Sam Houston State University (SHSU) publishes admission policies consistent with its mission. Recruitment materials and presentations accurately represent SHSU’s practices, policies, and accreditation status. Further, recruitment materials and presentations accurately represent the University’s practices and policies for all potential students and degree programs, regardless of the method of delivery (e.g., face-to-face, online). All recruitment pieces are updated regularly (annually for catalogs and other printed materials and frequently throughout the year for digital information). The institution also ensures that independent contractors or agents used for recruiting purposes and for admission activities are governed by the same principles and policies as institutional employees.
Admissions Policies
SHSU’s mission states, in part, “Sam Houston State University is a student-centered, community engaged institution whose mission is to offer accessible, quality higher education [1]. The undergraduate and graduate admissions policies are consistent with this mission in that they promote standards that ensure accessibility and quality.
SHSU admissions policies, Academic Policy Statement 840502, Admission Standards for Undergraduate Students [2] and Academic Policy Statement 930129, Graduate Academic Program Admission and Completion Requirements [3], are published within the Academic Policy Manual [4]. These policies establish a framework for admissions that reflects SHSU's commitment to academic excellence. They are designed to guide the admissions process, ensuring fairness, transparency, and compliance with state and federal regulations. These policies also establish guidelines for processes to be followed for making changes to admission standards.
As part of the academic policy review process [5] within the Division of Academic Affairs at SHSU, admissions policies are reviewed periodically by the University Faculty Senate, Council of Academic Deans, Provost, Academic Affairs Council, President, and the Texas State University System Vice Chancellor and General Counsel, with input from other relevant constituents as needed. Undergraduate admissions policies at SHSU align with the Texas Uniform Admissions Policy governed by Texas Education Code 51.803-51.809 [6]. SHSU uses the THECB’s Common Admission Application, ApplyTexas, for freshman, transfer, transient, returning, and graduate students [7].
Undergraduate Admissions
Undergraduate admissions criteria are published in the undergraduate catalog [8] as well as on the Admissions website [9]. These criteria describe minimum acceptable test scores and high school/college GPA, as well as required documents for beginning freshmen, graduates of a home school, early admissions students, students who earned the GED, transfer students, and international students.
Freshman applicants who do not meet minimum requirements for admission might qualify for Holistic Review, in which admissions staff may consider additional factors to include grade point average, class rank, size of graduating class, competitive level of high school courses, academic achievements, test scores, and a personal statement [10]. Upon acceptance through the holistic review process, students are required to complete UNIV 1101, which is a college transition course. For fall 2024 fall semester, SHSU reviewed 17,179 completed first-time freshmen applications for an admission decision [11]. A review of these admissions decisions demonstrates adherence to published admissions criteria [12].
Graduate Admissions
Graduate admissions criteria are published in the graduate and professional catalog [13] and on the Graduate Admissions website [14]. These criteria describe the application process, required materials, admission standards, admission types, admission classifications, and information for international students. Admission requirements and materials vary by college and/or program and are described in the sections of the graduate and professional catalog that pertain to each program. For example, the admission requirements for the Master of Science degree program with a major in Criminal Justice are listed within the program’s section of the graduate catalog [15]. Additionally, program landing pages for master’s degrees [16], doctoral degrees [17], and graduate certificates [18] are accessible from the Graduate Admissions website [14], as well as from the Majors and Programs link [19] located on SHSU’s homepage. Each program landing page contains a program overview, links to admission requirements, information on how to apply, links to the catalog, and contact information. The Master of Science in Criminal Justice program landing page [20] has been provided as an example. The faculty within individual academic departments in which the graduate program is housed set criteria for admission to graduate programs and review them annually as part of the catalog review process. Individual student admission recommendations for graduate programs are also made by the respective program faculty, with the final admission decision resting with the respective academic dean [21].
The admissions standards for both master’s and doctoral programs are initially reviewed by the THECB as part of the proposal for degree approval [22] [23]. Further, as a supplement to the annual catalog review of admission criteria, the Texas Administrative Code requires that all master’s and doctoral programs offered by public universities must undergo a formal review at least once every ten years [24]. The graduate program review process includes a review of admissions criteria [25] through a self-study process and evaluation and feedback from an external review.
Undergraduate Recruitment
The primary undergraduate recruitment pieces disseminated to prospective undergraduate students include the following:
Additionally, applications and information detailed in these publications are available to prospective students through SHSU's admissions website [9].
Admission Counselors from the Office of Admissions travel throughout Texas continually from September through May of each academic year to recruit new students to SHSU. The University employs several regional counselors that recruit in the Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio, and the South Texas regions; as well as in-house counselors that work primarily on the main campus but recruit in the other parts of Texas. All Admission Counselors also recruit the transfer populations closest to their assigned high school territory. All counselors are cross trained to handle the questions of any student, but their main focus is recruiting students from their region or specialty. Admission Counselors also participate in college fairs to discuss university practices and policies with prospective students and parents. They make individual visits to public and private schools and community colleges to meet with counselors, academic advisors, and students who have expressed an interest in SHSU. Admission Counselors also host annual conferences for high school and community college counselors and academic advisors on SHSU’s campus in Huntsville, TX. Recruiting is also performed via SHSU’s prospective student database (described below) [38], online chats [39], and various social media platforms [40] [41] [42].
Admissions Counselors also help identify students that might be a good fit for specialized scholarship programs within the University through calling campaigns, texts, and online outreach. Each semester, representatives from Admissions meet with deans, directors, and other academic and non-academic program representatives to discuss changes in curriculum and support programs within the various colleges and divisions at SHSU. When Admissions Counselors are not out recruiting students, they focus their efforts on encouraging students to complete the application process and enroll at SHSU. This is accomplished via personal correspondence and calling campaigns. The goal of Admissions Counselors is to increase both the quantity and quality of SHSU applicants.
Radius is the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool used by Admissions [38]. The Radius system hosts prospective undergraduate student and applicant communication plans. As part of the admissions recruitment process, various email communication plans are used to reach student populations. These plans, which can be updated as often as necessary, consist of a series of emails outlining programs and services. Electronic communication plans, as well as printed, mailed pieces, focus on all applicant prospects, starting at the prospect’s high school freshman year. Emails and printed materials are also sent to prospective transfer students. The email communication plans present information about exploring college, affording college, getting involved, exploring the SHSU campus, being academically successful, applying, and enrolling [43]. Accepted students also receive a personalized invite to a special admitted student presentation and tour, an admitted student Zoom Series on next steps [44], and an online admitted student community on ZeeMee.
Graduate Recruitment
The recruitment materials and presentations of SHSU’s Graduate and Professional School accurately represent the graduate programs offered within the eight academic colleges. All recruitment pieces are updated regularly. Graduate-related catalog content is coordinated by the Graduate and Professional School and is updated annually. Digital materials are updated frequently throughout the year. The goal is to ensure that materials accurately represent the respective graduate program admission requirements as outlined by the respective academic programs within the Division of Academic Affairs. All printed recruitment materials are reviewed by the appropriate college, office, or division.
The primary recruitment pieces disseminated to prospective students through the Graduate and Professional School include the following:
Recruitment from the Graduate and Professional School relies on marketing support from Integrated Marketing and Communications processes (described below) and use of the SHSU website. Information available in printed publications is also available to prospective students on SHSU's website through program-specific landing pages. Example landing pages are provided [48] [49] [50]. For prospective students unable to travel to Huntsville or The Woodlands Center, an online Journey page [14] and online chat [51] are available as a resource for next steps.
The Office of Admissions uses the Radius CRM database to host communication plans for prospects [52], applicants [53], and accepted students [54]. The plans can be updated as often as necessary and consist of scheduled, ad hoc, and targeted emails. SHSU also contracts with an enrollment management vendor to conduct calling campaigns, assist application completion, and to facilitate registration. Excerpts of vendor contract language have been provided to demonstrate that SHSU retains control and oversight of all vendor content and messaging [55].
Program-specific marketing occurs primarily through digital media, with all digital and print materials being governed by the Integrated Marketing and Communications policies described below. Example digital media [56] [57] and print [58] marketing materials for graduate programs are provided.
Visitor Services
Visitor Services is the “front door” to the University [59]. For many prospective students and their parents, their first contact with the University is through the Visitor Center. Prospective students learn basic information about SHSU via digital displays, computer stations, and University personnel. An informative film about academic programs and student life is shown on multiple plasma screens in the center’s state-of-the-art presentation room [60].
Twice a year, once during the fall semester and once during the spring semester, Visitor Services hosts Saturday@Sam for prospective students and their parents [61]. These campus preview days provide prospective students with tours, visits with University officials and academic administrators, and opportunities to ask questions about the academic and cultural life at SHSU. Guided walking tours of the Huntsville campus are provided to individuals, their friends, and their families by “SAMbassadors” [62]. Participants receive a general presentation about SHSU, providing information on costs, admission requirements, housing, etc., followed by a video and a walking tour of campus with a current SHSU student. Tours are also available in Spanish and for groups of high school and middle school students. For students unable to travel to Huntsville, the Visitor Services website hosts a series of Virtual Tours that showcases main campus, athletic facilities, and off-campus facilities [63].
On-Campus Recruitment is housed within Visitor Services and serves the University by coordinating on-campus events and youth programs, such as summer camps [64] and Jr. Bearkats [65]. Staff members also work with academic departments and programs to host recruitment events involving prospective students who visit campus. This is to maximize recruiting opportunities at these events. The Jr. Bearkats program, a recruiting program for youth aged 13 and younger, hosts events on campus and in surrounding cities to get youth involved with the University at a young age in order to develop loyalty and identification with SHSU. These events can include athletic, academic, service, or recreational activities. On-Campus Recruitment also works with the Alumni Association in order to encourage alumni to get their children, grandchildren, and young family members involved with the University.
Integrated Marketing Communications
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) supports the institution’s goal of “enhanced marketing outreach and visibility to include academic and scholarly activities through consistent and integrated messaging while optimizing communication channels” [66]. Through an integrated branding strategy, the department produces robust content illustrating the University’s mission and values. Content is delivered through traditional, online, and social media channels. IMC has four main priorities:
The department is a resource for University departments in need of marketing and communication expertise. Services include brand management, reputation management, emergency communication, content creation, internal communications, email marketing, executive communications, social media strategy and management, strategic planning, advertising, print services, graphic design, photography, videography, and website support. IMC also maintains and monitors compliance with brand guidelines and the proper usage and licensing of University marks and logos, as well as creates and coordinates media communications.
Brand guidelines for the University [67] are published online [68]. These guidelines detail the policies and procedures for ensuring all collateral materials adhere to established standards and uphold and emphasize the SHSU brand. Although much of the individual academic program materials are approved by the appropriate college, office, or division, IMC has instituted controls at the production phase that afford opportunities for final review of adherence to guidelines and policies [66] [70] [71] [72]. Most printed material are coordinated through the on-campus press operations, where artwork is reviewed for adherence to graphic design standards. All merchandise is fabricated by licensed vendors, and artwork must be submitted for online approval. The University branding is integrated with the guidelines published online, and adherence is monitored per controls previously mentioned.