After finalizing who will be part of the incoming freshman class, the university will have spent about $2.1 million in the recruitment process.

David Garcia, associate vice president in enrollment services, said this past year, the $2.1 million was divided to about 4,300 interested students. He said the total came to about $500 to $600 per student.

“Quite frankly, that’s about the national average,” Garcia said. “Private schools spend a lot more since they invest a lot more resources to meet their goals. But for us, it’s $500 to $600 per student.”

Garcia said the funds in the recruitment budget go toward mailing letters to prospective students, creating brochures and guidebooks, traveling to high schools for college fairs and hosting events for prospective students. He said how much is spent per prospective student depends on enrollment levels from the previous year.

One of the main ways Kent State recruits students on the edge of making a college decision is through Admitted Student Day events. Mark Ledoux, associate director of the Admissions Office, said these recruitment events started about five years ago.

Garcia said these events help students determine whether Kent State is the right choice for them after they’re accepted.

“Families leave these events saying the program did it for them and got their student to enroll,” Garcia said. “It has a huge impact in the enrollment process and so far, each of the programs has been filled.”

Nancy DellaVecchia, director of Admissions, said the event is free and optional for students still thinking about coming to Kent State.

“The whole program is about helping students gather additional information about Kent State to make the final choice,” she said.

Kent State hasn’t always worked this extensively with its prospective students.

“We used to do these programs in hotels in Cleveland or Akron, but switched to this model a few years ago to get families and students on campus,” Ledoux said. “We started with just an evening reception, but then the next year added a couple day events, and it expanded to what we have now.”

Representatives from Kent State groups such as Residence Services, Center for Student Involvement, Dining Services, academic departments and more, show up at these events to educate future students.

Mandy Lautzenheiser, senior justice studies major, worked at the Destination Kent State stand during Friday’s Admitted Student Day event. She said she thinks the event acts as a transition between high school and college. She said it’s also a good way to inform parents and family about Kent State.

“I think the event is also a lot to relax the parents,” Lautzenheiser said. “More parents came up to ask us questions than students.”

The next Admitted Student Day is this Friday. Prospective students can also register for the Admitted Student Reception which will be at 7 p.m. on April 24 in the Ballroom.

Contact Megan Wilkinson at [email protected].