EMA & ERB continue to progress on our path to merge. Read more.

Featured News

EMA Welcomes New Board Chair

EMA Welcomes New Board Chair

Claire Goldsmith Elected to Board Chair

EMA Welcomes New Board Chair

EMA Welcomes New Board Chair

Claire Goldsmith Elected to Board Chair

Designing You Post-Pandemic Enrollment Strategy

Designing Your Post-Pandemic Enrollment Strategy

Read The Yield magazine cover story to get more expert insights and guidance.

Designing You Post-Pandemic Enrollment Strategy

Designing Your Post-Pandemic Enrollment Strategy

Read The Yield magazine cover story to get more expert insights and guidance.

Empowering You to Empower Your School

Empowering You to Empower Your School

EMA is focused on addressing your specific needs and advocating for your success. When you are a member of the Enrollment Management Association, you are connected with a vast global network of experts and professionals. Your exclusive access offers personalized support, leadership development, compelling insights, and a holistic suite of gold-standard admission tools. Secure your membership to build stronger networks and make confident strategic enrollment decisions.

Empowering You to Empower Your School

Empowering You to Empower Your School

EMA is focused on addressing your specific needs and advocating for your success. When you are a member of the Enrollment Management Association, you are connected with a vast global network of experts and professionals. Your exclusive access offers personalized support, leadership development, compelling insights, and a holistic suite of gold-standard admission tools. Secure your membership to build stronger networks and make confident strategic enrollment decisions.

Member-Exclusive: The 2023 SOTI Report

Member-Exclusive: The 2023 SOTI Report

The independent school landscape has evolved in ways we never imagined a few years ago. Read EMA's The 2023 State of the Independent School Enrollment Industry Report (SOTI), our fourth report that takes an in-depth look at industry issues within the United States and Canada and how trends have changed (or not) from our previous SOTI reports.

Member-Exclusive: The 2023 SOTI Report

Member-Exclusive: The 2023 SOTI Report

The independent school landscape has evolved in ways we never imagined a few years ago. Read EMA's The 2023 State of the Independent School Enrollment Industry Report (SOTI), our fourth report that takes an in-depth look at industry issues within the United States and Canada and how trends have changed (or not) from our previous SOTI reports.

Family Engagement & Retention

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Ready, Set, Enroll: New EMA Service Features and Policy Updates for the 2025–26 Admissions Season

Learn about exciting new EMA service updates for the 2025–26 admissions season to help enrollment teams attract candidates and manage data.

Reimagining the Applicant Journey and Enrollment Funnel

Learn how the new Admission.org Search will expand EMA's reach with prospective families and streamline their connection to member schools, CBOs, and EdCons.

EMA Unveils Plans for a Reimagined School Search and Applicant Journey

EMA has unveiled plans for a robust new School Search and a more purposeful, joy-filled application journey for prospective families.

Family Connection Reinvented: Innovative Approaches for Year-Round Inspiration

Cultivating a vibrant school community — and a sense of belonging — are more important than ever.

Are You Thinking of Your Parents as Partners? [Ep.110]

A conversation with Renee DuChainey-Farkes.

You Can’t Change What You Don’t Measure: Social and Emotional Health in Children

Hiring a dedicated Director of Institutional Research is not for every school. But, every school can start taking advantage of the data they already have to better serve their students!

Family Engagement & Retention

The Enrollment Management Spectrum defines retention of current students very simply: students who enroll at the school tend to stay at the school.

Marketing & Recruitment of New Families

Recruitment and selection of new students are the bread and butter of the enrollment office. This is the work that's critical to the success of your institution

The Strategic Enrollment Management Spectrum

Explore the seven levers of the enrollment spectrum and consider how they work together to contribute to your enrollment success.

What is Your Recipe for Retention? [Ep.93]

A conversation with Brandi Eppolito.

The Ride to Independent Schools 2020-2021 [Ep.90]

A conversation with Chuck English

Head of School Podcast: How the Customer Has Changed [S1.E4]

What every head needs to know about enrollment management.

Paul LeBlanc from Southern New Hampshire University [Ep.58] [May 8]

Redefining and Reimagining Campus-Based Learning

10 Tips for Effective Family Communications

Outreach tips for families you find using Student Prospect Lists.

Creating a Culture of Retention at Lakefield College School [Podcast Ep.33]

A conversation with David Darby and Heather Avery

Retention with Intention [Podcast Ep.21]

One of the first things Head of School Rik Dugan implemented when he arrived at Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart was a comprehensive retention strategy.

GOAL! Enrollment Marketing that Works [Podcast Ep.18]

Peter and Hans find out how Scott Allenby, director of marketing and strategic initiatives for Proctor Academy, creates and refines the school’s enrollment marketing strategy to hit yearly enrollment

From Onboarding to Retention with Avery Coonley School [Podcast Ep.26]

Rebecca Malotke-Meslin, Director of Enrollment and Financial Aid at the Avery Coonley School shares details of her exceptional retention program which begins right as families join the school communit

In Perpetuity: Common Questions about Enrollment Contracts

by Debra P. Wilson, general counsel, National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and incoming president of the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) As we once again enter...

Growth by Design

by Greg Bamford Four years ago, Watershed School faced a real enrollment challenge. Despite an innovative educational model, we had high attrition and a poorly understood identity in our market....

What's the True Cost of Attending Your School?

by Margaret Hardy and Tearon Joseph In 2013, as part of Lakeside School’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, we led a project on the true cost of attendance in order to gain an understanding of...

Being Intentional About Retention: 3 Steps to Combat Attrition

Keeping students: it is the underlying goal at all educational institutions. At independent schools, replacing an exiting student with a brand new one means more time, resources, and attention...

An Ounce of Prevention… How Engagement Survey Data Can Help Reduce Attrition

by George Conway, president, IES Consulting + The U.S. birthrate (fertility) is at its lowest point in history1 + Nearly half of National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) schools are...

Using Domestic Students to Boost a Boarding Population

by Cindy Veitch, communications officer at St. Andrew’s College (ON) While boarding enrollment continues to wane across North American independent boarding schools, St. Andrew’s College (SAC) is...

5 Fun Ways to Use Snapchat and Instagram

By Allison Ewing, Senior Content Strategist and Sean Williams, Managing Consultant, True Digital Communications It’s no secret that Generation Z (ages 13-19) use social media constantly. But...

Internal Marketing – Getting Your Team Invested in the Goal

by Jen McGurnDirector of AdmissionsPace Academy (GA) Kat SullivanDirector of AdmissionBay School of San Francisco (CA) When SSATB rebranded this fall and successfully rolled out The Enrollment...

Communicating Strengths Through Campus Events

by David Baker, Director of Admission & Financial Aid, St. Mark’s School (TX)As always, my summer project ambitions have greatly exceeded the fleeting number of remaining summer days. As an...

Reflecting on the Prospective's Perspective

by Jenna R. King, Director of Admission and Enrollment, Riverdale Country School (NY) Many of us chose the admission profession because we enjoy the constant buzz of prospective families...

Measuring Admission Season Success: Beyond the Numbers

by Frankie Brown, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Sidwell Friends School (DC) If your school is one of the lucky ones with a healthy wait pool of families still clamoring to be admitted...

Keep Your Numbers Up: Ensuring Attrition Doesn't Sabotage Your Yield

By Benjamin H. Douglass, Director of Admission, Saint James School (MD) Admission is a tough job. As difficult as it is to fill the "admission bucket" each year with strong, mission-appropriate...

Three x 3: Marketing and Communications

As attracting and retaining students (and alumni) becomes more complex, independent schools are increasingly establishing marketing and communications offices to steward, lead, and shape the...

Beyond the Bells and Whistles

by Sean Atkins and Ed Thompson Applicants and their families endure a long wait during the secondary school application process. March 10 comes, good news finally arrives in the mailbox (or now...

Retention Strategy: Cultivating Affirmation

by Craig Tredenick, Director of Enrollment Management, All Saints’ Episcopal School (TX) As we work through the most critical time of the admission season, it is a great opportunity to evaluate...

12 Ways to Stop Attrition in its Tracks

by Rick NewberryFrom Memberanda, Spring 2013 The most important indicator of your school’s overall health is its retention rate. While it’s true that this statistic reflects your school’s...

Getting to the Root of Student Attrition

From Memberanda, Spring 2011 According to Laura Murphy, Out of Door Academy, W. Dennis Facciolo, Tampa Preparatory School, and James R. McGhee II, Alexander Montessori School, there are three...

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