TMP Worldwide College Admissions Marketing Survey Shows Dramatic Growth in Online Applications and Inquiries

-- Fifth Annual Study Reveals a 35% Increase in Web-based Applications and a 36% Increase in Inquiries via the Internet --

NEW YORK, Feb 26, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- TMP Worldwide Inc. (Nasdaq:TMPW), the world's leading supplier of human capital solutions, including the pre-eminent Internet career portal Monster(R) and the world's largest Yellow Pages advertising agency, today released its fifth annual Admissions Marketing on the Internet survey results revealing that U.S. colleges are leveraging the Internet more than ever for their promotion, prospecting and recruitment efforts.

The findings point to an increased adoption of technology among colleges and universities as well as more sophisticated utilization, which is enabling institutions to achieve significantly greater results in all three admissions marketing areas.

On behalf of the Educational Marketing Group at TMP, the new survey was conducted in November 2001 by Pathfinder Research Group. TMP Worldwide's Educational Marketing Group is a full-service advertising agency dedicated solely to the recruiting and enrollment needs of post-secondary educational institutions.

Surveying nearly 250 colleges and universities across the U.S., the study found that the "average" college has seen a 36% increase in online inquiries and a 35% increase in online applications over the past year. In addition, one out of five colleges surveyed (22%) now accept application fees directly through their Web site -- more than double the percentage from last year (10%), and fives times that of just two years ago.

According to the study, college sites have grown dramatically in size and complexity, from 200 pages a year ago to more than the 250 pages today. The number of Web site inquiries has also grown, with one out of four universities indicated that inquiries have experienced a 50% increase since last year. Nine out of ten colleges surveyed reported seeing a rise in online applications, with one out of five citing increases in excess of 50% over the same time period. The proportion of schools without an online application capability further decreased over the past year from 11% to 6%.

"These findings clearly show that institutions are embracing the Internet more and more as a means of communicating with, and attracting, prospective students," said John Meagle, Vice President, Educational Marketing at TMP Worldwide's Advertising & Communications, North America. "Not surprisingly, online applications are growing in popularity among prospective students and universities alike. The fact that twice as many colleges compared with last year now have the capability to accept application fees online is strong evidence of this trend."

The Internet also appears to be the application vehicle of choice among top-tier prospective students. The study's respondents found that students applying online are more than twice as likely to be more qualified than those responding through more traditional means. Particularly noteworthy is the Internet's positive impact on out-of-state- and international enrollment. Roughly half of the responding institutions perceived gains in these segments as a direct result of their Web sites.

When asked to rate the success of their Web sites based on seven attributes, respondents said they were most effective at increasing inquiries to the school, providing current information about the school, increasing applications and communicating with prospective students.

"Once again, the largest schools and four-year public schools, including those that have been on the Web the longest, are experiencing the biggest impact to their admissions processes," added Meagle. "Clearly more and more schools are realizing the extent to which the Internet can fuel their admissions marketing efforts and we expect this trend to continue."

For a copy of the complete 2001 survey, please contact Christian Harper at 212/445-8135 or charper@webershandwick.com. TMP Worldwide's Educational Marketing offers a broad array of online educational properties, including FastWeb, CollegeLink, CollegeWare, MonsterLearning and MonsterTrak.com.

About TMP Worldwide

Founded in 1967, TMP Worldwide Inc., with more than 11,000 employees in 32 countries, is the online recruitment leader, the world's largest Recruitment Advertising agency network, and one of the world's largest Executive Search & Executive Selection agencies. TMP Worldwide, headquartered in New York, is also the world's largest Yellow Pages advertising agency and a provider of direct marketing services. The Company's clients include more than 90 of the Fortune 100 and more than 480 of the Fortune 500 companies. In June 2001, TMP Worldwide was added to the S&P 500 Index. More information about TMP Worldwide is available at www.tmp.com.

Monster, headquartered in Maynard, Mass., is the leading global careers website, recording over 41 million unique visits during the month of January 2002 according to independent research conducted by I/PRO. Monster connects the most progressive companies with the most qualified career-minded individuals, offering innovative technology and superior services that give them more control over the recruiting process. The Monster global network consists of local content and language sites in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Luxembourg, India, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, and Finland. Monster is the official online career management services sponsor of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and 2002 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Teams. More information about Monster is available at www.monster.com or by calling 800/MONSTER.

Special Note: Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for historical information contained herein, the statements made in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the company's strategic direction, prospects and future results. Certain factors, including factors outside of our control, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward- looking statements, including economic and other conditions in the markets in which we operate, risks associated with acquisitions, competition, seasonality and the other risks discussed in our Form 10-K and our other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated in this release by reference.

CONTACT:
Weber Shandwick
Christian Harper, 212/445-8135
charper@webershandwick.com
or
TMP Worldwide
Dan Bustillos, 212/351-7084
dan.bustillos@tmp.com