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News & Tips

The Enrollment Cliff is Coming – Are You Reaching Prospective Students?  

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For many colleges and universities, the upcoming enrollment cliff is encouraging creative advertising to get their brand in front of prospective students and the community to increase brand awareness.

Higher education leaders are familiar with the impending enrollment cliff that is projected to peak in 2025. There are fewer high school graduates, which in turn means fewer prospective students. Add on the cultural shift that has been present since the COVID pandemic that has decreased demand and trust in higher education, and colleges are facing quite an uphill battle.  

So – how do you ensure that your institution is making an impact with soon to be graduates?  

Promote Programs that Have Career Potential

The job market is especially tough right now – layoffs, an increase in AI automation, and a slowdown in hiring. Young adults debating college are constantly reminded of the difficulties of finding – and keeping – a white-collar job.  That’s why many high school graduates are opting for trade schools or certificate programs over the traditional four-year degree. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, in the spring of 2022 many skilled trades programs saw substantial enrollment growth, construction with a 19.3% increase, mechanic and repair jumped up 11.5%, and culinary grew by 12.7%.   If your organization offers similar programs, it may be the time to promote these to potential students. 
Health professions degrees are among the most popular bachelor's degrees, making promoting these majors a no-brainer for higher education marketers.

But, if your school only offers traditional bachelor’s degree programs, investigate which programs have seen the most growth over the past few years. Of the 2 million bachelor’s degrees given in 2019-2020, 58% were in six fields: business, health professions, social sciences and history, engineering, biological and biomedical sciences, and psychology (Forbes). With that, colleges should be promoting these degrees that candidates may find to be safer options with more job opportunity upon graduation.  

Recruit Outside of (Or Protect) Your Backyard

While the 2025 enrollment cliff is based on the demographic trend for college aged students decreasing overall, there are areas of the nation that have strong population growth and may not be as impacted. The northeast and midwest will see the sharpest declines – while the west and south will fare better.   If your institution is in the midwest or east, it may be time to launch recruitment efforts in other areas of the country. Providing financial incentives for students from out of state – decreased tuition costs or merit scholarships that bring the total cost closer to instate tuition – may be a good way to entice students from other areas of the country.   And if you’re in the west or south, you’ll need to double down on protecting your own backyard. If your area is one of the lucky ones that won’t be as impacted by the demographic shift, make sure you’re still incentivizing local graduates! As the competition for fewer students increases, you’ll need to make sure that your offerings to potential students are attractive enough to keep your hometown students nearby.  
It's important that your community knows your university's brand and is familiar with what your school offers - not just academically, but also with athletics and extracurriculars.

Refine Your Marketing Strategy to Increase Brand Awareness Earlier

Remaining relevant is going to be crucial for colleges and universities as the enrollment cliff nears. As there are fewer graduates, and more and more of them decide not to attend college – your institution needs to make sure it stands out, and makes an impact earlier. Colleges need to drive the “college-going culture” earlier than high school, connecting with elementary and middle-school aged children.  

Building trust in your brand with the younger generation will bode well for your institution in the future. And to do that, your messaging needs to be simple, impactful, and everywhere.  

“Universities tend to have a hard time having a very clear, focused message,” said Eunkyu Lee, associate dean and a professor of marketing at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management. “There’s a lot more focus on rankings and much less collective effort to rebuild confidence in the value of higher education.” (The Hechinger Report). 

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Having a clear call to action or message in higher education advertising is crucial, especially as schools begin to target younger and younger students.

Institutions need to refine their marketing to make sense not just to the typical candidate – but to everyone. Children in cars driving down a busy suburban street may spot a bus advertisement for a local university that can develop into a conversation about higher education with a parent, starting the building blocks of that university’s brand recognition in the child’s mind. Your marketing needs to be everywhere, with a message that works for everyone.  

Consider OOH Advertising for Higher Education

In advance of the 2025 enrollment cliff and throughout the coming years, colleges and universities will need to get creative with their marketing efforts to make sure that they’re promoting the right programs, in the right areas, to the right people. One source of advertising that many overlook is out of home, and its power to connect with thousands of individuals of all ages daily.  

More specifically, transit advertising allows you to put your college’s brand and messaging at eye level for everyone to see, with dynamic and interesting ads that are sure to stand out. If you’d like to learn more about how you can promote your school on transit, check out our higher education page, or reach out to our team of transit advertising professionals at Adsposure