Keeping up with what’s happening in higher education is easier said than done. So when articles like Nancy Griesemer’s “15 College Admissions Trends Worth Watching” comes out — it’s perfect for “on-the-go” counselors and directors of admissions.

Griesemer’s 15 trends come from the 2011 State of College Admission report provided by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). This collection of data from NACAC, the College Board and the federal government makes up a comprehensive document with significant information about college admissions. Here’s just a sampling of Griesemer’s list and what it means for admissions:

The total number of high school graduates is down. We’ll continue to see this decline through 2015. Enrollment and retention offices will be working more closely together as retaining the students we enroll will be more critical.

Applications per student are up. Online apps, stealth students and fee waiver incentives are changing the way students apply. Are you their first choice or just another application to check off the list?

Yield is down. Just because they have been accepted — doesn’t mean you stop recruiting.

Online applications are up. A no-brainer but an important fact of life in admissions. With more than 85% of applications completed online, paper apps are almost obsolete.

Social networking is up. Admissions is finding more ways to reach out to students. Just remember though, it’s not about the quantity of channels — but the quality of the conversation. What can you handle with your campus resources?

The ratio of applicants to admissions officers is up. Making a connection with prospects is important but a difficult task with so many prospects “assigned” to a counselor. How are you managing expectations?

Whether you’ve learned something new from the list or it’s reinforced what you’ve been hearing — one thing is for sure, admissions is changing. What is your campus doing to adjust?

Read Nancy Greisemer’s full article, “15 College Admissions Trends Worth Watching.”

Read more about our authors.  Annemarie Nagle serves as the Marketing Manager for TargetX. Annemarie knew she had a passion for admissions and recruiting as a student tour guide. Since then, she has worked in higher education as an admission counselor and a dual role recruiting students and managing marketing communications.