Champlain College — Performance Dashboard

Outperforming industry benchmarks across every metric. Blended CPL of $32.04 is 80% below the $160 higher ed industry average. Meta drives 65.6% of leads at $19.74 CPL. Google PMax delivers higher-intent conversions at $55.58 CPA across 14 campaigns. Total 2,488 leads in last 30 days.

Total Spend

$79,726

Google $47,494 | Meta $32,232

Supermetrics | Last 30 days

Total Leads

2,488

855 Google conv. | 1,633 Meta leads

+191% vs YAG (est.)

Google Ads + Meta Ads

Blended CPL

$32.04

vs $160 industry benchmark

80% below benchmark

Calculated

Total Impressions

674K

156K Google | 518K Meta

Google Ads + Meta Ads

Total Clicks

57,115

14,950 Google | 42,165 Meta

Google Ads + Meta Ads

Google Ads vs Meta Ads

Head-to-head platform comparison, last 30 days

Metric	Google PMax	Meta Ads	Winner
Spend	$47,494	$32,232	60/40 split
Leads / Conversions	855	1,633	Meta 1.9x
CPL / CPA	$55.58	$19.74	Meta 2.8x
Impressions	156K	518K	Meta 3.3x
Clicks	14,950	42,165	Meta 2.8x
Avg CPC	$3.18	$0.76	Meta 4.2x

Note: Google "conversions" and Meta "website leads" measure differently. Google PMax conversions include form fills, calls, and downstream actions. Meta leads are pixel-tracked form submissions. Apples-to-oranges comparison, but directionally useful.

Budget Allocation

Last 30 days spend distribution

Google 59.6% ($47.5K)

Meta 40.4% ($32.2K)

Lead Distribution

By platform

Google 34.4% (855)

Meta 65.6% (1,633)

Meta delivers 65.6% of leads on 40.4% of budget. Efficiency gap suggests rebalancing opportunity, though Google drives higher-intent downstream actions.

Top 10 Campaigns by Efficiency (Lowest CPL)

Combined across both platforms, last 30 days

Campaign	Platform	Spend	Leads	CPL	Impressions
Transfer Student	Meta	$2,853	223	$12.79	18,155
(CCM) Writing & Publishing	Meta	$2,187	142	$15.40	50,336
(SOSI) Social Work	Meta	$2,468	158	$15.62	38,225
Game Programs	Meta	$5,774	332	$17.39	66,920
(CCM) Graphic Design	Meta	$3,697	213	$17.36	42,247
(CCM) Animation	Meta	$2,069	111	$18.64	28,088
Brand Direct Feeder Geos	Meta	$3,006	157	$19.15	34,911
Cybersecurity PMax	Google	$4,238	167	$25.38	3,975
Psychology PMax	Google	$3,977	122	$32.60	5,512
Filmmaking PMax	Google	$3,684	89	$41.39	7,053

Cybersecurity + Psychology are the conversion engines. Cybersecurity PMax: 167 conversions at $25.38 CPA (best). Psychology: 122 at $32.60. Together they drive 34% of all Google conversions on 17% of spend. Pre-College PMax underperforming at $265 CPA.

Google Ad Spend

$47,494

14 PMax campaigns

Google Ads via Supermetrics

Conversions

855

Form fills + calls + actions

Google Ads

Avg CPA

$55.58

vs $62 previous period

Improving

Google Ads

Avg CPC

$3.18

14,950 total clicks

Google Ads

Impressions

156K

9.58% blended CTR

Google Ads

Campaign Performance

All 14 PMax campaigns, last 30 days. Sorted by conversions descending.

Campaign	Spend	Conv.	CPA	Clicks	Impr.	CTR	CPC	Conv Rate
Cybersecurity PMax	$4,238	167	$25.38	1,261	3,975	31.72%	$3.36	13.24%
Psychology PMax	$3,977	122	$32.60	1,553	5,512	28.17%	$2.56	7.86%
Brand Direct PMax	$7,741	113	$68.51	2,051	31,170	6.58%	$3.77	5.51%
Filmmaking PMax	$3,684	89	$41.39	1,265	7,053	17.94%	$2.91	7.04%
Education PMax	$3,348	73	$45.86	978	3,610	27.09%	$3.42	7.46%
Social Work PMax	$3,296	52	$63.67	734	4,937	14.87%	$4.49	7.05%
Digital Forensics PMax	$2,983	49	$60.88	859	4,916	17.47%	$3.47	5.70%
Animation PMax	$3,006	44	$68.32	793	10,991	7.21%	$3.79	5.55%
Creative Media PMax	$2,275	37	$61.48	945	6,100	15.49%	$2.41	3.92%
Applied Sustainability PMax	$2,705	36	$75.15	965	4,254	22.68%	$2.80	3.73%
Writing & Publishing PMax	$3,395	31	$109.95	1,025	18,573	5.52%	$3.31	3.01%
Game Art PMax	$2,354	18	$130.78	801	16,773	4.78%	$2.94	2.25%
Game Design PMax	$1,838	14	$131.87	662	16,889	3.92%	$2.78	2.11%
Pre-College PMax	$2,654	10	$265.38	1,058	21,255	4.98%	$2.51	0.95%
TOTAL	$47,494	855	$55.58	14,950	156K	9.58%	$3.18	5.72%

Cybersecurity is the top performer

167 conversions at $25.38 CPA, 13.24% conversion rate. Strongest demand signal of any program.

Pre-College needs review

$265.38 CPA with only 10 conversions. 4.8x the account average. Consider pausing or restructuring.

Transfer Student campaign is the hidden gem. $12.79 CPL (lowest in account) with 223 leads. Frequency of 13.6 is a concern, but the narrow audience (1,335 reach) is clearly high-intent. Game Programs drives most volume (332 leads). Brand Purchased Leads at $101.83 CPL needs optimization.

Meta Ad Spend

$32,232

14 campaigns active

Meta Ads via Supermetrics

Website Leads

1,633

Pixel-tracked form submissions

Meta Ads

Avg CPL

$19.74

vs $270.63 at campaign launch

93% reduction

Meta Ads

Total Reach

185K

518K impressions

Meta Ads

Total Clicks

42,165

$0.76 avg CPC

Meta Ads

Campaign Performance

All Meta campaigns, last 30 days. Sorted by spend descending.

Campaign	Spend	Leads	CPL	Impressions	Reach	Clicks	Link CTR
Game Programs	$5,774	332	$17.39	66,920	27,854	6,350	9.71%
(CCM) Graphic Design	$3,697	213	$17.36	42,247	19,442	3,873	9.57%
Brand Direct	$3,223	133	$24.23	22,401	10,150	5,424	27.46%
Brand Feeder Geos	$3,006	157	$19.15	34,911	17,305	4,388	13.80%
Transfer Student	$2,853	223	$12.79	18,155	1,335	1,943	11.88%
(SOSI) Social Work	$2,468	158	$15.62	38,225	19,727	2,671	6.81%
Brand Purchased Leads	$2,444	24	$101.83	122,631	19,341	7,120	6.79%
(CCM) Writing & Publishing	$2,187	142	$15.40	50,336	21,858	1,924	3.06%
(CCM) Animation	$2,069	111	$18.64	28,088	15,537	2,671	8.92%
(ITS) Cyber + Digital Forensics	$2,013	84	$23.96	41,664	9,068	2,656	6.70%
Pre-College Programs	$1,804	45	$40.10	29,675	14,465	2,529	8.79%
Admitted Student Days	$413	10	$41.30	16,713	7,601	407	1.72%
Spring Visit	$193	1	$193.35	3,174	1,076	182	6.30%
Yield 2026	$88	0	--	3,340	328	27	0.63%
TOTAL	$32,232	1,633	$19.74	518K	185K	42,165	8.14%

Transfer Student: best CPL

$12.79 CPL, 223 leads. But frequency of 13.6 indicates audience saturation risk.

Game Programs: highest volume

332 leads at $17.39 CPL. 17.9% of spend drives 20.3% of leads. Strong efficiency.

Purchased Leads: 5x avg CPL

$101.83 CPL on only 24 leads. 122K impressions but low conversion. Review targeting.

By Campaign Category

Meta campaigns grouped by type

Category	Spend	Leads	CPL	% Budget
Program-Specific	$18,209	1,040	$17.51	56.5%
Brand	$13,330	582	$22.90	41.4%
Events / Other	$694	11	$63.07	2.1%

Program-specific campaigns deliver 63.7% of leads on 56.5% of spend. Best efficiency tier.

Frequency Watch

Campaigns approaching audience fatigue (frequency >4)

13.6 Transfer Student

Saturated

Reach: 1,335 (very narrow)

10.2 Yield 2026

Saturated

Reach: 328 (retargeting)

6.3 Brand Purchased Leads

High

Reach: 19,341

4.6 Cyber + Digital Forensics

Elevated

Reach: 9,068

Transfer Student's 13.6 frequency normally signals fatigue, but its $12.79 CPL proves the audience is still converting. Monitor unsub/hide rates rather than pausing.

Salesforce CRM data requires Google Sheet connector setup. The Salesforce Lead object for Champlain is not populated through standard fields (their enrollment CRM uses custom objects). The funnel data below is from the most recent Salesforce exports (March 2026). Live CRM data will require a Supermetrics Google Sheet connector mapping to the right Salesforce custom objects.

Purchased Leads

100,002

College Board + PMax + Paid Social

Salesforce Export | FA26

Inquiries (No App)

19,089

19.1% of purchased leads

Salesforce Export

App Starts

1,519

1,280 FY + 239 TR

Salesforce Export

Deposits

162

149 FY + 13 TR

Salesforce Export

FA26 Enrollment Funnel

Traditional Undergraduate, First-Year + Transfer. Data from Salesforce CRM exports (March 23, 2026).

Purchased Leads

100,002

100%

Inquiries

19,089

19.1%

App Starts

1,519

1.52%

Admitted*

1,670

1.67%

Deposited

162

0.16%

*Admitted (1,670) exceeds App Starts (1,519) because admits include rolling decisions, direct admits, and prior-cycle carryover not captured in the FA26 app start count.

Biggest drop: Inquiries → App Starts (92% fall-off). 19,089 inquiries but only 1,519 started applications. This is the critical conversion gap. Apply Now click optimization and retargeting at this stage has the highest leverage.

What Converts to Deposits (149 FY)

Programs ranked by deposit count. Game/tech programs massively outperform their inquiry share.

Cybersecurity

22

14.8%

Game Design

22

14.8%

Game Programming

20

13.4%

Game Art

12

8.1%

Animation

10

6.7%

Comp Sci

6

4.0%

Other (12 programs)

57

38.3%

Game/tech cluster (Cyber + Game + Animation + CS) = 92 deposits (61.7% of total). This is Champlain's conversion engine.

Audience Profile

Google Ads demographics + Salesforce geography

Top States (by inquiry volume)

NY, MA, NJ, PA, CT

70%+

Primary markets

VT, FL, TX, CA, NH

15%

Secondary

NC

Top converting

Google PMax leader

Demographics (Google Ads)

Age 18-24

49%

of impressions

Age 35-54 (parents)

31%

high conversion

Male

67%

gender skew

Mobile

87%

of conversions

Parent audience gap: 31% of impressions come from 35-54 (likely parents), and parents are the top performing Meta segment. Currently no parent-specific campaigns on Google.

What's Working

Keep doing these things

EFFICIENCY Blended CPL of $32.04 is 80% below the $160 industry benchmark. Campaign consolidation from 30+ to streamlined segments is paying off.

CREATIVE Outcome-led creative outperforms brand-centric content. Short-form video (:15-:20s) with strong hooks drives highest CTR. Authentic visuals beat polished production.

PROGRAMS Cybersecurity ($25.38 CPA Google) and Game Programs ($17.39 CPL Meta) are the dual engines. These programs convert at far higher rates than their inquiry share.

AUDIENCES Counselors/teachers yield 25% CTR on brand campaigns. Parents outperform all groups on Meta. Transfer students convert at $12.79 CPL.

Areas to Optimize

Highest-leverage improvements

CPL GAP Meta CPL is 2.8x cheaper than Google on a per-lead basis, but Google drives higher-intent downstream actions. Close the gap by improving Meta retargeting for app starts.

FUNNEL DROP 92% fall-off from inquiry to app start. Ad-to-landing page misalignment is limiting conversion. Retargeting lacks pull for apps vs. inquiries.

UNDERPERFORMERS Pre-College PMax ($265 CPA), Brand Purchased Leads ($102 CPL), Spring Visit ($193 CPL). Combined $5,291 spend, 35 leads. Reallocate to top performers.

FREQUENCY Transfer Student at 13.6 frequency. Yield 2026 at 10.2. Expand audience pools or rotate creative to prevent fatigue.

Audience Insights

Who to target next

PARENTS Highest-performing audience on Meta. 31% of Google impressions are 35-54. Meta age restrictions block direct student targeting, making parent-first strategy essential.

INFLUENCERS Counselors, teachers, tutors = 25% CTR. Champlain's experiential model is a strong sell for outcome-focused advisors. Build influencer-specific messaging.

GEOGRAPHY North Carolina is the top converting state on Google despite competitive public system. Develop NC-specific messaging positioning Champlain as a personalized alternative.

EXPANSION 67% male skew. Education, Social Work, Psychology, Writing index female. Southeast (FL, GA, NC, SC) and Midwest underrepresented. International (Africa/South Asia) growing organically.

Recommended Actions

Prioritized by expected impact

Priority	Action	Expected Impact	Effort
1	Reallocate Pre-College PMax budget to Cybersecurity + Psychology	~40 additional conversions/month	Low
2	Build retargeting campaign for inquiry → app start conversion	Reduce 92% funnel drop-off	Medium
3	Launch parent-specific Google campaigns (35-54 targeting)	New lead source at scale	Medium
4	Develop NC-specific creative and landing page	Higher geo conversion rates	Medium
5	Expand Transfer Student audience on Meta (currently 1,335 reach)	More leads at lowest CPL tier	Low
6	Audit Brand Purchased Leads targeting ($101.83 CPL on 6.3 frequency)	Reduce waste spend ~$2K/month	Low
7	Set up Supermetrics Google Sheet for live Salesforce enrollment data	Real-time funnel visibility	Medium
8	Scholarship messaging expansion across Google + Meta	CTR >1.5% proven, highest lead driver	Medium

Champlain College FA26

Champlain College FA26 Performance