Freshman applications have increased for the third year in a row, but enrollment numbers don't reflect the increase, according to Tom Taylor, vice president for enrollment, marketing and communications.
As of December, admissions had received 10,357 applications, which is a 30 percent increase from Fall 2006.
The increase in applications, however, does not necessarily mean there will be an increase in enrollment, Taylor said.
"When a university receives more applications they get to have higher standards when choosing candidates," he said. "It allows us to be more selective as a university."
Selecting "only the stronger students" may stem enrollment because of greater outside competition, Taylor said.
"If we're only choosing the stronger students that apply, we have to realize that other universities will also be competing to get those students to join with them instead of us," he said.
Admissions is aiming for 3,600 new students this fall, he said.
Taylor said the freshman class for Fall 2007 totaled 3,544 students, which was 85 fewer than in Fall 2006.
"That difference is not very significant," he said.
Tony Proudfoot, associate vice president for marketing and communications, said aggressive new marketing campaigns helped increase the number of submitted applications.
Current marketing campaigns include mass communication through billboards, television commercials and newspaper advertising, electronic communication through the Ball State Web site, and direct communication through mail-outs and university publications, Proudfoot said.
"No one approach is better or more successful than another," he said. "They all work together to form one multi-faceted strategy."
Marketing efforts have increased over the past two years, with the launch of the "Education Redefined" campaign and the redesigned Web site, he said.
"We've made a lot of creative investments in enhancing our level of communication with potential students, both in terms of the amount of communication and the quality and clarity of the message of what Ball State is really about," Proudfoot said.
Taylor said admissions staff recently began a search campaign to identify potential students in their sophomore and junior years of high school and provide them with information about Ball State. Admissions staff have also been travelling to meet with prospective students across the nation, he said.
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