<p>Small LACs getting really creative to keep enrollment up.</p>
<p>Randolph</a> College - Local Educational Access Program (LEAP)</p>
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<p>A small LAC that has an 83 percent admission rate.</p>
<p>I could be wrong but I don’t think selective LACs (certainly the ones my daughter is considering) are having any trouble at all attracting applicants … at full price!</p>
<p>Randolph used to be Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, and has an academic history that is not to be sneered at. I think it is terrific that they have made a formal commitment to the local student population. This will make a true LAC experience available at something pretty close to in-state public U rates, and provides a good option for students who need to commute because of family/work responsibilities.</p>
<p>I have no direct knowledge of the value or quality of academics at Randolph. (And, yes I know that R-M used to be female only and went coed a few years ago.) And, notice, I made no comments about the value or quality of academics at Randolph.</p>
<p>The original post concerned a marketing move at Randolph and the O/P extrapolated that to all small Liberal Arts Colleges. (Notice the plural “s” - “… small LACs …”)</p>
<p>So, my point is - that one cannot generalize on this because a school like Randolph that, basically, accepts anyone who walks through the door, is in a much different marketing posture than a highly selective LAC such as Williams, Amherst, etc. who have no issues with attracting applicants and thus have no incentive to offer discounts, to locals or otherwise.</p>
<p>Hope that now makes sense.</p>