Ad Opportunity: New Demographics and Higher Education

 

Colleges and universities have long relied on the traditional recent high-school graduate to populate their lecture halls. However, from now until 2017-2018, the number of high-school graduates is predicted to drop. Some regions, such as the Northeast, expect to see annual drops of 1% in the potential pool of traditional students while the South may actually see a rise in the number of annual high school graduates.

Many schools are already preparing for the dearth of qualified candidates by expanding their program bases.  Here are the specific trends colleges are following as they modify their offerings, according to Market Research and Advisory Services, a division of EducationDynamics:

• The greatest growth rate in enrollment will be in the 25-34 year old age group along with a related demand for associate and graduate degree programs.
• Employers are more willing to fund the cost of employee training and work as partners with institutions of higher education when designing courses of study.
• Schools are seeking to balance the gender ratio on campus and are marketing directly to males to increase their enrollment.
• Older consumers are seeking short-term retraining programs with a demonstrated career payoff.

Carol Aslanian, the study author, acknowledges that colleges and universities face big changes in the marketplace but  “knowing what to expect allows schools to start repositioning for opportunity now.” Use these talking points to discuss the current environment with your local education clients and develop an ad campaign that targets specific market segments to increase enrollment for them and revenue for you.

[Sources: Ten Demographic Trends, Market Research and Advisory Services, January 2010 release; Demographic Boom & Bust, Inside Higher Ed, accessed February 2010]