Review Best Practices for Independent School Admission
Guidelines for admission and enrollment management professionals on the recruitment, selection, and enrollment of students.
NAIS Resource Guide: Enrollment and Admissions
You may have the right mission and vision, as well as a dedicated staff and faculty, but the students are the lifeblood of the school. Keep your finger on the pulse of the latest demographic trends, admission best practices, and more when you leverage NAIS’s tools and resources, crafted and curated specifically for growing enrollment at independent schools.
Start Here
Put Your School on the Map with NAIS Market View
Use data to improve your recruitment strategy, find prospective families, and better understand your community.
Empower Your Team with DASL Data to Make Strategic Decisions
Enter your data into DASL, and drive strategic conversations with resources such as the DASL Databook and Enrollment and Attrition Dashboard.
Jobs-to-Be-Done Study on Independent School Parents
How can independent schools evolve to best meet families’ needs? Research into the changing market is a crucial first step to school transformation.
Deep Dive
2022 Independent School Cost-Per-Enrollment Study
The study represents a collaborative effort between NAIS, the Enrollment Management Association (EMA), and the National Business Officers’ Association (NBOA).
2021 State of Independent School Marketing Survey
Learn about independent school marketing professionals' scope of work and practices, with extra focus on digital strategies. Get tips from expert marketers to help your school tell its story and grow for the future.
2021 State of Financial Aid Survey
Learn how financial aid professionals view their goals, struggles, impact, and needs. Use the findings to support your school's strategic investment in financial aid and the people who manage it day to day.
How Parents Pay Independent School Costs
The study helps schools develop pricing, financing, and financial aid communications strategies with market-based realities in mind.
Reimagine Tuition
What factors should you consider when setting tuition? Is your tuition strategy producing the desired goals? Reimagine Tuition, a series of resources from NAIS, will help you consider tuition in a new light.
Scenario Planning: 4 Trends to Know for Sustainable Enrollment
One of the most effective ways to weather forceful external winds is to engage in scenario planning. Even in good times, staying on the upside of change requires scenario planning.
Jobs-to-Be-Done Study on Parents of International Students
This survey sought to understand the Jobs to Be Done of parents of international students and how these Jobs may differ from those of parents of domestic students.
International Student F-1 Visa Data Reveal How International Student Enrollment at Independent Schools Is Changing
Data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) reveal a nuanced picture of international student enrollment in independent schools.
An Enforceable, Flexible, Perpetual Enrollment Agreement?
Before using perpetual enrollment agreements with families, schools should carefully consider whether the costs outweigh the benefits.
Legal Tip: Understand the Pros and Cons of Perpetual Enrollment Agreements
These agreements can simplify paperwork, reduce administrative burdens, and smooth the reenrollment process, but they have potential pitfalls that could risk a school’s financial well-being.
Playlist: Video Resources to Help You Grow Enrollment
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Additional Resources
In Practice: Enrollment Through an Equity Lens
Examining admission data can help schools recognize where to focus their work to build and sustain racially diverse communities.
12 Growth Mindsets for Enrollment
Recognizing an enrollment decline is the first step. Then deploying strategies and interventions can help schools change course.
Finding Students and Building Brand Awareness: Marketing Trends in Independent Schools
Drawing on findings from the State of Independent School Marketing Survey, this session explores structures, funding, and best practices/trends in independent school marketing.
In Practice: Building a Better School Brand
A school's brand positioning and core values should drive how it crafts and curate stories from across campus for use in everything from social media posts to donor newsletters.
- Independent Ideas Blog: The Market: How Customer Service Can Benefit Enrollment and More
- Independent Ideas Blog: 8 Ways to Create a Parent Experience that Wows
- Legal Tip: Contract Provisions Support a Positive Parent-School Partnership
- NAIS Webinar Excerpt: Assessing Your School's Value Proposition and Business Model
- NAIS Webinar Excerpt: A Decision-Making Path to Rethinking Tuition
- NAIS Webinar Recording: Supercharge Your Recruitment with NAIS Market View
- Trustee Table Takeaways: How Schools Can Maximize Their Recruitment Strategy
- NAIS Advisory: Changes in the Landscape of International Student Recruitment
- NAIS Webinar Excerpt: Investing in Your International Student Program
- NAIS Webinar Recording and Takeaways: International Student Recruitment: Current Experiences, Future Projections