shrinking applicant pool, and lower attendance at admissions and enrollment events. To improve engagement with students and prospective students, GRCC turned to Mongoose and its texting platform, Mongoose Cadence, as a more personal and efficient way to communicate.

With Mongoose Cadence, GRCC expanded texting across admissions, academic departments, and the cashier’s office, using segmented, timely outreach to move students through the application process and support enrollment and payment needs. The results included 41,606 texts sent in summer 2017 versus 14,000 before fall 2016, a 3% increase in fall yield rate, 200 additional new students, an estimated $226,000 in tuition revenue, and a 7.4% increase in students paying in full at the cashier’s office.

Grand Rapids Community College

Eric Mullen

Associate Dean of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid