La Salle University
From Plateaus To Progress
The Challenge
Coming out of the pandemic, La Salle University was facing significant headwinds: enrollment had been trending down for several years, net tuition revenue was steadily decreasing, and formerly successful recruitment tactics were no longer resonating with today’s students. Located in Philadelphia, one of the most competitive higher ed markets in the country, La Salle needed to evolve quickly. Leadership turnover in prior years and strained in-house operations had taken a toll on both morale and marketing execution.
The Turning Point
When Greg Nayor joined as Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing, he brought a clear focus: rebuild the foundation with urgency, without losing the human touch. Greg understood La Salle couldn’t afford to behave like a larger institution with broad brand messaging and low-touch student experiences—it had to act with purpose, precision, and personalization.
Waybetter had partnered with Greg at a previous institution, a successful relationship that provided a level of trust and familiarity that enabled us to hit the ground running at La Salle. We officially joined the effort in summer 2023, and the mandate from Greg was clear: transform LaSalle’s enrollment marketing operation into a high-functioning, insight-driven machine that could deliver immediate results while laying the groundwork for long-term growth. Together, we moved quickly to stabilize the system, build confidence, and start telling a more authentic La Salle story to the students who needed to hear it most.
The Work
From day one, the goal was to modernize operations and elevate the student experience—without overwhelming the internal team. In close collaboration with Greg and his staff, Waybetter delivered:
- A full audit and rebuild of Slate to replace La Salle’s patchwork CRM ecosystem of multiple platforms and labor-intensive processes
- Search, application, and yield campaigns that we launched immediately and eventually migrated to La Salle’s own Slate instance
- Custom Waybetter Counselor Command Center dashboards in Slate to give teams clear goals, transparency, and accountability
- Personalized email comm flows, texting campaigns, website experiences, and print pieces designed to help prospective students feel seen and wanted
- Digital advertising across platforms and devices to spur action throughout the funnel
- Streamlined reports and marketing intelligence to support smart decision-making without data overload
- Custom Waybetter portals in Slate for applicants, admits, and visitors, along with communication flows for every stage of the funnel
Results
La Salle is now enrolling more students, more efficiently—and momentum is trending in the right direction for the first time in years.
Compared to Fall 2023:
$2,000
Net tuition revenue up per student
Discount rate down
La Salle’s Fall 2025 class is on track to be its largest in years, with 718 deposits as of early June—up 41.6% from the year prior.
People think they hire Waybetter for one thing, but man do they get a whole lot more.
Whether it's a comprehensive enrollment strategy, cleaning up Slate, building better reports, or launching campaigns—every deliverable is thoughtful, fast, and aligned with our values. And most importantly, the work always feels personal. The level of attention and care makes us feel like we’re their only client."
The Road Ahead
With new momentum and a strengthened team culture, La Salle is focused on growing the top of the funnel while delivering a fully personalized experience across every stage of the student journey. Waybetter is now helping implement a full-funnel Slate strategy—including custom portals and campaign flows for sophomores through seniors and their families—to build on early wins and keep students moving toward enrollment, one personalized step at a time.