COLLEGE ENROLLMENT COSTS AVERAGE $460 PER STUDENT - Vol.13, No.172

Sep 21, 2026

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College enrollment requires substantial institutional investment, with small colleges averaging $460 per student enrolled in 1984. The study reports per-student recruiting and enrollment costs varying widely, from as low as $29 to as high as $2,243 across 190 colleges. Institutions with 2,000–2,500 students spent about $515 per newly recruited student, while smaller colleges under 500 averaged $492. Higher spending by a few institutions lifted the overall average to the reported level.

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CategoryResearch & Report

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COLLEGE ENROLLMENT COSTS AVERAGE $460 PER STUDENT

Per-student recruiting and enrollment costs

Data source, survey scope, and advancement activities

Enrollment growth and market research usage

Staffing and budgets in admissions and fundraising

Fundraising cost-to-raise metrics and consultant use

Trustee usefulness and field representative roles

Image problem and readership surveys

Responsibility for institutional image

Wednesday,September 4,1985 Vol.13,No.172 # COLLEGE ENROLLMENT COSTS AVERAGE $460 PER STUDENT Small colleges spent an average of $460 in salaries,travel,media and promo-tion to recruit and enroll one student in 1984,say the preliminary results ofa study of 190 colleges. The range of per-student costs among the colleges is diverse,however,with oneinstitution reporting an admissions cost for a student as low as $29,andanother reporting a high of $2,243,according to data collected by WesleyWillmer,director of development at Wheaton College in I1linois. Institutions with enrollments of between 2,000 and 2,500 students spent anaverage of $515 per newly recruited student,while colleges with less than 500students spent an average of $492 per student,the data say.Very high expen-ditures by a few institutions,however,raised the average cost by s100 to $200per enrolled student,the study says. | Cost Of Matriculating One Student | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Enrollment | Cost Par Student | Rango | | | | | Low | Hlgh | | Up to 500 | 492 | $110 | $1,306 | | 501-750 | 515 | 69 | 1,886 | | 751-1,000 | 462 | 29 | 1,704 | | 1,001-1,250 | 385 | 68 | 1,023 | | 1,251-1,500 | 388 | 87 | 1,238 | | 1,501-2,000 | 489 | 39 | 2,243 | | 2,001-2,500 | 515 | 61 | 1,381 | | Source:Wesloy WiHlmer.Wheaton Colloge | | | | Willmer requested data from membersof the Council of Independent Col-leges(CIC)in December 1984,andexpects to produce a complete reportfor the Council for Advancement andSupport of Education(CASE)by theend of the year.The study coversall areas of institutional advance-ment,including fundraising,insti-tutional relations and admissions. Enrollment has grown since 1981 at 69 percent of the institutions,and 81 percent of the colleges expect growth inthe next three years.In addition,78 percent of the colleges had conductedmarket research in the last three years to determine why students attend theirinstitutions. The average admissions office at a college with more than 1,000 students butless than 1,250 students employed 2.6 full-time professionals and operated on abudget of $138,591,Willmer's data says·A fundraising office at a collegewith the same amount of students spent an average of s147,611 and employed 2.7 full-time professionals. Small colleges are also becoming more efficient in fundraising,Willmer says.The institutional cost to raise one dollar in gifts,both unrestricted andcapital,ranges from 10 cents to 16 cents per dollar raised.The mean fortotal income per fundraising costs was 11 cents.(more) # SMALL COLLEGE ENROLLMENT COSTS AVERACE $460 PER STUDENT(Cont.) The mean cost to raise unrestricted dollars ranges from 20 cents to 36 centsper dollar raised,but "keep in mind that these are means and the diversity isgreat among individual institutions,"Willmer says. Still,compared with Willmer's last study of small college fundraising in 1976,the cost to raise funds has been reduced an average of five cents per dollar."In general,the small institutions are just as or more efficient in the moneythey raise as for the money they spent,"Willmer says. While few small colleges have ongoing budgets fot consultants,almost 76 per-cent had employed some type of consultant in 1984.Sixty percent of theconsultants were called in to give advice on foundations and corporations,while 18 percent were contracted to aid in the area of development records. Small PercentageOnly 13 percent of the consultants employed by smallcolleges gave advice on admissions,with 7 percent advising on public rela-tions,and 2 percent offering individual direction. The preliminary findings also suggest that small college trustees are notviewed by the institution to be very helpful in soliciting new donors or inmaking financial contributions.Some 40 percent of the responding institutionsgave their trustees a"low"score on soliciting new donors,while 79.1 percentgraded

FAQs

What was the average cost for enrolling one college student in 1984?

Small colleges averaged $460 in salaries, travel, media, and promotion to recruit and enroll one student in 1984.

How much did per-student enrollment costs vary among colleges?

Reported admissions costs ranged from $29 at the lowest institution to $2,243 at the highest, indicating large diversity in spending.

What did the study find about image development and readership research?

Only 23% of institutions had ever conducted readership surveys, yet about 81% believed they presented a clear and consistent image; respondents were divided on whether the image should be modified.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Oliver