Leading Enrollment at Art & Design Colleges:
A Practical Guide for Enrollment Directors
Course Overview:
Build the strategy, data literacy, and leadership skills needed to recruit the next generation of artists, designers, and creative thinkers.
Enrollment leadership at an art and design college requires a distinctive combination of skills. Directors must understand institutional strategy, shifting student markets, portfolio-based admission, financial aid, recruitment operations, creative communities, and the changing value proposition of an arts education, all while guiding a team through the demands of an annual admissions cycle.
Leading Enrollment at Art & Design Colleges is a nine-month virtual course created specifically for new and emerging enrollment leaders working in art and design higher education. Each session is timed to the admissions calendar, helping participants respond to the challenges directly in front of them while preparing strategically for what comes next.
The course combines practical instruction, peer conversation, and insights from enrollment leaders across the field. Participants will leave with stronger leadership skills, a more sophisticated understanding of enrollment data, and a practical framework for developing an enrollment strategy suited to their institution’s mission, students, programs, and resources.
What You'll Learn:
By the end of the course, participants will be better prepared to:
Build an enrollment strategy aligned with institutional mission and capacity
Interpret funnel, yield, and market data with greater confidence
Communicate enrollment conditions clearly to senior leaders
Lead admissions teams through the full recruitment cycle
Collaborate effectively with faculty and cross-campus partners
Develop stronger recruitment, yield, and summer-transition strategies
Evaluate affordability and financial-aid concerns
Identify emerging enrollment risks and opportunities
Conduct a productive post-cycle assessment
Develop an actionable enrollment plan for 2027–28
Course Format:
9 Live Virtual Sessions, one per month October-June. Designed to align with the responsibilities of each portion of the admissions cycle, each session will review current challenges and preparation for the next month. Courses are taught by a former Director and also include a different current/former Director/VP from a different art and design institution in each session. Participants who complete all 9 sessions will receive one complimentary individual advising session with course leader or any session guest after the completion of the course to assist in developing their 2027-28 (arranged individually prior to August 1, 2026).
Who Should Enroll:
This course is designed for:
New enrollment directors and vice presidents
Admissions directors preparing for broader enrollment leadership
Associate and assistant directors moving into senior roles
Enrollment leaders who are new to art and design higher education
Experienced directors seeking a structured opportunity to reassess their practice
Professionals leading enrollment at small, specialized, or mission-driven creative institutions
Because examples and discussions will focus specifically on art and design education, participants will be able to engage with colleagues who understand the distinctive opportunities and pressures of this sector.Session Details
7
9
October
1
The first session establishes the foundations of effective enrollment leadership and introduces a practical framework for connecting recruitment activity to institutional priorities.
Topics will include:
Understanding the enrollment director’s strategic role
Translating institutional goals into enrollment priorities
Evaluating the current recruitment plan
Establishing meaningful goals and performance indicators
Building productive relationships with academic and institutional leadership
Clarifying team roles, expectations, and decision-making structures
Identifying the questions your enrollment data should help answer
Participants will begin an enrollment-cycle review that they will continue developing throughout the course.
November
2
April
June
As inquiry and application activity develops, enrollment leaders need to distinguish meaningful signals from ordinary fluctuations in the funnel.
Topics will include:
Understanding the enrollment funnel at art and design institutions
Comparing current activity with historical patterns
Evaluating inquiry, prospect, applicant, and event engagement
Identifying geographic, demographic, and program-level trends
Understanding the limitations of year-over-year comparisons
Recognizing early indicators of enrollment strength or risk
Adjusting recruitment activity without overreacting to incomplete data
Participants will learn how to create a concise enrollment snapshot for senior leaders and campus partners.
December
3
This session examines how institutions can support students as they move from interest to application, particularly when the admissions process includes portfolios, auditions, or other creative requirements.
Topics will include:
Identifying barriers within the application process
Supporting students through portfolio preparation and submission
Communicating expectations without discouraging emerging artists
Aligning recruitment messages with the actual student experience
Reviewing application-completion strategies
Coordinating communication across admissions, faculty, and marketing
Preparing staff and faculty for application review
Evaluating equity and access within portfolio-based admission
Participants will review their application process from the perspective of a prospective student and identify opportunities for improvement.
6
8
January
4
As application review accelerates, enrollment directors must balance operational efficiency, academic standards, student experience, and increasingly urgent forecasting needs.
Topics will include:
Managing an effective application-review process
Clarifying the roles of admissions staff and faculty
Supporting consistent and equitable review practices
Monitoring application volume and completion
Evaluating program-level demand
Developing preliminary enrollment forecasts
Communicating uncertainty responsibly
Preparing for admission decisions and financial-aid packaging
Participants will build a forecasting framework that can be refined as the cycle progresses.
February
5
Individual Advising Session
You can reach us anytime via our contact page or email. We aim to respond quickly—usually within one business day.
March
We combine a thoughtful, human-centered approach with clear communication and reliable results. It’s not just what we do—it’s how we do it that sets us apart.
May
We combine a thoughtful, human-centered approach with clear communication and reliable results. It’s not just what we do—it’s how we do it that sets us apart.
We combine a thoughtful, human-centered approach with clear communication and reliable results. It’s not just what we do—it’s how we do it that sets us apart.
We combine a thoughtful, human-centered approach with clear communication and reliable results. It’s not just what we do—it’s how we do it that sets us apart.
We combine a thoughtful, human-centered approach with clear communication and reliable results. It’s not just what we do—it’s how we do it that sets us apart.
Build the strategy, data literacy, and leadership skills needed to recruit the next generation of artists, designers, and creative thinkers.
Course Format:
9 Live Virtual Sessions, one per month October-June. Designed to align with the responsibilities of each portion of the admissions cycle, each session will review current challenges and preparation for the next month. Courses are taught by a former Director and also include a different current/former Director/VP from a different art and design institution in each session.
Participants who complete all 9 sessions will receive one complimentary individual advising session with course leader or any session guest after the completion of the course to assist in developing their 2027-28 (arranged individually prior to August 1, 2026).
Course Dates:
October 14, 2026 1:00pm CT
November 11, 2026 1:00pm CT
December 2, 2026 1:00pm CT
January 13, 2026 1:00pm CT
February 10, 2026 1:00pm CT
March 10, 2026 1:00pm CT
April 7, 2026 1:00pm CT
May 5, 2026 1:00pm CT
June 2, 2026 1:00pm CT
Course Terms:
Course is refundable up to 14 days prior to start.
Get In Touch
Interested in learning more?
Fill out this information form to receive a link to a recording of our information session and to be added to the waitlist for our September and future sessions.