For decades, American higher education operated under a simple assumption: there would always be another wave of high school graduates ready to replace the last. That assumption is no longer safe. You see, beneath the glossy marketing campaigns and optimistic press releases sits a colder truth; a colder truth you’re already aware of… The traditional...Read More

Just like any thriving business, colleges and universities, especially primarily online institutions catering to adult learners, depend on a steady flow of new customers. Or, in the case of higher ed, new students. Unfortunately, if your pipeline of prospects dries up, enrollments sink and so does your bottom line. And right now, that’s not just...Read More

Ask any Zoomer and they’ll tell you, “I’ve heard trade school is the place to be, not college.” Sounds odd, but it didn’t used to be this way. You see, for decades the dominant message to/from young people was clear… Go to a four-year college, earn a bachelor’s degree, and success will follow. But as...Read More

Last year both posed challenges and presented opportunities in higher education. We, the writers at Conversion Media Group, did our very best to present each one to you. We hope you took advantage of all the opportunities and were fortunate enough to avoid all the challenges. Of course, this year, we’ll continue to keep abreast...Read More

Everyone in higher education knows the story of Jones International University. Way back in 1993, it became the very first fully online, regionally accredited university. By the early 2000s, the school began offering fully online bachelor’s, master’s and even doctoral programs. But, as it turned, the school was well ahead of its time and woefully...Read More

Every November, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC) publishes its preliminary report on Fall enrollments. And this year’s report is quite promising for brick-and-mortar colleges and universities… Overall enrollments continue to rebound post pandemic and are up 2% over Fall 2024. Even more promising, undergrad enrollment is up 2.4%.[1] Of course, while this is...Read More

A lot has changed at the Ed. Dept this year. Some for the better, some perhaps, for the worse. However, one change in particular is most certainly being viewed as a positive by short-term career-based schools: Changes in Pell Grants. You see, this past summer, Congress passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) which...Read More

It’s Halloween season. And ghosts are beginning to appear everywhere… including ghost students. No, not college co-eds dressed up in their scariest outfits for a night out with friends, but scammers who enroll in college just to defraud your institution (and the student loan system) out of millions. Yes, millions. It’s a problem that’s been...Read More

Online learning has become wildly popular. However, just because far more students are comfortable going to college fully online, doesn’t mean they don’t have serious considerations before enrolling. According to Data Accumulated by Statista, The Top 10 Considerations Are[1]… Affordability: 46% of prospects cited the cost of classes when it comes to choosing an online program....Read More

For years, traditional higher education (colleges/universities) have enjoyed a massive “early investment” advantage over trade and career-based schools. Namely, the 529 savings plan. These plans, created decades ago by Section 529 of the IRS code, are “tax-advantaged” savings accounts that allow parents to contribute money to their kids’ college funds, beginning on the day of...Read More