NEW ORLEANS, LA., July 30, 2024 — Search Influence, a leading higher education digital marketing agency, and UPCEA, the Online and Professional Education Association, announced their co-authored Higher Ed Marketing Metrics Research Report. The study establishes industry-first benchmarks for marketing cost metrics at professional, continuing, and online (PCO) education schools and reveals major gaps in metric tracking among institutions.

Report Key Findings:

• Less than half of marketers at these institutions track cost per inquiry (46%) and cost per enrolled student (43%).
• 17% of respondents say they do not track key marketing metrics.
• Less than half (47%) are satisfied with their marketing campaign performance, while only 38% are satisfied with their current cost expenditure. 
• Marketers risk poor campaign performance, wasted budget, and reduced lead quality by not tracking key metrics.

Among institutions tracking cost per inquiry (CPI), the average CPI is $140, with a range of $29.03 to $450. For those tracking cost per enrolled student, the average cost is $2,849 per student. This breaks down to an average of $1,505 for undergraduate and $3,804 for graduate enrollment, and $599 for non-credit programs. As the industry’s first report into metric tracking among PCO schools, these higher education marketing benchmarks provide an important starting point for marketers to assess the performance of their campaigns against industry peers.

The report showed a positive correlation between tracking cost per inquiry and cost per enrolled student and satisfaction with campaign performance. 92% of those who track these metrics are satisfied with campaign performance.

“We know from our experience working with higher education institutions that when you track metrics like CPI and evaluate them against historical performance or industry standards, you can confidently make strategic campaign adjustments,” said Search Influence Director Paula French. “What’s more, we’ve seen higher ed marketers use these metrics to increase ROI by reducing CPI and cost per enrolled student over time.”

As the online and professional education sector grows, the study highlighted the urgent need for institutions to adapt their digital engagement strategies to remain competitive. UPCEA Chief Research Officer Jim Fong added, “As new generations of students favor non-traditional higher education pathways and the demographics of the ‘adult learner’ evolve, institutions must adapt the programs they offer accordingly. In response to consumers’ changing online behaviors and preferences, institutions must reassess their online targeting strategies to reach prospective students effectively.”

96 UPCEA members participated in the Higher Education Marketing Metrics Research Study, and 44 members completed the survey, conducted between October 18, 2023, and January 12, 2024.

Search Influence has been a UPCEA Platinum Partner since September 2022. Through this partnership, Search Influence and UPCEA produce resources, including research studies and webinars, to help higher education marketers better understand their campaign performance and drive inquiries efficiently.

Download the full Higher Ed Marketing Metrics Research Report here.