Enrollment – Full-Funnel Strategies

A single interaction rarely shapes a student’s decision to enroll. It’s built over time through the moments that help them understand a campus, imagine themselves there, and feel connected to a community. A campus visit. A follow-up after an inquiry. An acceptance package arriving at the door. A welcome event before move-in. Each touchpoint contributes to the larger enrollment experience. Strategically planned branded merch can help institutions create meaningful moments throughout the admissions journey, giving students tangible reminders of connection long before their first day on campus. Creating Connection Before

International recruitment has long been a core part of enrollment strategy for many U.S. colleges and universities. Today, that work is shifting. Visa uncertainty, geopolitical factors, evolving perceptions of the U.S., and increased global competition are all affecting how institutions approach international enrollment. At the same time, demographic pressure at home continues to expand the focus on new domestic markets. Most admissions teams are already adapting. The question is how to maintain meaningful connection across increasingly complex recruitment landscapes. This is where branded merch can play a supporting role. Recruitment

A deposited student isn’t the same as an enrolled student. And in the gap between those two moments, a lot can change. Each year, admissions teams work hard to earn a student’s “yes.” But after that deposit is submitted, many institutions reduce their communication, or it evolves to be more transactional. The emotional momentum that carried a student to commit begins to fade. That’s where melt begins. The challenge isn’t just how to get students to deposit. It is how to keep them connected, confident, and excited all the way

Insights from the University of Iowa’s December, 2025 Student Survey The college search process is crowded, emotional, and often overwhelming. Prospective students are navigating campus visits, emails, mailers, conversations, and countless digital touchpoints, all while trying to imagine where they might belong. In the middle of that noise, branded merch can feel a bit small. A t-shirt. A sticker. A pen. But when done intentionally, those items do more than promote a logo. They shape how students feel and what they remember. To better understand the role branded merch plays

College t-shirts have always been a symbol of pride, identity, and belonging. From orientation through graduation, students collect them as souvenirs of their campus experience and wear them proudly to show their affiliation. Recently, however, some institutions are rethinking the traditional T-shirt giveaway in favor of a more intentional approach: the t-shirt swap.   A t-shirt swap asks students to bring in a shirt they no longer wear, often from another college or university, and exchange it for a new branded campus tee. What seems like a simple exchange becomes

Over the past couple of years, Magellan has partnered with colleges and universities to launch branded merch choice stores for admissions and advancement campaigns. Each store is tailored to a specific audience and goal, but across programs, clear patterns emerge in participation, efficiency, and engagement. A choice store is a custom online storefront created for a specific group, such as admitted or deposited students, that allows recipients to select their own branded merchandise from a curated collection. Rather than distributing the same item to everyone, choice stores introduce personalization, create