Kaplan Test Prep Survey Finds That College Admissions Officers’ Discovery Of Online Material Damaging To Applicants Nearly Triples In A Year

Kaplan’s survey also found that only 15% of colleges currently have rules regarding the checking of applicants’ Facebook or social networking pages – a percentage that has remained fairly consistent over the past few years. Of schools that do have a policy, 69% said the policy prohibited admissions officers from visiting applicants’ pages – still leaving the vast majority of admissions officers with the flexibility to act at their own discretion.

Students can learn more about how to better safeguard their digital footprints at www.kaptest.com/socialmediatips.

Far more common than the use of social media to evaluate applicants is its use in recruiting potential students. Kaplan Test Prep’s survey found that 87% of colleges use Facebook for this purpose (up from 82% two years ago); 76% use Twitter (up from 56%); and 73% use YouTube (up from 56%). College admissions officers have not, however, embraced Google Plus – only 9% are using it to recruit prospective students.

For more information about Kaplan Test Prep’s 2012 survey of college admissions officers, please contact Russell Schaffer at [e-mail] or 212.453.7538.

Kaplan will be releasing more results from its survey in the coming weeks.

* For the 2012 survey, 350 admissions officers from the nation’s top 500 colleges and universities – as compiled from U.S. News & World Report and Barron’s – were polled by telephone between July and September 2012.

About Kaplan Test Prep

Kaplan Test Prep ( www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO)

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