The 2024 Graduate Inquiry Response Project: Optimizing Student Engagement Through Secret Shopping

Since 2106, Liaison “secret shoppers” acting as potential grad school applicants have submitted website inquiries via request for information (RFI) forms to hundreds of NAGAP member institutions and then recorded details about the nature of the responses they received. Variables receiving special attention include the amount of time it takes an institution to respond, the exact response method, and the different types of responses received. In 2024, the project was expanded in partnership with NAGAP to include a self-report survey of GEM leaders on their institution's inquiry response strategies. During this session, presenters from NAGAP and Liaison will discuss overall findings from the 2024 study and offer practical and actionable strategies your institution can incorporate to ensure you deliver a top-notch experience for prospective students. We will also analyze this year's results within the larger context of longitudinal data to inform data-based predictions for where graduate student engagement is headed. Breakout group discussions will focus on how the GEM field—and the application experience as a whole—are evolving to meet user expectations. Attendees will leave with an understanding of the graduate student recruitment landscape and actionable steps to streamline meeting their enrollment goals.