Stony Brook University's Journey to Enrollment Excellence With Liaison Othot

Faced with ambitious enrollment goals and the need to maximize the effectiveness of its enrollment tactics, Stony Brook University sought a solution that could provide precision and clarity in its strategy. With Othot, Liaison’s advanced analytics platform for enrollment management and student success, the institution unlocked new possibilities in targeting prospective students, allocating resources strategically, and driving enrollment growth. Othot’s data-driven insights helped Stony Brook transform its recruitment efforts, achieve record-breaking results, and position itself for continued success.

Striving for Strategic Aid Allocation

Before implementing Othot, Stony Brook faced challenges in meeting its enrollment objectives. The institution was under pressure to achieve ambitious enrollment targets while maintaining academic quality and selectivity. At the same time, the school wanted to refine its scholarship allocation plan to ensure awards were strategically distributed to maximize impact. This adjustment would optimize the use of scholarship funds and allow for tactical class crafting. Additionally, Stony Brook aspired to attract high-quality students to bolster its academic profile, diversify its international student body, and improve retention rates, all while increasing net tuition revenue. The university also aimed to strengthen its recruitment efforts in key markets, including upstate New York for in-state students as well as various regions internationally and out-of-state.

Choosing Othot for Data-Driven Decisions

To address these challenges, Stony Brook partnered with Liaison and implemented Othot, a predictive and prescriptive analytics platform designed to enhance strategies with advanced data. The decision was driven by Othot’s prescriptive analytics capabilities, which gave university administrators unparalleled visibility and confidence that the revised scholarship allocation would strategically boost enrollment, maintain discount rates, increase net tuition revenue, and more.

Seamless integration with Stony Brook’s existing CRM ensured a smooth transition and maximized Othot’s potential. According to Nick Prewett, assistant provost & executive director of Stony Brook’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Services, “The platform allowed us to focus on the exact students we wanted to recruit while making the most of our scholarship dollars. Without an external product like Othot, this level of precision would not have been possible.”

While seamless data integration was completed within hours, the primary challenge was internal—organizing and collecting relevant data points. Liaison’s responsive team helped overcome this potential obstacle by collaborating closely with the university to incorporate new data elements and refine predictive models. As Prewett reflected, “Working with the Othot team helped us realize we were missing crucial data points. This collaboration has allowed us to grow and improve our data culture in admissions, financial aid, and various administrative departments.”

Transforming Enrollment Results

Trusting Othot to help develop and encourage Stony Brook University’s enrollment strategy had a transformative impact. The platform delivered measurable improvements across several key metrics:

• More than doubling international student enrollment | Deposits increased from 271 to 664 within one year.
• Exceeding out-of-state enrollment targets | Enrollment rose approximately 40% above projections.
• Boosting net tuition revenue | Othot contributed to a $4 million increase in net tuition revenue in the international student market alone.
  

Beyond these results, Othot provided Stony Brook with the tools to analyze country-specific yield rates for international recruitment, enabling the institution to diversify its international student markets strategically. Senior Associate Provost for Enrollment Management Richard Beatty highlighted the broader value of Othot, “The insights we gained from Othot allowed us to redevelop our entire scholarship budget. We started tiering scholarships differently for international and out-of-state students, which had a meaningful impact on our enrollment.”

Looking Ahead and Expanding Horizons With Othot

Stony Brook University is committed to building on the success achieved with Othot. Future plans include leveraging the platform’s retention prediction capabilities to enhance student persistence and implementing strategies to target underrepresented in-state regions, particularly in upstate New York. The institution also aims to refine its data models further, incorporating more student data and tracking retention trends.

Stony Brook is now exploring a sustained partnership with Othot to achieve its enrollment goals.

By continuing to innovate and expand its use of predictive analytics, Stony Brook University is well-positioned to maintain its trajectory of enrollment success and academic excellence. Liaison remains a dedicated partner, helping the university craft classes that align with its mission while optimizing resources and driving measurable results.

Founded in 1957, Stony Brook University is a leading institution dedicated to innovation, education, and research that drives real-world impact. With a commitment to excellence and diversity, Stony Brook empowers students, faculty, and staff to shape a brighter future with:

• Excellence in education | Stony Brook is New York’s No. 1 public university and part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, providing comprehensive undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs of the highest quality.
  
• Centers of innovation | With over 100 specialized centers and institutes, including the Advanced Energy Center, the Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology, and the Turkana Basin Institute, the university drives cutting-edge research and fosters global collaboration.
  
• Economic and cultural leadership | The university promotes regional growth, technology, and cultural enrichment through initiatives like the Staller Center for the Arts.
  
• Health care and global impact | The university delivers innovative healthcare, serves traditionally underserved communities, and is positioned as a leader in the global academic community.