Case Study: Augusta University achieves record enrollment growth, higher academic quality, and increased diversity with Ruffalo Noel Levitz

How Augusta University used RNL solutions to set records for enrollment, academic quality, and student diversity

Augusta University faced a complex enrollment challenge after its 2013 merger and elevation to a research institution: leaders needed to grow and diversify enrollment while raising admissions standards and tuition to reach R1 status. To guide a cultural and tactical shift in recruitment, Augusta University partnered with Ruffalo Noel Levitz and deployed RNL Applicant Cultivator in 2016, later adding RNL Demand Builder to target high school sophomores and juniors.

Ruffalo Noel Levitz combined advanced analytics, multichannel marketing, and real-time data with campus collaboration to build a stronger, more diverse applicant pipeline. The partnership produced immediate, measurable gains — an initial year with double-digit growth (12% more applications, 10% more acceptances, 11% more freshmen) and sustained momentum into the next year with a 23% increase in applications, 21% increase in acceptances, and 16% increase in freshman enrollment, yielding the largest, most diverse and academically prepared freshman class in institutional history.

Augusta University

David Barron

Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services