Innovative approaches to the development of a system for university student recruitment

Introduction: the article deals with the complex of new-format career guidance activities and implementation of innovative approaches to the work with university entrants under increasing competition in the field of higher education in Russia. The relevance of the topic is in the evaluation of the quality and efficiency of recruiting future university students, which is an important factor in the implementation of policies aimed at improving the quality of the university educational services. The aim of this research is to analyse the effectiveness of innovative approaches implemented in the field of career guidance. Materials and Methods: the empirical basis for this article is provided by Lobachevsky University's local documents related to implementation of the University Educational Cluster programme and other career guidance activities. Some results of a series of sociological studies conducted at Lobachevsky University during the summer admission campaigns from 2011 to 2016 are presented. For the primary data collection we used the survey method, the effective and illustrative mechanism for monitoring customer satisfaction in the context of educational services. Results: the results obtained in the course of our study during 2011-2016 were systematized and analyzed. Conclusions are formulated and proposals are made regarding the optimization of the university's career guidance program, the implementation of new formats and types of activities to attract talented university entrants. Discussion and Conclusions: in our study, we demonstrated the current state of information support for applicants, the criteria for choosing the educational institution. We also determined the degree of influence of various factors on the applicants, as well as a number of other indicators. It is noted that the qualitative composition of university applicants and prospective students largely depends on the systematic work and a set of activities carried out by the university in partnership with secondary education institutions and with their active participation. It also depends on the implementation of educational projects with an innovative research component, and on the implementation of digital technologies in the recruitment activities. Research results can be used to develop new effective areas in the university career guidance programs, including those in the field of pre-university education. These results can be also used in studies of the motivation issues for choosing a higher education institution by 10th and 11th grade school students.