EduMusings

Some of you may have heard of “The Flutie Effect” where one memorable moment on the sports field could have an incredible impact in the admissions office. Following Doug Flutie’s stellar performance against University of Miami in 1984 where he led Boston College to an incredible upset win against the powerhouse Miami, BC experienced significant increases in admission applications (more than 16%!).

Well, now that March Mardness is in full effect here at Intelliworks HQ (Let’s go Maryland!), I thought it’d be worth exploring this phenomenon a bit more.  Last month, the Baltimore Examiner’s college admissions blog reported on a recent study which found that winning the NCAA football or men’s basketball title gave schools an application increase of about 8 percent, and success in other high-profile games also produced increases, albeit smaller ones.  

Here’s a copy of the study conducted by Devin Pope, Assistant Professor of Operations and Information Management at Wharton, and Jaren Pope, Assistant Professor of Applied Economics at Virginia Tech, cited by the Examiner.

Hawaii Business wrote a story last year that looked at some of the more notable recipients of the “Flutie Effect.”  As the story finds, there are some pretty compelling reasons for enrollment, admissions, recruitment and development professionals to get out there and support their teams:

Georgetown University, 1983 - 86
After appearing in the, NCAA basketball championship games in 1982, ‘84 and ‘85, applications at Georgetown increased 45 percent.

Boston College, 1984 & 85
During and after quarterback Doug Flutie’s giant-killing season, admission applications increased 16 percent and 12 percent respectively.

George Mason University, 2006
After the Patriots made their Cinderella run to college basketball’s Final Four, the school received more than $23.2 million in new gifts and pledge payments, a 16 percent increase from the year before. Unrestricted gifts to the university increased by nearly 45 percent.

Boise State University, 2007
After Boise State’s 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory, online inquires from prospective students increased 135 percent, with the graduate college receiving 10 times as many application queries. In December 2006, a month before the bowl game, the university bookstore sold $752,000 in insignia merchandise. The store’s previous best month was December 2004, when it had $359,000 in sales.

University of Missouri, 2007
During the Tigers’ rise to No. 1 in the football polls, admission applications increased by 20 percent and donations pick up, too, on a pace to surpass 2006’s totals by $6 million.