As of Fall 2020, institutional research recorded that 1,192 students are paying non-residential tuition at UCCS. It was also found that Colorado, California, and Texas are the top three highest-yielding states in the country for gaining out-of-state students.
Despite the pandemic, admissions counselors continue to work remotely — stationed in Texas, California and throughout Colorado — to make information about UCCS accessible to prospective students and families across the U.S
Because of the remote positions for these counselors prior to COVID-19, not much has changed for them since the start of the pandemic and operations tend to go smoothly, allowing prospective students to gain further information about pursuing their education at UCCS as they normally would.
Between the virtual touring, virtual events and on-demand information sessions available to prospective students, remote admissions counselors further deepen the experience through virtual college fairs at high schools throughout the country, as well as in-person fairs when state mandates see fit.
Associate Director of Admissions Vanessa Ea leads a team of three admissions counselors while also serving as the admissions counselor of prospective students in the West and Midwest. Her story began in 1999 as the coordinating and academic advisor for the CU Opportunity Program. Ea has worked in numerous student success roles and in admissions specifically for 11 years.
While the benefits of working in another state like California are notable — from working together with high school counselors around the state and educating others on UCCS’ many academic opportunities — Ea also notes the disadvantages. “I miss seeing my colleagues on campus, many of them who are like family!”
While Ea has never been stationed anywhere else, others on her team, such as Admissions Counselor Anelise Trippe, are stationed in another higher-yielding state for prospective students in Texas.
As someone with six years of experience in admissions counseling, things still look different for Trippe; being stationed in a different state means different pandemic restrictions. For Texas, things seem to look less restricted than Colorado, according to Trippe.
In a typical year, Trippe explained, “I would travel to different cities and participate in college fairs and high school visits. We also host admitted student events throughout Texas and hold in person orientation sessions for out of state students.”
As the pandemic persists, the remote admissions team continues to engage with prospective students across the country, gathering out-of-state students to commit to an education at UCCS.