The Case for Combining Admissions with Marketing and Communications

Schools frequently handle communications, marketing, and admissions as distinct divisions with their own goals. Marketing advertises the school, communications handles the messaging, and admissions oversees student enrollment. Even though these divisions might make sense, they frequently lead to lost opportunities, disjointed narratives, and inconsistent messaging. 

Schools that combine these three areas into a single, cohesive advancement team maintain enrollment, strengthen ties with the community, and convey a more distinct, genuine identity.

Our Common Goal: Bringing in, Including, and Keeping Families

At the heart of all three areas lies a shared purpose: building and maintaining trust with families. Admissions focuses on welcoming new students, marketing highlights what makes the school special, and communications ensure the community feels informed and valued. If these key areas worked together with a unified strategy, a school could tell a consistent story to its community. 

A parent’s decision to enroll their child rarely depends on a single interaction with the school. It develops through consistent, meaningful experiences, what they see online, what they hear in community conversations, and how they feel when visiting the school. A merged team ensures that every message, from the initial website visit to ongoing parent communication, reinforces the same key messages and fosters a sense of belonging.

Consistency Builds Trust

Families today expect transparency and authenticity. They can sense when marketing messages do not align with what happens in schools.  A combined admissions, marketing, and communications structure eliminates this disconnect by ensuring that the same team responsible for telling the school’s story is also directly connected to the families who experience it.

Aligning these areas ensures consistency in the school's story, be it through brochures, social media posts, or personal tours.

Data and Strategy Strengthen Decision-Making

Combining these departments also helps schools use data more effectively. Marketing insights on audience engagement, admissions data on inquiries and conversions, and communication analytics on reach and response can be viewed together. This integrated approach would allow schools to make collaborative data-informed decisions about what truly attracts and retains families. It helps leaders understand not just how many people are engaging, but why they choose to stay connected.

Building a Culture of Connection

When admissions, marketing, and communications operate collaboratively, the result is more than efficiency; it is the establishment of a positive culture. A collaborative team creates shared ownership of the school’s reputation and relationships. 

In international schools, where mobility and competition are high, this unified approach becomes essential. Families are not only selecting an academic program; they are also choosing a community that aligns with their aspirations for their children. The best way to demonstrate such unity is through a seamless experience from the initial inquiry to graduation and beyond.

A Unified Vision for the Future

By merging admissions with marketing and communications, schools can align their purpose, simplify processes, and speak with a single, authentic voice. 

This approach strengthens enrollment, builds trust, and most importantly, connects people to a school’s mission in meaningful and lasting ways. The future of school advancement should lie in integrating departments.