Aug 21 2025
How Montcalm Community College Gets Higher-Than-Average Reply Rates With Coach-Led Texting
How Kettering University Increased Deposits 60% with Mongoose
TL;DR
Kettering University had faced a decade of enrollment decline and had no real texting program. In 2023, Director of Enrollment Matt Fortescue’s team moved to a texting-first strategy with Mongoose Text, connected to Slate. Deposits rose 60% year over year, Accepted Student Day hit a 91.9% show rate, a single Move-In Day text drew an 80% reply rate, and the Honors Program enrolled more than twice as many students as the year before.
- 60% more deposits year over year
- 91.9% Accepted Student Day show rate
- 80% reply rate on a Move-In Day text
- 2x+ Honors Program students
Download the Full Case Study
Kettering University is a private university in Flint, Michigan, known for its co-op education model and technical programs. After a decade of enrollment decline, its enrollment team, led by Director of Enrollment, Matt Fortescue, adopted Mongoose in 2023 and built a texting-first strategy around real-time replies, shared inboxes, and smarter targeting. Within a year, deposits were up 60%.
The challenge: Texts nobody could see
Before Mongoose, Kettering didn’t have a real texting program. The team technically had Twilio through TargetX, but it was hard to use and gave no clear view of who had replied, so it mostly went unused. As Kettering moved to Slate, the team found Slate’s texting didn’t offer the one-to-one, conversational depth they needed.
Matt had seen the cost of that firsthand.
“We sent a text for a scholarship, and got zero replies. That just didn’t feel right. Weeks later, we found 50 responses sitting there. Why was it so hard to access?”
– Matt Fortescue, Director of Enrollment, Kettering University
Why Kettering chose Mongoose
After an internal recommendation, Kettering picked Mongoose for its ease of use, mobile app, automation, and real-time reporting. The Slate connector lets the team send targeted outreach from dynamic Slate queries, and adoption was fast and campus-wide. Counselors use the app on their phones, with no training needed.
“My first instinct was to get iPhones for everyone like we did at my last job. But Mongoose was easier and didn’t require hardware. It just worked.”
– Matt Fortescue
Campaign spotlights
Kettering’s key event texts saw reply rates above 55%. A few stood out.
Accepted Student Day: 91.9% show rate
Students were invited to request a digital “rule book” for a competitive campus event, and every reply was a yes. That early buzz carried through to the day itself.
“We had a 91.9% show rate this year. Mongoose played a huge part in that. The text created excitement and clarity before students even stepped on campus.”
– Matt Fortescue
Move-In Day: 80% reply rate
A simple “Would you like the day’s agenda?” text helped organize an otherwise chaotic day. Instant replies kept communication moving and made the day smoother for students.
Financial Aid Night: more signups
Email and Constant Contact hadn’t brought in many registrations, so the team tried a single, well-timed text. Signups rose significantly, reinforcing Text as the team’s most effective and trusted way to reach students.
Detroit Auto Show: high engagement
The team segmented students by region and invited them to claim free tickets to the Detroit Auto Show. Attendance soared, and the whole campaign ran through shared inboxes and real-time tracking.
What made the difference
- Automated replies. Counselors can follow up in real time.
- Shared inboxes. No duplicate replies, and easier collaboration.
- Segmentation and Slate queries. Targeted, hyper-local outreach.
- Instant reporting. Leadership and events staff see results in minutes.
- Ease of use. Counselors work from their phones, with no training required.
The team also has a close relationship with its Mongoose partners.
“Mike and Mary are like family now. I feel comfortable reaching out to them anytime, even with small questions. They jump in right away and make the process easy.”
– Matt Fortescue
A campus culture shift
Mongoose has helped unify communication and break down silos across admissions, co-op, financial aid, and academic programs. It’s also shown stakeholders across campus that texting is essential. Matt noted,
“If we want students to do something, we text. Emails are ignored. Mongoose makes everything easier, for us and them.”
“We’re changing how the university communicates. Mongoose is the spark that’s driving that.”
Looking ahead
With undergraduate deposits at a five-year high, Kettering plans to bring texting to more departments and find new ways to support international enrollment.
“I absolutely recommend Mongoose. It’s a game changer. Our results, and our culture, prove it.”
– Matt Fortescue
What other enrollment teams can take from Kettering
Put your highest-stakes asks in a text, make every text something a student can answer, and give the whole team one place to see the replies. Deposit deadlines, event RSVPs, and financial aid nights are the same moments where admissions melt tends to start. If you’re a Slate school weighing the same move, here’s what your CRM can’t do on its own.
Replies matter, too. At Minnesota State University Moorhead, students who exchanged 16 or more texts had an 85 percent likelihood of enrolling, and Belmont University keeps text reply rates above 10 percent year-round by targeting carefully and timing every message. If you’re not sure what a good reply rate looks like for your own campaigns, these admissions texting benchmarks for enrollment leaders are a useful starting point.
Get the Full Case Study
For a two-page summary of Kettering’s results to share with your team, download the Kettering case study (PDF).
Want to see what a texting-first strategy could do for your enrollment team? Book a demo.
Frequently Asked Questions
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