Dear Colleagues,
I’m pleased to share with you the enrollment intranet report for Summer and Fall 2026.
On the undergraduate side, we are seeing encouraging early indicators:
- Submitted applications are up from 634 to 843 (a 33% increase).
- Completed applications have grown from 372 to 540 (a 45% increase).
These gains are important, and it is critical that we continue building on this momentum. At the same time, we know students are applying to more schools than ever, so it is far too early to draw any conclusions about how these application trends will translate into future enrollment.
Since July, I have been working closely with our admission counselors to set clear goals for applications, admits, and deposits. The counselors are on the road, working hard to connect with students and families. We have re-written our communication sequence for prospective students to ensure that they receive the right messages at the right points in their journey. Additionally, we are using behavioral data to better understand each student’s likelihood to enroll, their areas of interest, and to help counselors prioritize outreach.
On the graduate side, applications have risen from 79 to 104 (a 32% increase). Our teams are focusing on lead development, expanding travel, and using digital tools like retargeted advertising to reach students who visit our website.
I am grateful for the opportunity to be here at Valparaiso University and to be part of this community. Going forward, I will provide monthly updates to contextualize these reports, because while the data is valuable, it never tells the full story on its own. Please read the numbers with that in mind—we are all in this together.
Thank you for your support, and for all you do to advance Valpo’s mission.
Go Valpo!
Warm regards,
LeAnn Hughes
Senior Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing
Valparaiso University