Plus, two more schools report record enrollments. Plus, Texas State focuses on international, online students
Issue 8
Colleges Spending 32% of MarComm Budgets on 26% of Enrollment
According to this post from Validated Insights, online programs and courses represented 26% of total enrollment in 2022, yet it consumed nearly a third of college marketing and communications budgets.
The unbalanced marketing investment for online courses is a significant reason why so few online programs are revenue positive.
Either way, the same post sources a survey showing that nearly half (47%) of higher education administrators plan to increase their budgets for online programs.
Two Schools Report Record Enrollments
In Michigan, Grand Rapids Community College has reported a healthy gain in enrollments, up more than 3.5% to a record high. In an interview, a school leader credits state programs as well as student supports leading to easy enrollment and retention.
Down in Texas, the University of Texas, San Antonio also reported record enrollment.
From the news article:
UTSA current total enrollment stands at 32,405 students, a 2.1% increase from spring 2023. This is the first year UTSA’s spring enrollment has breached the 32,000 mark, a positive indication toward the university’s strategic goal of enrolling 41,000 students by 2028.
Students at the university also are enrolled in more credit hours. They are taking 372,424 hours as of spring 2024, a 3.6% increase from a year ago.
Texas State Looks to International Students, Online to Boost Enrollments
In a recent report to the state, Texas State University leaders said they were looking to international students and online enrollees to boost their numbers, which are down overall but growing.
From the coverage:
Texas State continues to look for ways to grow its enrollment, Damphousse said in his report, pointing to international students and online enrollees as potential growth segments. Texas State had 35,103 students enrolled in the current semester as of Jan. 11. The school’s largest enrollment was 38,940 in 2016, according to the report.
Share Your Thoughts: FAFSA, Admissions Testing
Two of the biggest practical issues impacting college enrollments and marketing departments are the unprecedented delays in the FASFA and the return of high-brand schools to admissions tests such as the SAT.
If you’d like to share how your school is dealing with these issues, or how your company is advising partners on them, please send in your views for publication to [email protected].
