FAQs

Finding Answers Is Our Specialty

How is the cost of a project determined?

AACRAO Consulting offers highly competitive pricing structures. Because each client project has unique needs and scope, we do not pre-set our fees. In general, we base client fees on the estimated number of days required to complete the project. Travel expenses are included within our total fees so you won’t be surprised by travel costs in addition to service fees. When you receive a quote from AACRAO, you can be assured that it will be the same cost you pay when you receive an invoice. Any exceptions are rare and are specifically noted in our proposals.

How can we be assured of the quality of the work?

Before taking on any project, AACRAO Consulting ensures that we offer the expertise and experience to add value to your institution and produce measurable results. We then carefully select and assign an AACRAO consultant who brings a proven track record of success to your project. When the project requirements call for additional talent or expertise, we will assemble a team of vetted professionals with complementary skills to meet the specific needs of your project.

The best measure of our success is the results we’ve generated for other clients. References can always be provided, upon request. We encourage you to read our Case Studies to help you evaluate the quality of our work.

How is AACRAO Consulting different than other higher education consultants?

One of our greatest differentiators is our comprehensive approach to enrollment solutions. Enrollment problems don’t exist in silos and are interconnected across issues of policies, processes, technologies, data and strategies. Unifying these are the people who provide services and support to enrollment and academic functions. We understand that each college or university has unique processes, cultures, and challenges, and customize practical, sustainable solutions that meet your individual requirements and goals. More than just telling you what to do, we can teach you how to do it.

Another key differentiator at AACRAO Consulting is our non-profit status. Our primary and only responsibility is to our institutional clients and their success. We work independently of any corporation, government agency, or individual institution, and are neither obligated to nor compensated by other vendors whose products and solutions we recommend.

As a non-profit organization, AACRAO Consulting provides a cost-effective, high-quality alternative to corporate-based consulting firms that take a one-solution-fits-all approach. We also extend the full resources and 100-year knowledge base of our parent organization, AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers), a highly respected non-profit association with more than 11,000 members representing 2,600 institutions in over 40 countries.

What is SEM?

Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) encompasses the strategies, policies, processes and best practices created to align an institution’s enrollment outcomes with its financial and operational performance. Effective SEM approaches enrollment management from a strategic, campus-wide perspective with the objective of:

• Identifying and reaching strategic enrollment targets
• Reaching, recruiting and retaining the optimal mix of students
• Improving student persistence and graduation rates
• Embracing and leveraging new business practices and technologies to reach goals
• Aligning multiple departments and campuses to improve enrollment outcomes
• Ensuring that enrollment practices deliver measurable, accountable results
• Improving student services and increasing student success
• Creating a data-driven culture that seeks evidence to support decision-making
• Increasing efficiencies of enrollment processes, practices and staff
• Reducing costs and increasing net revenue

While increasing numbers of colleges and universities are recognizing the importance and value of effective SEM, many do not have the internal resources or expertise to enact it. AACRAO Consulting offers specialized expertise to deliver and maximize the institution-wide, bottom-line benefits of SEM. Learn how we approach our SEM Planning and SEM Readiness Reviews.

What areas do you consult in?

AACRAO Consulting offers expertise in best practices across multiple campus departments and functions. While we have the resources to meet a wide variety of issues and needs, our most popular areas of consulting expertise include:

• Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Review and Planning
• Registrar’s Office
• Transfer Practices
• Technology Optimization and Selection
• Recruitment and Marketing Strategy
• Admissions Operations
• Electronic Records & Automation
• Retention and Student Services
• Family Educational Records Privacy Act (FERPA)
• Business Processes
• International Higher Education

Learn more about our services here. Does your challenge or issue fall outside of this list? Don’t hesitate to ask us for assistance. We are qualified and able to respond to even the most unique or niche area of enrollment and academic services.

Who are your consultants and what are their qualifications?

AACRAO Consulting currently extends the expertise of Managing and Senior consultants across the US and Canada, each with a proven track record of successful projects completed for a wide range of universities and colleges. We also call upon a number of specialist consultants to assist our work in a variety of areas. Our consultants include professionals with long tenures working in higher education, authors and recognized subject-matter experts, sought-after speakers and presenters, as well as effective team players. We carefully select consultants whose specialized knowledge and experience provide the best match for each institution’s needs and requirements. Meet our Managing and Senior consultants.

What is AACRAO, and what is your connection to this organization?

AACRAO Consulting is the consulting service extension of AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers), a highly-respected non-profit association with more than 11,000 members representing 2,600 institutions across the world. For over 100 years, AACRAO has been recognized for standards-setting and innovation in enrollment and academic services for the higher education community.

Drawing from AACRAO’s extensive knowledge base resources, we craft proactive, strategic solutions for improving enrollment results, fostering student success, improving institutional operations and services, using enrollment technologies to maximize them, and driving net revenue outcomes for our clients that support institutional health. We welcome the opportunity to do the same for you.

Where do I start?

Simply complete our convenient online contact form that will allow us to respond more precisely to your request. You’re also welcome to contact us directly at (202) 355-1056 or by emailing consulting@aacrao.org.