Student recruitment strategy – supporting students from initial contact to the start of their studies
A new strategy for student recruitment will help more prospective students discover KI and receive support in finding the programme that suits them best. The strategy sets out the direction and process for the work going forward.
The strategy is based on interviews with programme directors, undergraduate education managers ("GUA") and administrators, together with analyses of statistics, surveys and reports on young adults' educational choices. There is a strong commitment to student recruitment at KI, and many want to see greater transparency, more coordination and clearer priorities.
“The need for support in student recruitment varies between programmes. At the same time, many emphasise the importance of finding a balance between highlighting the entire range of programmes and being able to prioritise support in student recruitment for the programmes that need it most,” says Sara Gunningberg, project manager for the strategy and coordinator at the Department for Educational Support.
An informed choice of education
It also emerged that making an informed choice of education is crucial to student motivation and well-being. The less information students have before making their choice, the greater the risk that they will embark on an education programme that does not meet their expectations.
“Making a choice of education today is not always easy. Young people are faced with a huge flow of information and many opportunities, while at the same time often feeling uncertain about the future and a sense of replaceability," continues Sara Gunningberg.
Many of those interviewed emphasised the importance of recruiting students with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Broadened recruitment is not only a legal requirement, but also contributes to raising the quality of education, meeting society's great need for skills and creating education on equal terms for all.
The next step in this work is to develop action plans and a process for setting goals and priorities, where educational programmes have the opportunity to express their needs and contribute their views.
At the same time, the survey for new students ("Nybörjarenkäten") is being developed to gain better insight into new students' experiences and follow up on the focus areas in the student recruitment strategy.
Full article
This is a short version of the news article in Swedish: Strategi för studentrekrytering - stödjer studenter från första kontakt till studiestart.