While some students are preparing to graduate from Loyola, prospective students are visiting daily.

With a new incentive of $1,000 off the first year’s tuition, Loyola has seen an upswing of 30 percent in the number of prospective students who tour the campus.
“We wanted to create an incentive for people to visit,” said Salvadore Liberto, vice president of enrollment management.

Even though it is late in the college application season, many tours have been seen around campus due to the May 1 deadline for this incentive.
On Friday, April 24, out of a tour group of 16 prospective students, many of them had applied, were accepted and intended to enroll in the fall.

This was the case for future student Amy Dolinky from Chicago who toured solely for the tuition discount.

“I only applied to schools in Louisiana so I knew I was coming here,” said Dolinky.
“At this point (a tour) is only to sure up the decision,” said Liberto.

Dolinky’s father, David, said a main reason they toured Loyola was for the potential $1000 off of Amy’s tuition.

Liberto said the $1,000 incentive, which only comes into play if a student tours Loyola, was first introduced last year as part of an expanded marketing plan that would coincide with the centennial class.

Also part of that marketing plan was a jazz brunch and open house in the fall to have more opportunities to have prospective students come and visit.

“We want to be competitive and be on student’s lists early,” said Liberto. “If a student visits, they are more likely to enroll.”

Liberto said studies have shown that a student is 30 percent more likely to enroll in a school that they have visited.

The $500 credit towards each semester of the first year also applies to juniors in high school that visit, said Liberto.

“The best students are early,” said Liberto.

Liberto said this year they have seen a 17 percent increase in applications and  a 15 percent increase in acceptance since last year.

He said he also believes that the freshmen class will be bigger then last year’s with a 7 percent to 10 percent gain.

“Despite economic pressure we were able to maintain and improve our market position,” said Liberto.

But Liberto believes it is not just the incentive that has caused this increase in numbers. He believes the new marketing plans, technology and interactive tours are a part of the mix.

“Some campus tours are sterile and ours are more personal,” said Liberto.

Liberto said tours are important because “a Web site cannot denote the feeling of a place” and that “online is so incomplete and can’t trump real experiences.”

Loyola’s admissions office is reviewing the success of the incentive to decide whether or not they will be offering it again next year, said Liberto.

John Adams can be reached at [email protected].