By Josh Moody and published by USNews.com

Virtual tours, chatbots and Zoom calls with admissions officers all offer ways for applicants to engage.

The coronavirus arrived in the U.S. at a time popular for campus visits, meaning many prospective students were left with unchecked boxes in their college search. But as with other parts of a university, admissions offices also ramped up online services. While colleges already had virtual admissions tools available, those resources suddenly became vital.

At the University of Houston, for example, virtual tours took on a greater emphasis for prospective students. In addition to a self-guided option, the college also began offering live tours led by student ambassadors.

"What this immediately allowed us to do was to open accessibility to our campus tours," says Mardell Maxwell, executive director of admissions at the University of Houston.

The school adapted live tours to the desires of prospective students, emphasizing certain departments or other areas of interest rather than the full sweep of campus provided in the self-guided option. It also opened the campus up to students unable to make the trip to Houston for a visit.

"We have students all around the world that now easily come from wherever is convenient for them," Maxwell says.

While virtual tours played an important role in wooing prospective students this spring, colleges have also found various other ways to digitally connect with applicants in a mostly online admissions process.

The Virtual Admissions Toolbox

As campus life ground to a halt, colleges quickly launched virtual events for students and families, offering group sessions as well as one-on-one video chats with admissions officers over Zoom, a popular videoconferencing tool.

Other tools included chatbots and live chats with admissions officers and student ambassadors.

"I think some of these tools have really worked out for families," says Madeleine Rhyneer, vice president of consulting services and dean of enrollment management at EAB, an education strategy firm.

Rhyneer adds that "virtual events provide greater access," giving far-flung international students and low-income students the same ability to explore campus as families who are based in the U.S. and those who are well-off.

Text messaging and social media are also important tools, says Eric Stoller, a higher education consultant. But the tools available to engage with students will likely vary by what colleges find most successful.

"The reality is every school has their own custom recipe for success," Stoller says.

Using Virtual Admissions Tools

Many students first engage with a college through its website. As far as tools go, a college website is something of a virtual Swiss Army knife, offering many functions to help students with their choice. Experts say the website is a good starting point to find out what other tools are available.

From there, students should explore campus through a virtual tour, or start a conversation – whether that is via a chatbot, a live chat or setting up a one-on-one Zoom call with an admissions officer.

Students "should take advantage of them, because it will allow them to engage sooner," Rhyneer says.

Looking ahead to the fall, Stoller says it is uncertain whether admissions officers will hit the road for the traditional recruiting trips to college fairs and high schools. That means admissions may stay in the virtual format indefinitely due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Likewise, Rhyneer expects virtual admissions tools to be "absolutely necessary" going forward.

"COVID-19 thrust us into rethinking how we do advising in a virtual format," Maxwell says. "So now students can have one-on-one advising with admission counselors conveniently from their home or wherever is best for them. That is something that we will continue to do into the future."

Providing Greater Access to Admissions Offices

As colleges accelerate their virtual admissions offerings, Stoller cautions families to expect a few speed bumps along the way. "I think it's important for parents, family members, prospective students to understand that there might be some glitches, there might be some hiccups and that's just part of it."

The University of Houston has also moved other enrollment tasks online, such as orientation. Through these small group sessions and live virtual tours, Maxwell says, engagement has been high. In fact, he says, applicants tend to ask more questions online than when groups toured campus with their parents.

If colleges optimize virtual admissions tools for mobile devices, that can advance the mission of providing greater access, Rhyneer says.

"Schools need to recognize that the only 'computer' some families might have is a cellphone," she says. "This means that all your virtual admissions tools need to be designed to work on a phone using a cellular data plan. Most students do have cellphones, so as long as things are mobile-optimized, students are able to participate."

And in the absence of reliable internet service, there may be other options for students such as text messaging.

"Wi-Fi access has definitely been an issue for prospective students who live in areas where broadband is limited," Stoller says. "This has been a problem long before the pandemic. The development of text messaging ... as a conduit to reach students has shown to be a really effective channel for schools."