Recruitment Standard Operating Procedures

This Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) was developed to ensure that alumni/ae representatives, third-party agents, vendors, academic units, internal recruitment staff, and all other entities acting as UWF representatives follow the ethical best practices of the college and university admissions profession. The ultimate goal when working with prospective students is to help them find the right institution based on academic and financial fit while ensuring that UWF and its educational programs and practices are described accurately and with integrity.

These practices are in compliance with Title IV Regulations, the Higher Education Act (HEA), Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education Partnership MOU, UWF Policy AC-44.00 Student Recruitment Activities, and accrediting agency guidelines. Failure to comply could result in the University losing the ability to administer Title IV funds to students, aid to veterans, active-duty military or dependents, as well as eligibility to seek federal research grant funds.

Content Standards

• All marketing and recruitment initiatives for prospective students (i.e., students who have not enrolled at UWF) are required to follow standards and policies set forth by University Marketing and Communications, Office of Undergraduate Admissions, and the Graduate School to meet recruitment best practices and procedures.
• Departments should refer to the Recruitment section of the UWF Brand Portal for guidance on recruitment messaging and creative.
• When referencing University facts (e.g., faculty to student ratio, class size, scholarships, dates and deadlines), use the Fast Facts located in the Recruitment section of the Brand Portal to ensure consistent information is being shared with the public. If the fact you are searching for is not referenced, please contact one of the admissions offices or University Marketing and Communications for clarification.
• Training will be made available to all University staff and faculty on an annual basis.
• Contracts for third-party vendors providing recruitment or marketing services should be reviewed by Continuing Education, the Graduate School, Undergraduate Admissions, or University Marketing and Communications to ensure compliance with UWF policy.

Recruitment Ethics

UWF admissions offices abide by the Code of Ethics outlined in the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC). As a result, all internal UWF staff or faculty and third-party agents representing UWF must abide by the following when reaching out to prospective students:

Truthfulness and Transparency

• Accurately describe, represent, and promote UWF to students and to colleagues and not misrepresent the institution.
• Share information about students that is relevant to the college admission process, accurate, up-to-date, and free from misrepresentations of fact or material omissions.
• When publishing translations, ensure that the translation fully and accurately reflects the meaning of the text in the original language.
• Make publicly available comprehensive, accurate, and current information concerning:
  • All deadlines including admission, scholarships, financial aid, housing, etc.
  • Factors considered in making admission, financial aid, and scholarship decisions.
  • Academic majors and other academic offerings and programs, such as honors programs and off-campus study, such as study abroad.
  • Institutional housing policies including availability, guarantees, requirements, and costs for the first and subsequent years.
  • Significant changes to institutional policies and procedures due to pandemics, severe weather, or other extraordinary circumstances

Costs of Attendance and Types of Scholarships and Other Financial Aid

• A link to financial literacy and costs of attendance estimates (COA) must be presented wherever UWF tuition is listed on the website.

Professional Conduct

• To maintain a culture of collaboration and collegiality, UWF recruitment representatives and third-party entities providing recruitment services for UWF will not disseminate inaccurate, misleading, or disparaging information about other secondary schools, colleges, organizations, or individual professionals.
• Entities and persons recruiting students on behalf of UWF shall:
  • Not be compensated by commissions, bonuses, or other incentive payments based on the number of students referred, recruited, admitted, or enrolled.
  • Not offer or accept any reward or remuneration to influence an admission, housing, scholarship, financial aid, or enrollment decision.
  • Not promise admission into UWF.
  • Not promise scholarships or financial aid awarding of any kind.
  • Not promise other types of financial incentives, such graduate assistantships or student employment.
  • Not promise transfer credit or credit by proficiency.
  • Provide college admissions counseling in the best interest of the student through:
    • Providing guidance and information to help students make the right decision when determining the best academic fit and financial fit for the student, even if that means UWF is not the best institution for the student.

Confidentiality

• In order to maintain confidentiality, UWF internal offices and third-party vendors contracted with UWF must:
  • Send and receive information about candidates in confidence and protect the confidentiality of all information that is shared. This information cannot be shared with other institutions with the intent for the information to be used for recruitment outreach.
    • Third-party vendors are prohibited from using UWF prospective student information for the purposes of recruiting students for one of their other partner institutions.
  • Adhere to UWF’s policies for confidentiality, as well as Florida Statute 1006.52 and FERPA.
  • Not divulge an individual student’s college application status, admission, enrollment, or financial aid and scholarship offers without express permission from the student.
  • Not ask prospective students to divulge or rank order their college preferences on applications or other documents.
• Third-party vendors must maintain student data in accordance with the permissions, limitations, and protocols outlined in an executed contract or agreement.

Opt-Out Clause

• All electronic communication must include a clear “opt-out” option. If the student selects this option, the student may not be contacted again in any way or recycled into future recruitment campaigns. This does not pertain to one-on-one communications via email.

Prospect Lists

• Prospect or search sources will need approval from the Graduate School or Undergraduate Admissions.
• Prospective students who are part of the list acquired from ACT, SAT, GRE, or PTK have acknowledged their intent to receive communication from higher education institutions as part of their affiliation with the agencies.

Frequency of Contact Outreach Prior to Applying

• The use of high-pressure recruitment tactics is prohibited, specifically including but not limited to making multiple unsolicited contacts (three or more) in one month, including contacts by phone, email, or in-person, and engaging in same day recruitment and registration for the purpose of securing enrollments.