Analysis of applicant data to improve recruitment of female and underrepresented engineering students

Rowan University is known for its quality engineering programs. However, the numbers of female and minority students entering the engineering program are below national averages and have been declining over the past several years. Targeted recruiting efforts were proposed as an effective approach to reversing this trend. However, for targeted recruiting to be effective, a better understanding of the demographics of the applicant pool was needed. This paper reports the results of a detailed demographic analysis of applicants to the engineering program at Rowan University. The purpose of the analysis was to achieve a more complete understanding of the demographics of the applicants in order to identify data trends related to gender, ethnic background, Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) test scores, high school attended, and socioeconomic factors. The data used in the study includes over 4800 applicants to the engineering program from 2000 to 2007. In addition to the factors noted above, the applicants were categorized as having applied, receiving an offer from the engineering program, and having made a deposit to attend. Key findings are presented for • Applicant rates for women and minorities versus the offer and deposit rates for these groups; • Gender trends in high schools from which there was a large applicant pool; • Socioeconomic trends in applicants, offers, and deposits; • Comparative trends in SAT scores among gender, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. Plans for targeted recruitment efforts resulting from this study are also presented.