The authors present a case on various methods of recruiting external students that can be applied to any academic program. An example case study is provided to compare the most efficient practices used by a particular university dealing with strategies of aviation collegiate recruitment. In this paper the authors use the action research method to explore the different types and strategies of collegiate recruitment and discuss the process which must be followed to make it successful. They establish that student recruitment must be an active and ongoing commitment of each aviation academic unit. Related literature is examined and reported to theoretical and applied frameworks. The supporting research tools of focus groups and delphi are implemented in a triangulation discovery process which provides substantive results. Correlation analysis (Pearson's “r7”) confirms the relationship of the variables. The results convey a system that maximizes student recruitment and concludes with a plan that can be generalized to most collegiate aviation programs. Discussion of results includes both a call for action and an introduction to a vital next step, retention.