Across the board, adults and school counselors in Colorado rate the reputation of Metropolitan State University of Denver as excellent or very good, according to a new survey commissioned by University Communication and Marketing.
Top four adjectives used to describe MSU Denver are:
- Urban
- Affordable
- Accessible/convenient
- Diverse
School counselors recognize improvements in the University’s reputation, with 78% saying it has improved greatly or somewhat over the past few years; 24% said it has improved greatly.
Availability of online and hybrid classes and programs was found to be an important aspect of a college education for prospects and parents.
Top factors for prospective students:
- Affordable tuition (59% said it was extremely important)
- Availability of a desired program (58% extremely important)
- Campus safety (53% extremely important)
- Availability of scholarships and financial aid (47% extremely important)
“What’s important to note here is that MSU Denver excels in all four of those areas,”said Whei Wong, associate vice president of University Communication and Marketing. “That’s a key takeaway. All staff and faculty members have a piece of that work and can feel confident that they can share all the great work we’re doing every chance we get.”
The statewide awareness-and-sentiment survey measured perception of the University and factors that prospective students use to evaluate options for higher education. Conducted online from Feb. 28 to March 15, the survey contacted adult members of an opt-in panel, high school students from an opt-in panel, non-enrollees from MSU Denver’s database and Colorado school counselors. In all, 1,461 people from all areas of the state responded to the survey.
Respondents cited positive personal experiences, value and inclusivity among the reasons for recommending MSU Denver.
“As a University, we’ve been intentionally growing our reputation and brand in the seven counties of the Denver metro area,” Wong said. “That work is bearing fruit. Target audiences view the University’s overall reputation as overwhelmingly positive. Thanks to this survey, we have launched our first-ever statewide advertising campaigns.”
The data also suggested that the University should:
- Continue to reinforce messaging around academic excellence, achievements, breadth of programming, affordability, scholarships and aid, the value of a downtown university and campus safety.
- Step up telling the MSU Denver story outside the metro area (particularly to the southeast and in the mountain/Western Slope regions) so that the University is considered by prospective students more often.
- Reinforce brand recognition by using the full name of the institution.
- Provide training to campus staff to focus on the most important decision factors in communications and personal interactions.
Wong added that getting information about MSU Denver and its programs into the hands of school counselors across Colorado will improve enrollment numbers from all regions of the state.