Three newly released studies shine light on how universities and colleges are using social media. Since surveys and white papers can sometimes be overwhelming, here are some beautiful infographics to illustrate the data.
How University Admissions Offices Are Leveraging Facebook
Varsity Outreach released a new study last month that looked at how admissions and marketing staff are using Facebook. Some of their key findings include:
- 80% of admissions offices target both prospective and admitted students.
- 85% of respondents believe that Facebook can influence a student’s decision to enroll at their school.
- Only 14% of admissions offices lack a presence on Facebook.
You can download the full white paper here [PDF]. EdTech Magazine produced a nice illustration of the data.
How Graduate Students are Really Using Social Media
The Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth conducted a study on the usage of social media by the top MBA programs in the United States. Some of their key highlights are:
- 94% report recruitment as the number one goal of their social media efforts
- While only 16% of schools are using downloadable mobile app’s, these are rated among the most effective tools studied.
- All 70 schools studied are currently using at least one social media platform or tool to market their MBA program.
- 82% of MBA programs plan to increase their investment in social media in the next year and every school agrees that social media is worth the investment they make in it.
You can read a summary of the Dartmouth study here.
From: TheBestColleges.org
Goals Behind Social Media Use
The 2012 Case/mStoner/Slover Linett social media and advancement survey revealed a number of interesting trends in higher ed. Some unique insights include:
- 86% of respondents consider Facebook as the most successful channel they use.
- 27% of institutions are building their own social networks.
You can read more about the study here. BestCollegesOnline also created this nifty infographic.
