Enrollment

  • The subsidy trap: Are small colleges chasing the wrong markets?
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    The subsidy trap: Are small colleges chasing the wrong markets?

    Are the markets small colleges are chasing actually more reliable than their core residential model?

    April 20, 2026
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    Adobe Stock/Studio Nova

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    When families are informed, students stay enrolled

    Family access to critical student data is linked to higher retention and persistence.

    April 13, 2026
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    Enrollment and Retention

    A look at the pandemic's continuing impact on enrollment and how colleges can ensure students stay on course.

    By Higher Ed Dive staff
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    Iowa State plans to cut or merge 23 programs after mandated review

    The state’s board of regents last year directed public universities to look at low-enrollment programs and recommend closures.

    By • April 10, 2026
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    COVID remote learning put drain on college enrollment

    The percentages of students completing the FAFSA, taking the ACT or signing up for the first year of college fell in 2020-21, NBER data shows.

    By Anna Merod • April 10, 2026
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    Per-student state funding for higher ed dips for first time in years

    Enrollment gains at public colleges surpassed increases in state and local support in the 2025 fiscal year, according to an annual report. 

    By • April 9, 2026
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    Indiana public colleges to cut or merge about 580 programs due to state law

    A new statute took effect last year that seeks to cull academic offerings that produce low numbers of graduates.

    By • April 3, 2026
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    Deep Dive

    What can financial metrics actually tell college leaders about their programs?

    Measuring the costs and revenues of academic offerings isn't straightforward, but those accounting decisions have big implications in an era of austerity.

    By • April 2, 2026
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    Oregon State hikes tuition over 6% for new students amid budget gap

    Trustees at the public university approved the increase Friday in the face of a $14 million budget shortfall.

    By • March 16, 2026
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    Black students are the fastest growing demographic for Common App

    Data suggests "no meaningful deviations" from previous trends after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision ending race-conscious admissions.

    By Naaz Modan • March 13, 2026
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    Portland State University could close 3 departments, trim over a dozen others

    The public institution is grappling with a $35 million budget hole, but some faculty criticized the plan for cuts as “hasty and unimaginative.”

    By • March 11, 2026
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    Education Department urged to broaden ‘professional’ student definition

    Professional students will be able to borrow $100,000 more than other graduate students, but a proposed rule would exclude certain fields from the higher cap. 

    By • March 3, 2026
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    University of Iowa seeks to cut 7 degrees

    The proposed eliminations follow a mandated review that flagged undergraduate majors and master’s degrees deemed to have low enrollment.

    By • Feb. 26, 2026
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    The comeback starts here: How university leaders are reclaiming the future of higher ed

    As pressures mount against higher education institutions and the industry as a whole, colleges and universities are stepping up to lead higher education’s comeback.

    By Richard Garrett, Eduventures Chief Research Officer at Encoura • Feb. 23, 2026
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    Q&A

    Can Drexel’s new president make the university into a household name?

    Antonio Merlo discussed leading the Philadelphia private nonprofit through an academic transformation and navigating higher education’s choppy waters.

    By • Feb. 23, 2026
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    University of North Texas braces for budget cuts amid $45M deficit

    The institution’s leader attributed the gap to drops in state funding and larger-than-expected declines in international graduate enrollment. 

    By • Feb. 18, 2026
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    Deep Dive

    International enrollment is under pressure. How can colleges respond?

    Amid tighter visa policies, experts suggest colleges expand recruitment efforts and provide foreign students with more flexibility to help them feel welcome. 

    By Danielle McLean • Feb. 17, 2026
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    ‘An urgent operational reality’: Southern Oregon University faces looming cash shortfall

    The struggling regional institution has seen enrollment decline and is now trying to manage its expenses amid constrained revenue.

    By • Feb. 4, 2026
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    Fall 2025 enrollment increased 1% — but the devil is in the details

    Undergraduates drove growth, but graduate headcounts fell amid a loss of foreign students, per the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

    By • Jan. 15, 2026
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    What the 2026 salary report reveals about retention risk in higher ed marketing

    New salary data highlights growing retention risks for higher ed marketing teams.

    Jan. 12, 2026
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    Guilford College comes off accreditor probation after budget cuts

    The college was hunting for cash to balance its budget just six months ago. But donations and cost cuts saved it from accreditation loss.

    By • Dec. 10, 2025
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    Wisconsin public universities could start shedding programs more rapidly

    A committee developed a new metric based on enrollment that could increase the number of degrees that get flagged for review. 

    By • Dec. 10, 2025
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    S&P: Negative outlook for nonprofit colleges in 2026

    The credit ratings agency on Tuesday cited federal policy shifts, rising costs and increased competition over students.

    By • Dec. 3, 2025
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    New international enrollment dipped this fall, NAFSA survey finds

    The poll is the second released this month to show significant declines, especially in new foreign graduate students coming to the U.S.

    By • Nov. 26, 2025
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    Florida public universities plan to cut at least 18 academic programs

    The eliminations are part of a regular review of degree productivity based on graduate numbers. The latest review found 214 underperforming programs.

    By • Nov. 24, 2025
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    Sonoma State University gets new leader after turbulent year of cuts

    Cal State veteran Michael Spagna is set to take over the institution in January following widely opposed budget cuts and amid ongoing enrollment troubles. 

    By • Nov. 21, 2025