Tag: Collegis

  • Graduate Enrollment Insights | Collegis Education

    Graduate Enrollment Insights | Collegis Education

    Inside the Minds of Grad Students: 5 Key Findings from Our Latest Study on Graduate Enrollment

    As a higher education leader, it’s no secret that you’re facing a fiercely competitive graduate enrollment landscape. You know as well as I do that understanding what prospective students want and how they behave isn’t just helpful – it’s crucial to your institution’s success. That’s why we teamed up with UPCEA to conduct a deep dive into today’s post-baccalaureate students, uncovering their unique needs, expectations, and wants.

    We’ve published those insights in our latest report to help colleges and universities fine-tune their graduate enrollment strategies and deliver real results. You can download the complete report here: “Building a Better Pipeline: Enrollment Funnel Needs and Perspectives from Potential Post-Baccalaureate Students“

    Our research focused on individuals who expressed at least some interest in pursuing advanced education, and this study sheds light on what matters most to potential graduate students—everything from program types and communication preferences to application expectations.

    As we dug into the data, some obvious themes emerged. Here are five key findings that can prepare your institution to stand out in this tight market and guide you in shaping strategies that resonate, engage, and deliver results.

    5 insights to sharpen your graduate enrollment strategy

    1. Graduate enrollment is a crowded market—and the stakes are high

    This is no surprise to those working in higher ed in recent years. Graduate enrollment is slowing, with just a 1.1% projected increase over the next five years. Adding to the challenge, 20% of institutions dominate 77% of the market. For everyone else, it’s a fierce battle for a shrinking pool of candidates. To win, you’ll need a sharp, focused approach.

    2. Online programs are the clear favorite

    Did you know that 71% of prospective students are “extremely” or “very” interested in fully online programs? Hybrid formats come in a close second, while traditional in-person options are struggling to keep pace. The data confirms that flexibility isn’t a trend—it’s a necessity.

    3. Program information is a make-or-break factor

    Here’s something we see far too often: quality programs losing prospective students simply because critical details—like tuition costs and course requirements—are buried or missing entirely from the school’s website. In fact, 62% of students indicated they would drop off early in their search for this exact reason.

    The fix? It’s simpler than you might think. By optimizing your program pages and doubling down on SEO, you can turn passive visitors into engaged prospects.

    4. Financial transparency builds trust

    Sticker shock is real. High application fees, vague cost information, and limited financial aid details are among the top reasons students abandon the application process late in the game. By addressing these concerns clearly and directly, you’re not just solving a problem, you’re building trust.

    5. Email is still king

    When it comes to connecting with prospective graduate students, email reigns supreme. Whether it’s inquiring about programs (47%), application follow-ups (67%), or receiving application decisions (69%), email is the channel students trust the most.
    But here’s the catch: your emails have to be timely, personalized, and relevant in order to make an impact.

    The key to graduate enrollment success is just a click away

    The insights highlighted above are just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine what’s possible when you apply them to your graduate enrollment strategy.

    If you’re ready to refine your approach and stay ahead of the curve, we’ve got you covered. Our report dives deeper into the data and uncovers actionable insights, including:

    • Positioning your online and hybrid offerings to meet growing demand
    • Optimizing program pages to emphasize the information students value most
    • Communicating financial information proactively to convert candidates
    • Building email outreach strategies that build trust and keep students engaged

    Grab your complimentary copy of the report today, and let’s start building a better pipeline together!

    Your roadmap to winning in the competitive graduate market.

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  • Graduate Student Pipeline | Collegis Education

    Graduate Student Pipeline | Collegis Education

    Despite an increasingly competitive market, many colleges and universities still view graduate enrollment strategies as a key growth lever for their institutions. To win in the graduate enrollment space, you first need a deeper understanding of prospective graduate students’ preferences and behaviors.

    This infographic, “What Potential Graduate Students Expect in the Enrollment Funnel,” compiles some of the key data and insights from our recent collaboration with UPCEA that surveyed graduate students to uncover their needs and expectations, focusing on program preferences, delivery methods, and expectations during the inquiry and application processes.

    This infographic is only the tip of the iceberg. Learn more about how to tailor your graduate student recruitment strategies and position your programs for success and growth in our recent report, “Building a Better Pipeline: Enrollment Funnel Needs and Perspectives from Potential Post-Baccalaureate Students.”

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  • 2024 Growth & Innovation | Collegis Education

    2024 Growth & Innovation | Collegis Education

    As 2024 draws to a close, the holiday season inspires gratitude and reflection. Personally, I’m very grateful for the incredible partners and colleagues I’ve had the privilege to work with this year. Together, we accomplished so much.

    • We collaborated with our partners throughout the year to deliver great experiences for their students, alumni, and staff.
    • We collectively navigated some of higher education’s biggest challenges, driving partner growth and enabling impact.
    • We pushed the boundaries of innovation, embracing the power of data-enabled technologies.

    I’m so proud of the positive impact the Collegis team generated with our partners across the entire student lifecycle, from the moment prospective students first inquire about a program to the day they graduate.

    Let’s look back at some of 2024’s meaningful results

    Recruitment and Enrollment Growth

    We supported double-digit year-over-year (YoY) enrollment growth –– as high as 57% –– for many partner institutions in first-year, program-specific, transfer, and graduate populations. Engagement from our enrollment teams was instrumental in connecting students with the right programs and guiding them through the admissions process.

    IT Managed Services and Student Support

    Our IT team ensured seamless operations, providing reliable technology solutions that empower students and faculty. Some of my favorite examples from 2024 include:

    • Integrating systems to drive process improvement across enrollment, financial aid, academics, and career services.
    • Modernized campus infrastructures and networks to drive student engagement at a college’s main hall.
    • Significantly improved student experience by implementing a user-friendly, single sign-on (SSO) solution across student-facing systems.
    • Led an institution through a critical component of its digital transformation journey by migrating its on-premise, legacy ERP to a cloud-based, next-generation solution.

    Innovative Learning Experiences

    Our instructional design team enabled partners to grow their online course offerings on platforms such as Brightspace, Canvas, Coursera, and Blackboard Ultra, including course and online library development, course migrations, maintenance, faculty support, and term start/end deployment activities.

    We collaborated with the nursing program at one partner to revamp the entire library of online courses to meet new accreditation standards. Another partner was able to add 200 online courses to fill the needs of 13 online programs at three schools.

    Marketing Impact

    Our web team conducted a user survey and other research to refine a partner’s website, which increased clicks to inquire by 82%, the request for information (RFI) click rate to 71%, and clicks to apply by 7.5%.

    Another shining example was uncovering a way to target a healthcare provider’s employees who are eligible for a tuition discount. Because of healthcare regulations, the partner could not provide an audience list, so Collegis addressed this niche audience using in-platform targeting tools available on social media platforms. The return on ad spend (ROAS) is 2.2:1 overall in 2024 with plans to expand the program next year.

    Student Success

    Our student support team provided essential services to help students thrive and continue to pursue their academic goals.

    • At a public, four-year institution in Ohio, Collegis Student Success Coaches helped new students with the registration process, driving admit-to-enroll numbers and YOY growth of +66% in Fall 2024.
    • At a private, four-year institution in Texas, Fall retention was 97%, with a 90% retention rate since the partnership launched.
    • At a private, four-year institution in New York, term-over-term retention from Summer to Fall is 96%, with a 91% average retention rate since the partnership launched.
    • At a public, two-year institution in the Pacific Northwest, Collegis helped drive the sixth consecutive term of enrollment growth, with Fall enrollment trending toward +8%.

    Research and Portfolio Planning

    Because we are ingrained in every step of the student lifecycle, partners often ask us to assist with forward-looking strategies. For example, our team helped a partner understand the pros and cons of expanding their full-time Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) with a part-time program. With our marketplace analysis, recommendations for how to offer courses, and a marketing launch plan, the institution is currently accepting applications for Summer 2025.

    Another institution asked for Collegis’s assistance to develop a multi-year strategic approach to graduate enrollments. The partner’s team lead noted that, “[Collegis] led productive brainstorming and strategic planning sessions with the team. Their deep knowledge of graduate enrollment trends, market analysis for graduate programs and expertise in leading our team from conceptualization to the delivery of specific recommendations on our next steps were invaluable.”

    Strategic Innovation and Workshop Design

    Our strategy and solutions team helped colleges and universities unpack complex problems and find innovative, human-centered solutions. We architected and facilitated numerous design thinking workshops, guiding leadership teams through critical strategic discussions about the future of their institutions. I’ll let some of the participants of the workshops explain the value they got out of the sessions:

    • “Collegis didn’t just help us evaluate our processes — they led us on a journey to uncover areas of improvement we hadn’t even considered. Their expert guidance illuminated the path forward, empowering us to create a more positive, streamlined, and truly enjoyable student experience.”
    • “My team and I were thoroughly impressed with your ability to take what essentially was a speck of an idea and collaboratively ideate possibilities for [the university] to offer new academic programs and training to underserved high school populations.”
    • “Collegis took the time to meet with leadership prior to the sessions and came prepared to tackle the challenges at the college. The activities were well thought-out and allowed individuals time to really think about the core issues. Thanks to Collegis, I am hopeful that our college can make key changes that will benefit our student experience and lighten our faculty/staff workload.”

    Looking Forward

    As you can see, 2024 has been a year of growth, innovation, and collaboration. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with our partners and look forward to even greater achievements in the years to come.

    I’d like to extend my sincere gratitude to my Collegis colleagues, who amaze me with their creativity, expertise, and dedication to delivering exceptional results. I can’t wait to see what you do in 2025 to continue inspiring each other and driving growth for our partners.

    Happy Holidays and best wishes for a prosperous New Year!

    — Kim Fahey, CEO Collegis Education

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  • 2025 Higher Ed Disruptions | Collegis Education

    2025 Higher Ed Disruptions | Collegis Education

    As 2024 draws to a close, the holiday season inspires gratitude and reflection. Personally, I’m very grateful for the incredible partners and colleagues I’ve had the privilege to work with this year. Together, we accomplished so much.

    • We collaborated with our partners throughout the year to deliver great experiences for their students, alumni, and staff.
    • We collectively navigated some of higher education’s biggest challenges, driving partner growth and enabling impact.
    • We pushed the boundaries of innovation, embracing the power of data-enabled technologies.

    I’m so proud of the positive impact the Collegis team generated with our partners across the entire student lifecycle, from the moment prospective students first inquire about a program to the day they graduate.

    Let’s look back at some of 2024’s meaningful results

    Recruitment and Enrollment Growth

    We supported double-digit year-over-year (YoY) enrollment growth –– as high as 57% –– for many partner institutions in first-year, program-specific, transfer, and graduate populations. Engagement from our enrollment teams was instrumental in connecting students with the right programs and guiding them through the admissions process.

    IT Managed Services and Student Support

    Our IT team ensured seamless operations, providing reliable technology solutions that empower students and faculty. Some of my favorite examples from 2024 include:

    • Integrating systems to drive process improvement across enrollment, financial aid, academics, and career services.
    • Modernized campus infrastructures and networks to drive student engagement at a college’s main hall.
    • Significantly improved student experience by implementing a user-friendly, single sign-on (SSO) solution across student-facing systems.
    • Led an institution through a critical component of its digital transformation journey by migrating its on-premise, legacy ERP to a cloud-based, next-generation solution.

    Innovative Learning Experiences

    Our instructional design team enabled partners to grow their online course offerings on platforms such as Brightspace, Canvas, Coursera, and Blackboard Ultra, including course and online library development, course migrations, maintenance, faculty support, and term start/end deployment activities.

    We collaborated with the nursing program at one partner to revamp the entire library of online courses to meet new accreditation standards. Another partner was able to add 200 online courses to fill the needs of 13 online programs at three schools.

    Marketing Impact

    Our web team conducted a user survey and other research to refine a partner’s website, which increased clicks to inquire by 82%, the request for information (RFI) click rate to 71%, and clicks to apply by 7.5%.

    Another shining example was uncovering a way to target a healthcare provider’s employees who are eligible for a tuition discount. Because of healthcare regulations, the partner could not provide an audience list, so Collegis addressed this niche audience using in-platform targeting tools available on social media platforms. The return on ad spend (ROAS) is 2.2:1 overall in 2024 with plans to expand the program next year.

    Student Success

    Our student support team provided essential services to help students thrive and continue to pursue their academic goals.

    • At a public, four-year institution in Ohio, Collegis Student Success Coaches helped new students with the registration process, driving admit-to-enroll numbers and YOY growth of +66% in Fall 2024.
    • At a private, four-year institution in Texas, Fall retention was 97%, with a 90% retention rate since the partnership launched.
    • At a private, four-year institution in New York, term-over-term retention from Summer to Fall is 96%, with a 91% average retention rate since the partnership launched.
    • At a public, two-year institution in the Pacific Northwest, Collegis helped drive the sixth consecutive term of enrollment growth, with Fall enrollment trending toward +8%.

    Research and Portfolio Planning

    Because we are ingrained in every step of the student lifecycle, partners often ask us to assist with forward-looking strategies. For example, our team helped a partner understand the pros and cons of expanding their full-time Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) with a part-time program. With our marketplace analysis, recommendations for how to offer courses, and a marketing launch plan, the institution is currently accepting applications for Summer 2025.

    Another institution asked for Collegis’s assistance to develop a multi-year strategic approach to graduate enrollments. The partner’s team lead noted that, “[Collegis] led productive brainstorming and strategic planning sessions with the team. Their deep knowledge of graduate enrollment trends, market analysis for graduate programs and expertise in leading our team from conceptualization to the delivery of specific recommendations on our next steps were invaluable.”

    Strategic Innovation and Workshop Design

    Our strategy and solutions team helped colleges and universities unpack complex problems and find innovative, human-centered solutions. We architected and facilitated numerous design thinking workshops, guiding leadership teams through critical strategic discussions about the future of their institutions. I’ll let some of the participants of the workshops explain the value they got out of the sessions:

    • “Collegis didn’t just help us evaluate our processes — they led us on a journey to uncover areas of improvement we hadn’t even considered. Their expert guidance illuminated the path forward, empowering us to create a more positive, streamlined, and truly enjoyable student experience.”
    • “My team and I were thoroughly impressed with your ability to take what essentially was a speck of an idea and collaboratively ideate possibilities for [the university] to offer new academic programs and training to underserved high school populations.”
    • “Collegis took the time to meet with leadership prior to the sessions and came prepared to tackle the challenges at the college. The activities were well thought-out and allowed individuals time to really think about the core issues. Thanks to Collegis, I am hopeful that our college can make key changes that will benefit our student experience and lighten our faculty/staff workload.”

    Looking Forward

    As you can see, 2024 has been a year of growth, innovation, and collaboration. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with our partners and look forward to even greater achievements in the years to come.

    I’d like to extend my sincere gratitude to my Collegis colleagues, who amaze me with their creativity, expertise, and dedication to delivering exceptional results. I can’t wait to see what you do in 2025 to continue inspiring each other and driving growth for our partners.

    Happy Holidays and best wishes for a prosperous New Year!

    — Kim Fahey, CEO Collegis Education

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