4 min read

OSU-Cascades’ Enrollment Strategy: Increasing Student Outreach by 58% with Mongoose

Three college students walking together outside a university building, smiling and carrying books.

Case Studies

Overview

Oregon State University – Cascades (OSU-Cascades) is a growing institution committed to expanding access to higher education in Central Oregon. To increase student enrollment from 1,300 to 2,200 students by 2030, the university needed a modern communication strategy to engage potential students effectively.

By implementing Mongoose in early 2024, OSU-Cascades transformed its admissions outreach, improving student experience, reducing summer melt, and increasing event participation.

The Challenge: Improving Outreach to Prospective Students

OSU-Cascades struggled to connect with students using traditional communication methods. Phone calls often went unanswered due to missing voicemail setups or inconsistent response habits, and emails were easily overlooked in crowded inboxes. To meet its ambitious enrollment goals, the university required a solution that could cut through the noise and drive meaningful engagement at every stage of the enrollment process.

The Solution: Personalized Texting Through Mongoose

Alex Galbreath, Director of Admissions, introduced Mongoose to OSU-Cascades based on prior experience with the platform. Seamlessly integrated with their enrollment management system, Slate, Mongoose allowed the admissions team to send segmented, personalized messages to students while improving communication efficiency.

“Mongoose offered the personalized, one-on-one interface we needed. The integration with Slate made it easy to create segments and send texts, and features like smart messages saved us valuable time while keeping communication personal.”
Alex Galbreath, Director of Admissions at OSU-Cascades

The Results: Increased Student Engagement and Enrollment Success

Boosted Event Registration and Attendance

Text messaging became a key driver in increasing student participation in webinars and open houses. A targeted campaign for a Next Steps webinar led to 60% of registrations coming directly from a Mongoose text. Event reminders increased response rates to 63%—a 20-point improvement over phone calls alone—and improved show rates by 9%.

Reduced Summer Melt with Strategic Outreach

By combining texting with data-driven follow-ups, OSU-Cascades increased overall contact rates with admitted students from 36% to 57% (a 58% increase). This helped ensure that students completed crucial next steps, such as orientation registration, securing their college enrollment for the upcoming term.

Better Communication with Transfer Students

Transfer students, who are often difficult to reach via email or social media platforms, responded well to texts via Mongoose. In one case, a staff member resolved a transfer student’s concerns entirely through text, highlighting the platform’s accessibility.

“Mongoose really helped one transfer student from an accessibility standpoint, as communicating via phone call was very challenging.”
Alex Galbreath

Increased Efficiency for Admissions Staff

During peak recruitment and travel seasons, Mongoose enabled admissions counselors to stay connected with students and high school counselors through mobile-friendly messaging. This streamlined communication ensured timely responses and better support for prospective students.

The Mongoose Difference

Two-Way, Personalized Conversations

Mongoose helped OSU-Cascades move beyond mass emails and one-way communication, allowing students to engage in real-time conversations with admissions counselors.

Seamless Integration with Slate

Mongoose’s integration with the university’s CRM ensured smooth data flow, making it easy to track conversations and student engagement.

Flexible Communication Tools for Staff

The ability to send messages through desktop and mobile allowed staff to stay responsive, especially during travel-heavy recruitment periods.

Outstanding Customer Support

“The Mongoose team is fantastic. They’re always quick to respond and provide support, which makes a huge difference when you’re managing so many moving pieces.”
Alex Galbreath

What’s Next: Expanding Mongoose Across OSU-Cascades

OSU-Cascades plans to expand its use of Mongoose to further enhance student communication. The university is launching a peer-to-peer texting initiative, allowing student ambassadors to connect directly with prospective students and provide a more relatable perspective.

Additionally, OSU-Cascades aims to develop a comprehensive, year-round texting strategy to support students at every stage—from applications to enrollment and retention efforts. The admissions team also sees an opportunity to strengthen partnerships with high school counselors by offering them an efficient and reliable communication channel for student updates.

Conclusion

Mongoose has become an essential tool in OSU-Cascades’ enrollment strategy, helping the university increase student engagement, improve event participation, and reduce summer melt. By fostering real-time, personalized interactions, OSU-Cascades is creating a seamless experience for prospective students and strengthening its recruitment efforts.

“Mongoose has been a game-changer for us. It’s flexible, intuitive, and incredibly effective at helping us connect with students and counselors. We’re excited to continue building on its capabilities to support our growth.”
Alex Galbreath