RNL Higher Education Conference Showcases Strategies and Solutions for Undergraduate, Graduate, and Online College Student Marketing, Recruitment, and Retention


Most comprehensive conference on enrollment and student success returns in person with more than 120 sessions, including a new track on graduate and online enrollment management.

Now in its 36th year, the 2022 RNL National Conference features more than 120 sessions on critical topics related to college enrollment management, student marketing and recruitment, college student success, and financial aid management. Sessions will be led by campus professionals and leaders sharing insights from their institutions, nationally renowned experts on enrollment and student success, and RNL experts and researchers who serve hundreds of colleges and universities every year.

The conference will dive into strategies and innovations to help campuses engage, enroll, and retain undergraduate students. Presenters will discuss topics such as finding alternative sources of prospective student names in a test-optional environment, engaging students through digital marketing that delivers the personalization they expect in their online interactions, using advanced analytics to model student behavior for recruitment and retention, and increasing yield and completion to maximize student outcomes and needed revenue for institutions. These tracks will help campuses tackle such challenges as the demographic cliff for undergraduate enrollment, meeting increasing financial need for students and families, and increasing completion in an era where nationwide graduation rates have stagnated.

To reflect the enrollment increases in graduate and online study, the 2022 RNL National Conference also includes a dedicated conference track on the topic featuring more than two dozen sessions. Graduate enrollment has grown during the pandemic, and data show that online enrollment has been mitigating further declines in undergraduate enrollment in addition to online or hybrid instruction becoming the preferred instructional format for graduate students.

Presenters in this track will share their insights and innovations for recruiting and retaining online learners and graduate students. The conference will also feature a keynote session focused on online learning from Dr. Philip Regier, CEO of EdPlus and University Dean for Educational Initiatives at Arizona State University.

“Given the growing importance of online and graduate enrollment to the overall strategic growth of colleges, we feel it critical to create a dedicated conference track for the subject,” said Greg O’Brien, RNL’s Chief Growth Officer. “We are excited to offer a deep and diverse selection of sessions that will help institutions achieve their enrollment goals across graduate and online education.”

RNL also has a powerful line-up of keynote speakers along with Dr. Regier, including:

  • Byron Pitts, co-anchor of ABC’s Nightline
  • Daniel Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author
  • Kindra Hall, award-winning strategic storyteller

RNL expects more than 1,000 higher education professionals from four-year colleges and universities, two-year colleges, and graduate/professional programs to attend the conference, as the in-person format will allow for numerous networking opportunities for those in attendance.

“We are excited to bring back the scale, depth, and interaction of our in-person conference to the higher education professionals we serve,” said RNL President and CEO Dr. Sumit Nijhawan. “They will learn so much from the campus presenters, thought leaders, and higher ed innovators who will be presenting. We know they will return to campus with the knowledge they need to accomplish their goals and the inspiration to reach those goals.”

Learn more about the conference at https://www.ruffalonl.com/events/rnl-national-conference/

About RNL
RNL (Ruffalo Noel Levitz) is the leading provider of higher education enrollment, student success, and fundraising solutions. The firm serves more than 1,900 colleges and universities through data-driven solutions focused on the entire lifecycle of enrollment and fundraising, assuring students find the right program, graduate on time, secure their first job in their chosen field, and give back to support the next generation. With a deep knowledge of the industry, RNL provides institutions the ability to scale their efforts by tapping into a community of support and resources.