The Blog
Whether you're just starting or scaling, the trends, tips, and to-dos to improve your parent engagement strategy.
Featured
How 6 institutions increased Fall 2026 student enrollment with CampusESP
See what 204,000+ prospective parents revealed about the connection between engagement and enrollment — and what it means for your enrollment and melt strategies.
CampusESP’s Slate Suitcase+ puts family engagement intelligence directly into Slate
Our new, expanded integration gives admissions teams actionable family engagement data to support recruitment, application, and yield strategy directly in their Slate instance.
AI for Family Engagement in Higher Education: What Comes Next?
How can colleges meet rising family expectations for timely support? Discover CampusESP’s thoughtful approach to AI-powered family engagement.
Building communities that actually meet families’ needs
Families want trusted answers and opportunities to connect with one another. See how KU, GW, and Drexel use Discussion Boards to build strong family communities — without creating another Facebook-style feed.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee turns AI into access with the Family AI Assistant
See how UW-Milwaukee uses the Family AI Assistant to make answers more accessible, support families 24/7, uncover gaps, and earn a front-row seat to what families really need.
The enrollment signal your team is missing: Parent Promoter Score™
Parent Promoter Score™ elevates the most engaged parents, so you can focus on the students most likely to move through the funnel. Parents in the top quartile of engagement are 3x more likely to have a student enroll!
Prospective parent content playbook: What to send and when to send it.
Prospective families want information, and studies show that providing it to them proactively can help boost application and yield rates. But what exactly should you be sending them? We analyzed communications across the enrollment cycle from 30 schools to find out.
How South Alabama connected family engagement strategy across the student lifecycle
South Alabama increased yield 23.5 percentage points for students with engaged family members and saw a 276% rise in orientation confirmations. Learn how CampusESP unified communications, scaled FERPA connections, and guided families through the student lifecycle.
Supporting Black student success through family engagement
Morgan State and Morehouse show how intentional family engagement and campus communication tools can transform Black student success. Learn how HBCU leaders use CampusESP to align enrollment, orientation, financial aid, and career outcomes with what families need most.
The engagement advantage in admissions
UWM and UMW saw 16- and 18-point higher yield rates among students with engaged parents. Learn how family engagement helps enrollment teams identify intent, clarify cost, and guide admitted students.
4 top takeaways from the 2026 CampusESP Summit
Summit 2026 is a wrap! 156 attendees from 104 institutions descended on Philadelphia for two days of customer stories, peer swapping, and straight talk about what's working in family engagement. From AI assistants fielding 3am parent questions to schools finally fixing their clunkiest processes, here are the four takeaways worth borrowing for your own campus.
Introducing CampusESP’s Family AI Assistant: Always-On Support for Today’s Families
Deliver instant, personalized support while offering deeper insight into what families need most. Beta tested across 9,000 parent interactions at 25 colleges and universities, our AI Assistant was designed specifically for the front lines of college family engagement.
Texting families isn’t optional anymore. Here’s how to do it right
Text messages drive up to 3x higher engagement than email, yet most colleges still underuse them. Learn how Marymount University and New Mexico State University are turning everyday communications into timely, action-driving texts.
Your new parent orientation playbook
Orientation is a high-impact moment for families, but it can also be overwhelming. FSU turned three days of information into a lasting resource with their New Nole Orientation Hub, extending support well beyond move-in.
Inside DigiPen’s yield strategy: Why admits don’t enroll alone
DigiPen shares how engaging families during the admit-to-deposit window led to students with a connected parent enrolling at rates 16% higher than the institutional average.
Summer Toolkit: Your guide to decreasing student melt
One of the best ways to ensure your newly deposited incoming class makes it to their first class? Keep in touch with their families this summer. Our guide takes you step by step through when, why, and how.
From “Ramily” to results at WSSU
WSSU’s culture of “Ramily” extends beyond students to the families who support them. Learn how the university partnered with CampusESP to create a centralized family engagement strategy that supports students from admissions through graduation, resulting in students with engaged families yielding rates 5 points higher than average.
Win yield through family confidence: communicate financial aid and ROI effectively
When families lack clarity around financial aid and cost, enrollment decisions stall. Learn how UNLV expanding their family communications around cost and ROI to drive yield, all while reducing call volume to financial aid and cashiering offices by 50%.
From parent interest into enrollment impact: Lessons from KU & Assumption
Families are engaging in the college search earlier than ever. This guide shares research-backed insights and real-world examples from two institutions already seeing enrollment results through intentional family engagement, including increase in student yield by +12%!
The missing piece in your enrollment funnel: Parent contact data
Parents play a major role in enrollment decisions, yet most institutions don’t engage them early enough. Discover eight proven ways to collect parent contact information sooner and turn early inclusion into real enrollment impact.