trust

How to Increase Enrollment With Brand Trust

When considering how to increase enrollment, no growth plan would be complete without taking brand reputation into account. Making sure prospective students not only are aware of you, but also that they can be confident in a decision to attend your school, is key to filling course rosters and expanding your programs. Below, we discuss how schools can increase enrollment by building brand trust.

1

Online reputation/public reviews

The first step many students take, once they decide that they want to go back to school, is to research their options. Just like reading reviews of a product before buying it, or looking through travel guides of a place before visiting it, checking what previous students have said about their experience is crucial to helping ensure they’ll benefit from the education you offer. Make sure there is an ample, honest collection of public reviews, so students can feel secure about a decision to enroll in your programs.

2

Transparency

Since the goal of going to school is to build knowledge and skills, as well as increasing hireability, it’s important to provide data illustrating how your school can help students achieve these goals. Being open about graduation rates, job placement rates, and growth potential in certain fields will help future students feel confident they’re making a worthwhile investment in attending your school. In fact, several of our partner schools, such as General Assembly, Wyncode, and Hack Reactor, have their outcomes reports publicly available online!

3

Offering value without the expectation of getting anything in return

We spoke with Enrollment Resources, who are pretty much the experts when it comes to building valuable school brands. One suggestion they had was to offer potential students value without expecting to get anything from them: 

“When a prospective student invests their time into completing your online survey to find out if they are a good fit for your school or program (and if you’re a good fit for them), their personalized report should be emailed to them as soon as they hit “submit.” Sharing that information with them (their information!) should not be dependent on whether or not they speak with an advisor, book a tour, or complete any other action. The report generated by their answers to your survey should not only qualify them into or out of your program. It should also offer some insight into the next steps the prospective student can take toward their goals – whether it’s with your school or otherwise.”

4

Industry partnerships and valuable affiliations

Joining industry affiliations — like Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU), Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA), and American Welding Society (AWS), to name a few — not only increases access to valuable partnerships, networking, and resource sharing, but it also adds credibility to your school and value for your students. Through these affiliations, you can provide employer connections for your students and alumni and be keyed into industry news, enabling you to tailor your programs to fit future industry needs.

5

Third-party validation

Finally, there is third-party validation. Being endorsed by an objective, outside organization illustrates your school’s commitment to graduate career advancement and its recognition by others. Receiving accreditation is one such way to do this, or you can be evaluated by outside institutions.

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What to Expect: Realistic Outcomes

Climb’s Comprehensive Access Solution can offer a strategic balance of increased enrollments and upfront cashflows compared to traditional lenders. While no financing solution guarantees 100% collection, our data-driven approach maximizes both upfront cash and long-term repayment rates.

Typical Partner Results:

  • 15-30% of students qualify for Climb Loans with upfront tuition delivered to the school shortly after course start
  • 45-60% of students qualify for 0% APR* payment plans
  • Enrollment increases of 20%+ reported by partner schools**

**Results vary by school and student demographics. This represents performance reported by individual school partners and should not be considered a guarantee of your specific outcomes.

The bottom line: CAS is designed to maximize your net tuition recovery while eliminating the administrative headaches of student financing.

Maximizing Your Results

Pro Tip: Schools that require student deposits and set up automatic payments during enrollment see significantly better repayment performance across all financing options. These simple steps can meaningfully improve your outcomes.

FAQs

We use a comprehensive, AI-driven assessment that goes beyond traditional FICO scores to better serve career training students:

  • Climb Credit Score: Over 150 data points specifically designed for vocational students
  • Debt-to-Income Ratio: Reliable predictor of payment performance
  • FICO Score: Used primarily for interest rate assignment

Key advantages of our approach:

  • Soft credit pull until loan funding (no credit impact during application)
  • The majority of students receive instant decisions
  • Students can apply with co-borrowers directly in the application
  • More accurate placement into appropriate financing products

We use a comprehensive, AI-driven assessment that goes beyond traditional FICO scores to better serve career training students:

  • Climb Credit Score: Over 150 data points specifically designed for vocational students
  • Debt-to-Income Ratio: Reliable predictor of payment performance
  • FICO Score: Used primarily for interest rate assignment

Key advantages of our approach:

  • Soft credit pull until loan funding (no credit impact during application)
  • The majority of students receive instant decisions
  • Students can apply with co-borrowers directly in the application
  • More accurate placement into appropriate financing products

Students are placed into funding brackets (Elite, Standard, Enhanced) based on our AI assessment. Higher-credit students generate higher upfront payments to your school, while students with limited credit are seamlessly directed to our 0% Payment Plan.

These brackets are established using data from over $1 billion in career training loan originations and may be adjusted periodically based on updated repayment trends.

Important note: Regardless of which bracket a student falls into, they are considered fully paid by your school once funded. The student’s repayment obligation exists exclusively between Climb and the student.

Elite Access not available for Computer Science programs. Upfront percentages vary by industry and loan terms.

Once Climb disburses upfront funding for a student loan, that student is considered fully paid by your school. You will not receive any additional payments for that student—the single upfront payment is complete and final.

From that point forward, the student’s repayment obligation exists exclusively between Climb and the student. Your school has zero liability if the student defaults, and you keep the full upfront payment regardless of the student’s future payment performance.

They’re automatically offered our 0% Interest Payment Plan, ensuring no student is turned away while maintaining steady monthly cash flow for your school.

Higher-credit students generate larger upfront payments (75-100% of tuition), while students with limited credit use our 0% APR* Payment Plan for consistent monthly revenue. Both options are risk-free for your school

Absolutely. Climb complements existing payment options like scholarships, employer-sponsored programs, and internal financing.

Absolutely. Climb complements existing payment options like scholarships, employer-sponsored programs, and internal financing.

Typically, within 5-10 business days after your partnership agreement is signed.

Comprehensive onboarding webinar, continuous partner support via AI-assisted chat and live email—and real-time borrower assistance with our live-chat-available student success team.

No. Climb fully manages the administrative responsibilities—your team simply monitors your school’s performance via our intuitive School Portal.

Your school is fully protected either way. For Climb Loans, you keep the entire upfront payment with zero liability. For Payment Plans, you only receive what students actually pay, with no risk to your school.