Keene State’s admissions team, led by Sarah Russell and additional counselors, has been working hard to prepare for the Oct. 2 and Nov. 7 open houses. Between now and the start of 2027, the Admissions team plans to complete 1,100 events that will introduce KSC to prospective students.
According to Russell, the admissions counselors are “a very dynamic group of people that have to juggle a lot.” Their work includes going to high schools and college fairs, along with putting on open houses, admitted student days and on-campus tours.
Russell said that the admissions team is trying to be “more strategic” as a result of this year’s first-year class being down by 100 students compared to the previous one. She said they want to offer more opportunities to those interested in visiting Keene, who otherwise wouldn’t have the resources to do so.
Jen Ferrell, the vice president of student affairs, said that many students and families get “the feeling” after being on campus. “When we get people here, we get a really good chance for them to feel that feeling, and decide this is the place for them,” she said. “I hear it over and over again, and I know admissions does too. There’s something special about it, and now we’ve got to figure out how to capture that.”
Enrollment challenges aren’t specific to Keene State. Many young adults nationwide are opting out of higher education due to increases in tuition, housing and meal plans, as well as a recently developed consensus that degrees aren’t worth as much as they used to be.
In response to this, Ferrell said, “There’s not always immediate payoff [from getting a degree], but over time, you will see the value of the experience. It’s not just about going to college and getting a job; it’s the interpersonal connections you learn to navigate, the budgeting, and the academic pursuits. Everything you get from being here is a transferable skill.”
Russell had a similar perspective. She said, “Going through four years of education is no small feat. To overcome the hurdles, to have new successes, and to obtain perseverance is so important to employers. Work isn’t easy, and it isn’t always fun, but when people see that you’ve gone through higher education and the challenges that come with it, they see that you can overcome anything.”
Russell said that high-schoolers have a lot of influences in their life telling them different things about higher education, and admissions wanted to change this by making their messaging as clear as possible in regard to what KSC offers.
When asked what differentiates Keene State from competing universities, she said that it’s the fact that students aren’t just a number. Russell said the faculty and staff want to nurture their students even when enrollment is down, and the community “rallies” around one another. “We make students very prepared for their careers, and well-rounded if they choose a different path along the way. They can stack up majors and minors, and get a variety of experiences and internships. This makes them far more marketable after graduation,” said Russell.
She continued, “We want to show prospective students that you don’t need to blindly choose one thing to study. You don’t have to pick one major, and I think that gets students and their families really excited. We want to honor who we [as a school] have always been, while showing new faces how special the experience is.”
While the admissions team does open its doors to people from all over the globe, their work primarily focuses on New England-based students. Russell said this is just a result of the team’s current resources, but if there are those interested in Keene who come from outside of the New England area, she’ll be the one to help them. “Those are my favorite students to meet, and you wouldn’t believe how many fly in for a tour or open house. If people can only come for an early Sunday morning tour, I’ll just grab a cup of coffee and join them,” she said.
Russell added that there was a noticeable increase in out-of-state interest during the 2025 – 2026 academic year. She said that there have been shifts within the in-state student population due to fewer New Hampshire graduates pursuing degrees, but this gives admissions the opportunity to introduce other communities to Keene State. “What we can do is share and educate parents and high-school counselors on what our school has. What are our programs? What can they learn about them? And then we offer financial aid packages that are competitive with what we’ve seen other schools offer. It’s a balancing act,” said Russell.
Ferrell said, “The return on investment [from attending college] is huge. Maybe harder to measure than other things, but it’s there and it’s noticeable. When I’m in front of prospective students and their families, I try to tell them, you don’t even know what all your opportunities are yet. My experience in college opened up so many doors and windows, and you really just never know unless you try it.”
Samantha Menard can be contacted at
smenard@kscequinox.com
