The numbers don’t lie. The US population has grown by nearly 20 million people over the past decade. Yet even as our population grows, the percentage of high school seniors who enroll in college is at a ten year low.[1]
Last year, just 61.8% of recent high school grads enrolled in college, compared to 66% in 2014…
Down from its peak of 70% in 2010. [2]
This drop in “attendance”, combined with what many are calling a demographic cliff (the high school population is expected to peak next year), means traditional colleges and universities may be in trouble. Serious trouble.
You see, not only is there a smaller percentage of high schoolers matriculating directly into college, but the demographic itself, population wise, is shrinking.
Unfortunately, and likely as a result, the number of colleges and universities are shrinking too; with estimates of one closing or merging per week.[3]
However, even though the number of “traditional” college freshmen is, by all accounts, dwindling, there’s a massive demographic of prospective college students that institutions, especially online institutions, should be targeting for enrollment.
Today, Conversion Media Group, a national leader in higher ed enrollment initiatives, will discuss this demographic, and we’ll show you why targeting them for online course registration may be the key to reaching your enrollment goals.
So, what is this demographic and how big is it?
Let’s start with the size of the demo: 36.8 million. According to Statista, this is roughly double the entire US high school population.[4]
Who are they? Who are these 36.8 million people?
They’re adult learners who have “some college” but have not graduated. These are people who work, take care of family, have obligations that do not allow them to “go back” to campus… yet are, in many cases, wanting to achieve their degrees.
And, in many cases, they now have the means to do so… wanting to further their careers by earning the necessary credentials.
Simply put, there are 36.8 million potential enrollees, where an online education could best serve their goals and needs of career/credential achievement.
So, if you’re an institution offering online courses, or are a fully or primarily online institution, this is the demographic you should be targeting. It’s twice the size of the high school population!
Of course, this is easier said than done. If it were easy to reach these prospective students, this demographic would likely be much, much smaller. But it’s not.
However, there are solutions to reaching them. And those solutions come down to partnerships. Partnerships with organizations who know how to speak the language of this demo and know what it is that they want out of an education.
Now, it’s our expert and biased opinion that perhaps the best organization to partner with, to reach this demographic, is Conversion Media Group.
How does CMG reach this demo?
Well, after a short phone call with us, you’ll see exactly how!
Give us a call at 1-800-419-3201 or contact us HERE and we’ll guide you through our process.
New student outreach and online college enrollment initiatives are our expertise.
[1] U.S. Population 1950-2024 | MacroTrends
[2] What percentage of US high school graduates enroll in college? – USAFacts
[3] Colleges are now closing at a pace of one a week. What happens to the students? – The Hechinger Report