This School Tripled Enrollment by Breaking Higher Ed “Best Practices”

How does a university triple freshman enrollment while others struggle to break even?

In this episode, I talk with James Steen, Ph.D., VP for Enrollment Management & Marketing at Houston Christian University, about what actually drove HCU’s growth.

We get into:

• Why removing friction mattered more than better messaging
• How direct admission and guaranteed offers changed behavior
• The role marketing played once the value proposition was clear
• What “next practice” looks like when operations and enrollment align

This is a real case study. No theory. No platitudes.

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