NDSU absolutely dropped the ball recruiting/marketing in 16/17 and didn't do the little things other schools did.

NDSU lost dozens if not hundreds of students because of their antiquated admissions process.

Many Minnesota schools allowed students to apply and be accepted in minutes, a la rocket mortgage with verification to come later.

NDSU made them sit around for months.

--No doubt kids bored in October applied to St Cloud State for the hell of it, got it and never looked back.

Also, continued to charge a $35 admission fee, which has since be shelved.

They also had a recruiter (or two?) quit just before a huge college fair in the Twin Cities, which ended up being tremendously understaffed.

They also didn't take advantage of MODERN CRM style marketing, which MNSCU started using aggressively. Not actively marketing, tracking interactions, process towards applying, selection, and matriculation.

--And it took 'em a year to figure this out. Craziness.


Each student is probably $25,000 in income at the margin. We lost 'em for a $35 fee or behaving like a bureaucracy.


A great case study in not innovating.