Industry Insights

Valuable insights from UPCEA's trusted corporate partners.

How Higher Education Marketing Metrics Help You Boost Enrollment

October 2, 2024

As the higher education sector faces a demographic cliff and shrinking demand for undergraduate degrees, institutions are searching for new ways to secure long-term growth.  According to a new report from the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 100 colleges have closed their doors over the past two years, and the sector has shrunk…

Transforming Prospective Student Engagement through Data-Driven Insights

August 23, 2024

A Funny Thing About Humans Information gathering is a universal behavior. Living creatures of all varieties gather information about their environment in order to thrive within it. But we humans take information gathering to a new level. Curiosity. We seek to learn, not just to survive, but to understand. This thirst for knowledge has led…

Universities and Extended Credentials

August 8, 2024

Traditional higher ed has largely forgone the growing lifelong learning market. In its place, the space has been filled by providers who describe their programs as alternative credentials.  But alternative is a misnomer. Certificate programs are not an alternative to degree programs; the great majority of people earning them already have their bachelor’s degrees. What…

Drive Success: Using Recruitment SEO to Fill Higher Education Seats

July 2, 2024

  Higher education marketing teams face a critical challenge: adapting to how learners now discover and explore educational programs. From the first touchpoint to application completion, marketers must ensure a seamless experience for prospective students and maintain their presence throughout the enrollment funnel. This makes recruitment SEO more important now than ever before. With fewer…

Future-Focused: Laying the Groundwork for Student Success with an Effective Orientation

July 1, 2024

Butler University has long been recognized for its commitment to providing high-quality education and fostering the development of well-rounded professionals. The Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program has been a cornerstone of the university’s academic offerings for decades. Through a continuous commitment to improvement, Butler has embraced innovative approaches to ensure its offerings remain relevant and…

Other Blogs and News:

UPCEA’s Corporate Member Blog Series #1 | Follow the Budget: 5 Areas Where Higher Ed is Spending (and struggling) in 2026

The higher education landscape is arguably the toughest it has been in a generation, marked by economic instability, demographic decline, and the constant imperative for greater efficiency. The 2026 Landscape of Higher Education Report confirms this volatile reality: beginning in 2026, many institutions will face a sustained decline in traditional-aged undergraduates. Enrollment growth is now…

Workforce Pell Is Here and Data Readiness Is the Real Test for Credential Innovation

The expansion of Pell Grant eligibility to short-term, non-degree programs—commonly known as Workforce Pell—has become a defining moment for credential innovation. In a strategic conversation hosted by UPCEA in December 2025, higher education leaders made one thing clear: access to Workforce Pell is not primarily a policy challenge. It is a data challenge. As institutions…

Reduced-Credit Degrees: Leading with Learners While Preparing for Disruption

As questions about the value, cost, and structure of a traditional bachelor’s degree continue to intensify, higher education leaders are confronting a reality that has remained largely unchanged for decades: the 120-credit-hour degree is more a historical artifact than a learner-centered design choice. During a recent conversation with UPCEA Institutional Representatives, panelists and participants explored…

Pack Light, Go Far: Hiking the Enrollment Trail

There’s a moment from my college days I remember more clearly than any midterm I ever took. I had stepped away from my bachelor’s degree at Penn State because I wanted to live a little. I’d grown up in the same town that I went to college and I just needed an extended reprieve, something…

Preparing the Workforce for an AI-Driven Economy: An Online and Professional Continuing Education Imperative

Is your online and professional continuing education unit looking for ways to improve job-market outcomes for graduates and alumni? Are you exploring strategies that better align your program portfolio with the skills business and industry leaders say they need both for new hires and for upskilling current employees?  Recent employer data provides a clear signal that high-demand employees are ones with verified AI skills and practical experience. A 2025…

Workforce Pell Grants: Primer and Update from Negotiated Rulemaking | Policy Matters (December 2025)

Major Updates Workforce Pell Grants for Short-Term Programs: A Primer and Update from Negotiated Rulemaking: Consensus Reached – What’s in the Draft Regulations We’ve developed a blog that provides a primer and overview of the recent negotiated rulemaking work on Workforce Pell Grants for Short-Term Programs, focusing on the first week of sessions held by…