Case Study: From Campus Visit to College Commitment
Oct 27, 2026
Western Connecticut State University’s spring open house connected campus experiences with the decisions that follow—tracking admitted students from their first visit through fall enrollment.
The challenge
Admissions could count open-house attendance, but could not identify which experiences mattered most to enrollment decisions. A pre-event survey identified affordability as the leading concern: only 35% of responding students knew their net cost after aid.
The approach
MXP and admissions redesigned the day around a digital “Decision Passport.” Students visited major showcases, joined student-led campus tours and met financial aid counselors to review their actual costs. QR check-ins connected each station with the student’s decision journey.
The open house welcomed 640 admitted students and about 1,100 family members. When financial aid queues reached 25 minutes, additional counselors and text alerts reduced afternoon waits to under 10 minutes.
MXP then followed deposits, aid acceptance, housing, orientation and enrollment through fall census, comparing attendees with matched admitted students who did not attend.
Key results
Enrollment, commitment and progress through the summer.
- Higher enrollment: 51% of attendees enrolled at fall census versus 31% of matched non-attendees—a 20-point difference.
- Earlier commitment: 47% deposited by May 1 versus 28% of matched non-attendees.
- Stronger aid acceptance: 74% accepted their aid offer by May 1 versus 55% of matched non-attendees.
- Lower summer melt: 6% of attendee depositors did not enroll, compared with 14% of matched non-attendee depositors.
What the findings inform
Financial aid counseling became the priority for future visit events. The next-cycle plan called for bilingual counselors, targeted invitations to Pell-eligible and first-generation students, stronger career showcases and summer follow-up for depositors at risk of withdrawing.
Measurement: pre-event surveys of 410 students and 290 parents; station check-ins; exit surveys of 520 students and 380 parents; two follow-up surveys; and university records through fall census. Each attendee was compared with two matched non-attendees. Survey participation was opt-in, and MXP used de-identified student-record extracts.
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