Grinnell College
Data-based tuition strategy for a world-class brand.
Market Research
BACKGROUND
A Top-10 Liberal Arts College
Grinnell College is a liberal arts college in Iowa with a world-class reputation. Ranked a top-10 liberal arts college in the country, Grinnell provides its students an exceptional holistic education in the arts and sciences with the freedom of an individualized curriculum. Grinnell also faces intense competition from top-rated institutions across the country, including fellow liberal arts colleges, public research universities, and Ivy League schools.
CHALLENGE
Strengthening Brand and Messaging
Amid this competitive environment, Grinnell sought to strengthen its brand by investing in stronger messaging, a more focused marketing plan, and a personalized approach to the admissions process. Add to this Grinnell’s new “no-loan” policy, which guarantees that students’ financial aid packages will consist only of grants (not loans), and Grinnell has a very strong brand.
CHARGE
Does the Brand Justify the Price?
But how much did these efforts impact perception?
What do they mean for Grinnell’s tuition strategy?
What is the right approach to pricing in the midst of a global pandemic?
These are the questions put before us and that we answered through tuition pricing research.
DATA COLLECTION AND INTERPRETATION
Understanding the Prospective Students and Families
Tuition Pricing Research
We conducted a survey of prospective students and parents to explore their perceptions of Grinnell College vis-à-vis competitors and assess Grinnell’s brand value. We used a research methodology called choice-based conjoint to assess students’ real-world choices between different college and price options. This method presents students with realistic scenarios and assesses their choices rather than asking simple and unreliable questions like “Would you pay $____ to attend ________?”.
Through detailed research with hundreds of participants generating tens of thousands of price-modeling data points, we could quantify Grinnell College’s brand value and compare it with competitors. At the same time, we could show how projected changes in Grinnell’s pricing would impact enrollment and net tuition revenue at the College.
DELIVERABLES
A Data-Based Tuition Strategy
The findings clearly showed that Grinnell had successfully bolstered its brand position. The results measured the impact that Grinnell’s efforts had had on strengthening its brand and provided a data-based plan for charting a tuition strategy for the future.
Additionally, by including learning modality in the model, we were able to show Grinnell how audiences perceive the value of in-person vs. online learning. This led to important decisions about the College’s pricing strategy in the midst of a pandemic with questions swirling about whether to be in-person or remote. Fortunately, Grinnell was able to carry forward with in-person learning as planned, informed by the results of the research.
Grinnell now has a clear understanding of how its marketing strategy has improved perception and provided the College with sure footing with which to make important pricing decisions for the future.