Saint Vincent College Has Highest Rated Admissions Website According to Annual Report from My College Options

Lee's Summit, MO, September 23, 2009 --(PR.com)-- MyCollegeOptions.org today released the 11th annual Enrollment Power Index® (EPI), an analysis of the admissions websites of all four-year colleges and universities. St. Vincent College & Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania has earned the coveted top ranking.

The top 10 rated school admissions websites are:

1. Saint Vincent College & Seminary
2. Baldwin-Wallace College
3. Northwestern College
4. Saint Joseph’s College
5. John Carroll University
6. Allegheny College
7. Smith College
8. Saint Martin’s University
9. AIB College of Business
10. Pittsburgh Technical Institute

MyCollegeOptions.org is the nation’s largest online college planning program. Each summer, the MCO team of college admissions and internet experts conducts a research-based analysis that measures how well college and university websites provide information to prospective students to assist them through the application process.

The study grades over 3,000 institutions on a 100 point scale, including functionality, design and technology components. The criteria for the study are reviewed and updated annually by internal experts as well as current high school students. Each institution was reviewed by over 1,000 college-bound high school students.

Statistical tests are used to determine the specific criteria to be used and their relative importance to students. This year’s study examined 34 criteria in four main categories:

· Admissions Page Design and Navigation
· Website Interaction and Online Admissions Tools
· Ability to Find Key Admissions Information
· Ability to Contact the Admissions Office

Since the technology for admissions websites is constantly changing, so changes the expectations of the prospective students who visit the website looking for information. This year’s research revealed three items that are rising in importance to students:

· Presence of a Student Blog
· Ability to Contact Admissions Through Facebook, MySpace or Twitter
· Ability to View Virtual Campus Tours or YouTube Video on the Institution

“This year’s EPI results demonstrate that admissions offices should focus on communicating with potential students through technologies that the students use on a daily basis. Higher ranked websites in this report were much more likely to have integrated new, popular technologies,” said Ryan Munce, Vice President of MyCollegeOptions.

For more information on the EPI study, please visit www.nrccua.org.

About My College Options®
MyCollegeOptions.org is a comprehensive, free online college planning program created by the National Research Center for College & University Admissions™ (NRCCUA®). NRCCUA is a non-profit education research organization based in Lee’s Summit, MO. For 38 years, NRCCUA has conducted the largest nationwide survey of high school students, which serves as a communications link between college-bound high school students and public and private colleges and universities. For more information, visit www.nrccua.org.

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