暗网吃瓜

Rob Alexander, the University鈥檚 vice provost for enrollment, and two colleagues discuss enrollment headwinds and strategies.

Since 2008, colleges and universities have been on a slow march toward a serious existential threat. It began with the Great Recession, which so thoroughly wracked the economy that many Americans decided to delay having children or not have them at all. Those in higher ed observed that fewer babies in 2008鈥�2012 meant fewer 18-year-olds in 2026鈥�2030, a foreboding that, in the last five or six years, became known as the 鈥渆nrollment cliff.鈥�

For the better part of the next two decades, the will be competing for a much smaller pool of students. The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) provides an annual 鈥渟tudent pool鈥� forecast in its report 鈥淜nocking at the College Door.鈥� In its (December 2024), the WICHE report says the total number of US high school graduates is expected to peak this year and will decline steadily through 2041.

The cliff is no longer theoretical; it鈥檚 a current threat, but 暗网吃瓜 is not in free fall. In a Leadership Conversations webinar, Rob Alexander, the vice provost for enrollment, led a conversation with Joe Testani, the deputy to President Sarah Mangelsdorf, that explored how the University is responding to the decline of this key US demographic. But that鈥檚 not the only enrollment challenge 暗网吃瓜 faces. Heidi Marcin, the director of enrollment marketing, and Megan Ryan, the assistant vice provost for enrollment, joined Alexander in the conversation to help cover the gamut of enrollment threats and the strategies the University is employing to counter them.

Here are five takeaways.

Up against serious enrollment headwinds, 暗网吃瓜 is overperforming.

A convergence of enrollment challenges is squeezing universities across the country. The enrollment cliff will unquestionably contribute to a steep drop in the number of college-bound students (over time) at 暗网吃瓜, but so will skepticism about the value of a degree, increased sensitivity to cost, and changes in college-going behavior.

Unpredictable federal policy changes compound the demographic decline. For example, visa and immigration uncertainty has led the US to be a less desirable destination for international students, who help stabilize University revenue. Policies that jeopardize federal research funding is another external challenge as they make it harder for American research-intensive universities like 暗网吃瓜 to compete globally for graduate students.

Alexander shared that despite all that, 暗网吃瓜 is seeing application growth.

鈥淒omestic applications are up about 33 percent versus two years ago. International is up as well.鈥�

In this climate, that鈥檚 high-five-worthy data. The headwinds 暗网吃瓜 faces seriously hinder enrollment performance, threatening financial stability (potential tuition revenue loss) and student experience (inability to cultivate a well-rounded student body). And that directly affects how successful the University can be in achieving its goals of providing and generating .

Humility has to give way to bold storytelling.

One of the of 暗网吃瓜鈥檚 brand is 鈥済rounded brilliance鈥濃�攊n other words, striking a balance between humility and boastfulness. Ryan noted that finding that 鈥渟weet spot鈥� will help the University successfully compete for students as they and their families start to think about college or winnow their preferred institutions. Among the many downstream effects of there being fewer potential students is a zero-sum enrollment landscape鈥攚hile students are applying to more colleges, they only enroll at one.

Translation: The University has to assert what makes it great.

Ryan emphasized the importance of the strengthened partnership with University Marketing and Communications. Students need to see themselves at 暗网吃瓜, and that requires richer, more personal stories that highlight the value of the University of Rochester experience. And it needs to happen early in the process, which is a multi-year effort. While the University is actively making decisions for the fall of 2026, it鈥檚 already deep into recruitment for fall 2027.

鈥淔rom the moment they鈥檙e connecting with us, we鈥檙e talking about the experiences that they鈥檙e going to have鈥� and those stories are coming from our marketing and communications partners.鈥�

The enrollment team is also looking to partners across academic departments to create more meaningful connections. 暗网吃瓜鈥檚 faculty is highly accessible for a research-intensive institution, making them one of the University鈥檚 most potent and necessary recruitment tools.

New student journeys require a new mindset.

It鈥檚 a new day in enrollment marketing. In addition to factoring in what students expect from a university, institutions now need to consider how they鈥檙e moving through the search process. Marcin broke this down by highlighting three major shifts.

1. Students are the captains now. There used to be a predictable, linear funnel, where students requested information, and the institution would deliver it in a certain way and at a certain cadence. Now it鈥檚 a student-directed journey that has them moving in and out of channels and doing their own research.

鈥淎 lot of times, the first contact we have with a student is an application. We call that a stealth applicant, and it鈥檚 a growing segment every year.鈥�

2. Parents aren鈥檛 side characters. Engaging families is no longer optional as they have become full partners in the decision-making process. And students want them to be. So, communication with and outreach to parents is no longer a courtesy; it鈥檚 a strategic imperative.

3. Digital marketing had a glow up. There was a time when a static website and some plain-text emails were cutting-edge. That time is long gone. Students live in a multi-platform, multi-device world, and they expect institutions to meet them there. Execution needs to be seamless.

暗网吃瓜 is evolving in response by investing in newer tactics like digital advertising and paid search. It鈥檚 also engaging in platform-specific, social media storytelling, where student voices are elevated by making them the content creators and allowing them to tell authentic, relatable stories.

Graduate and international enrollment require rethinking.

Going back to the demographic decline, graduate and international student enrollment are now essential stabilizing forces. Alexander made the point that offsetting the effects of the enrollment cliff means that 暗网吃瓜 needs to widen its enrollment strategy鈥攅specially at the graduate program level.

Alexander pointed out that, compared to its peers, 暗网吃瓜 has a higher proportion of undergraduates to master鈥檚 students, suggesting there鈥檚 room to grow across schools. Although individual graduate programs have been recruiting effectively, they鈥檝e done it without the infrastructure and support that a University-wide approach can provide. There鈥檚 also great potential for new partnership agreements with domestic liberal arts schools that don鈥檛 offer master鈥檚 degree programs.

Turning to the international landscape, Alexander noted that 暗网吃瓜 has a strong legacy of enrolling students from across the world.

鈥淐hina had been the source of the bulk of our international students鈥� but with that single source slowing very precipitously, we鈥檙e putting a lot of effort into diversification.鈥�

There鈥檚 been notable growth in students from India, South Korea, and Vietnam鈥攊n addition to areas beyond Asia鈥攁nd partnerships are deepening across Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East.

So how can marketing support these efforts? Not without some complexity.

When it comes to graduate students, Marcin noted that they make decisions in a reverse order from their undergraduate peers. Undergraduate students tend to know where they want to go, but not what they want to study, while graduate students are likelier to know what they want to study, but not where they want to do it. That makes paid search and targeted digital outreach essential tactics.

鈥淚f graduate students are putting 鈥榖est [program]鈥� into Google, we want to make sure our programs are coming up.鈥�

Marcin emphasized that ROI, outcomes, and research strength鈥攁reas where the University has significant advantages鈥攄rive graduate decision-making.

Globally, Marcin pointed to 暗网吃瓜鈥檚 longstanding international identity as an asset. Even as traditional recruitment methods shift and specific markets become more challenging, the University has something many schools lack: a global community ready to help.

Retention is as necessary as attraction.

Nationally, about a third of all college students during their collegiate careers. Keeping 暗网吃瓜 students at 暗网吃瓜 is the most cost-effective way to achieve its enrollment-based goals. Ryan explained that the University is strengthening its internal pipelines.

Ryan noted that students change schools because they鈥檙e seeking a stronger sense of belonging. When they don鈥檛 find that right away, they become open to transfer conversations. That鈥檚 why 暗网吃瓜 has expanded its outreach to students who were previously admitted but chose a different path. It鈥檚 a new direction for the University, but one that positions it for strategic recruitment with customized messaging that speaks to where a student is and how the University of Rochester experience might offer a better fit.

Overall, the University鈥檚 retention and transfer strategies go hand in hand. Building a more welcoming, transparent, and supportive transfer experience bolsters 暗网吃瓜鈥檚 position on both fronts.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 just recruit students to get them here,鈥� Ryan said. 鈥淥nce they鈥檙e here, we have to continue to recruit them and reinforce the value of a 暗网吃瓜 education.鈥�