SINGAPORE: The 'A' level results are not even out yet but
universities are already launching large scale advertising
campaigns to attract students.
Just 5 years ago, applications to local universities were a
relatively no frills affair.
This year, the 3 local universities will all have a common
acceptance deadline and they're going all out to woo students till
the very last minute.
The universities are busting tens of thousands of dollars marketing
themselves to potential students.
"Part of the reason is also due to the fact that budget is tied to
the students they take in, all the changes MOE has made in the past
few years to make the university sector more competitive. The world
is not just divided between NUS and NTU, we have to work now to
attract every single student," said Assoc Prof Tan Thiam Soon, the
dean for the Office of Admissions at the National University of
Singapore.
With autonomy status, the funding that the universities receive
from MOE is mainly determined by student numbers.
Coupled with increased competition from private institutes such as
the Management Development Institute of Singapore and Informatics,
it is not surprising that marketing efforts have upped
significantly.
The director for the Office of Admissions at the Singapore
Management University, Alan Goh, said "The old model in which you
sit back like a retailer, that model is long gone. Today,
increasingly, you need to take on what we call a marketer's or
marketing approach to recruitment so you need to be able to show
people what your value proposition is all about."
And so SMU treats its potential students to career talks at 5 star
hotels.
To portray itself as a hip and happening place, the university also
dishes out free Zouk party passes, organizes concerts in the park,
and arranges tea sessions at the Equinox restaurant where students
can have a panoramic view of their new city campus.
In another innovative marketing tactic, the university also invites
NS men to interaction sessions with their deans and faculty
members. SMU says most other universities do not target the NS men
specifically, and that 95 percent of the NS men who came for their
outreach programme has already matriculated with the
university.
Not to be outdone, NTU has signed agreements with the top 5 Junior
colleges so that students can take undergraduate courses and
accumulate credits even before they enter the university.
It is also advertising on trains, buses and extensively in the
print media.
As the number of Singaporean students entering into university
increases, it is not just the local universities that are vying for
a share of the lucrative education pie.
Universities from UK, America, Canada and Australia will all be
holding education fairs here while alumni members from top American
universities are holding dinner functions to entice potential
students. - CNA
Just BTW, for the O Levels, I recently saw Ngee Ann Poly putting
brochures on SBS buses...
Dun tell me they are using this method?