Graduate and online enrollment teams face constrained budgets even as their work becomes a higher priority for institutions nationwide, according to a survey from EAB.
The higher education consulting service surveyed nearly 350 university leaders responsible for graduate and online enrollment to understand potential areas for growth. Two-thirds said they are tasked with growing graduate enrollment by 3% in the next three years and 92% said enrollment growth is a top priority for the 2024–25 academic year.
However, most respondents say they lack the staff or infrastructure for that kind of progress. Respondents reported a $912,000 average total budget for graduate and online enrollment management. A 2024 survey by EAB discovered the budgets for undergraduate programs eclipse $4.3 million.
Currently, graduate programs account for an average 39% of an institution’s total net tuition revenue; online programs account for 14%.
Several facets of graduate and online enrollment operations are being hampered, the survey found. For example, less than one full-time staff member is dedicated to digital marketing despite the fact digital media was identified as the most effective source for lead generation.
More from UB: Here are 4 ways curriculum must evolve for a 21st-century breakthrough
Secondly, most institutions are unable to track key metrics related to goal attainment. Despite 62% of university leaders prioritizing increased tuition revenue, 26% of respondents are unsure if they met their graduate net tuition revenue goals and 36% of respondents are unsure if they met their online goals. Over half were unaware of their cost-per-lead and cost-per-enrolled student.
“When compared to undergraduate programs, graduate and online enrollment teams often operate with fewer staff, smaller budgets, and less centralized oversight,” the report read. “Without strong infrastructure in place, universities face significant challenges in identifying key enrollment drivers, effectively allocating resources, and ultimately achieving their graduate and online enrollment goals.”
Fortunately, outsourcing key functions can play a crucial role in how graduate and online enrollment teams meet their desired targets. For example, institutions that met their enrollment goals tended to be those that outsourced or shared responsibility for programmatic market research, recruitment marketing and SEO with an outside vendor.
Institutions tended to split responsibility with an outside vendor mostly on recruitment marketing, marketing research and international recruitment.
However, those that fell short of their enrollment goals tended to be those that outsourced call centers, suggesting that direct communication between in-house admissions staff and prospective students is more effective.
