Over the past couple of semesters, we’ve been experiencing somewhat of a resurgence in college enrollments; albeit small, but a resurgence, nonetheless. You see, this past spring semester alone, higher education has seen total secondary enrollments grow by 3.2% over spring 2024…
Community colleges saw 5.4% enrollment growth, with bachelor’s and associate degree programs growing by 2.1% and 6.3% respectively. Further, graduate degree enrollment increased 1.5% and is now 7.2 % higher than in 2020.
These stats, according to the National Student Clearinghouse[1], may finally represent somewhat of a welcomed trend change for many institutions, notwithstanding of the longer-term student drift-away from traditional colleges…
And, of course, the demographic cliff.
Regardless, any uptick in college enrollment is clearly welcomed.
Now, in past issues we’ve covered a number of degree programs that are in high demand. Programs like: Computer and Information Sciences, Agriculture and Health Professions programs, Biology and Business, among others.
And we explained why offering them at your institution could be a very good idea, because, simply put, where there’s demand, you should offer the supply.
However, there’s a flipside to that demand coin.
Some degree programs, you see, have gone “out of favor” as prospective students have begun looking “elsewhere” for their studies.
Which programs are “out of favor” … and why are prospective students looking elsewhere?
Well, let’s start with the “looking elsewhere” part. See, today’s prospective college students are interested in programs they believe can lead directly to a good paying job right after graduation.
Unfortunately, they don’t believe the nine programs below offer that.
Because of this mindset, enrollments these programs are down…
And your institution, whether it’s a traditional brick-and-mortar school, or operates primarily online, may want to consider axing them (especially if you’re a for-profit institution) and shifting resources towards the in-demand programs we’ve covered in past issues.
Now, the “out of favor” programs we’re about to show you have been in somewhat of an enrollment decline for some time now. So, chances are your school may already be aware of this and has already adjusted its program offerings.
So, what are these “out of favor” degree programs?
Well, Forbes magazine covered them extensively, but for our purposes today, we’ll keep it short and sweet.[2]
They are…
- Education
- English Language/Literature
- Social Sciences and History
- Foreign Languages
- Liberal Arts/Humanities
- Theology
- Architecture
- Area/Ethnic/Cultural/Gender Studies
- Philosophy/Religious Studies
It’s unfortunate to see there are fewer high-school grads interested in the teaching profession, but according to Forbes, Education, social sciences and humanities had the largest student losses.
Naturally, just because these programs have become “out of favor” doesn’t mean students aren’t interested in pursuing them. It simply means fewer of them are, and the demand for these programs is waning…
And if you focus too much of your resources on these programs, your bottom line could wane too.
Now, you already know this of course, but operating a for-profit institution means you need to tailor the majority of your programs to areas of great student interest.
And you understand that attracting new students into your “high demand” programs is not as simple as just offering them.
You can’t just list them on your website and hope new students visit it.
You need to make prospective students fully aware of your programs, by directly marketing them, to them.
How?
Well, that’s where Conversion Media Group comes in.
You see, CMG is a national leader in higher education enrollment initiatives.
Through our various digital marketing efforts and communications, we curate, and nurture education leads.
Then we call them. On the telephone.
Once we know they’re highly intent on enrolling in online college, and are a good fit for your institution, we can transfer the live phone calls directly to your enrollment department.
It sounds pretty simple, and for you it is.
For us, it’s a bit more detailed.
So, if you’re interested in increasing enrollments at your institution, give us a quick call at 1-800-419-3201 and we’ll go over all the details with you.
Or, if you’d like to schedule an appointment with one of our higher education enrollment initiative experts, simply click HERE.
[1] Current Term Enrollment Estimates | National Student Clearinghouse Research Center
[2] The Five Most Significant Ten-Year Trends In College Majors