For years, higher ed marketing teams built their digital strategies around one primary goal: rank in search. Optimize program pages, capture high-intent keywords, improve technical SEO, and generate inquiries.

Search still matters, but it’s no longer the full story.

Today, content is surfaced before a query is typed (and increasingly before users ever click) as algorithms predict what users care about and AI-powered results synthesize answers directly in search.

Visibility is no longer just about intent. It’s about interest, authority, and being trusted as a source.

For colleges and universities, this shift demands a more mature approach to higher education content strategy, one that moves beyond isolated blog posts and embraces a discovery-driven model of influence.

The shift from search intent to content discovery

Traditional SEO is reactive. A prospective student searches “MBA in healthcare management” and optimized content competes to appear.

Today’s discovery environments operate differently. Platforms now surface content based on:

• Topical depth and consistency
• Geographic and regional relevance
• Demonstrated expertise
• Clear, value-driven headlines

At the same time, AI-powered search is changing how content is surfaced within search itself. Instead of simply ranking results, platforms now generate answers, pulling from sources they determine to be credible and authoritative. As queries become more conversational and specific, content must be clear, direct, and grounded in real expertise.

This evolution is reshaping higher education content marketing. Institutions aren’t just competing for keyword rankings. They’re competing to be recognized as credible authorities in the areas that matter most to their audiences. This changes how content should be planned, produced, and measured.

Why this matters for higher education

Early-stage visibility influences perception long before inquiry.

Prospective students, parents, and employers form impressions based on the expertise they encounter in their feeds. Institutions that consistently surface insight build credibility early. Those that don’t risk being left out of the conversation altogether.

This is where higher ed needs to evolve its content strategy. Instead of publishing primarily to support program pages or campus news, institutions need a coordinated authority strategy that reinforces their strengths across academic, regional, and industry dimensions.

Think of it this way: Search captures students who are already looking. Discovery introduces your institution to those who aren’t yet.

Both are essential, and increasingly, they’re converging. AI-generated results blur the line, combining elements of search and discovery by prioritizing authority, clarity, and relevance.

3 Forces reshaping higher education content strategy

Several clear trends are changing how institutional content earns attention and builds credibility. Understanding these shifts is key to staying competitive.

1. Regional relevance is now a competitive advantage

Algorithms increasingly prioritize content tied to geographic context. For colleges and universities, that’s an opportunity, not a constraint.

Institutions can strengthen visibility by highlighting:

• Workforce-aligned programs supported by regional labor data
• Employer partnerships and internship pipelines
• Community-based research initiatives
• Alumni success stories within local industries

For regional and state institutions, this creates a clear advantage. National publishers may dominate broad topics, but they can’t replicate authentic local impact.

2. Thematic authority beats content volume

Publishing frequently isn’t enough. Authority is built through depth and consistency.
Instead of sporadically posting unrelated blog articles, institutions should define three to five core content pillars aligned to their strengths.

Examples might include:

• Healthcare workforce innovation
• AI and applied technology
• Sustainability and environmental leadership
• Online learning excellence
• Student outcomes and career mobility

From there, build clusters of related content that reinforce those themes over time. This approach strengthens credibility by signaling sustained expertise rather than episodic activity. It also supports enrollment strategy by clarifying what the institution stands for in a crowded market.

Authority compounds through consistent, focused content. Random publishing dilutes it.

3. Substance outperforms promotion

Discovery-driven platforms (e.g., Google Discover, AI-powered search results, and social or content feeds like Reddit and YouTube) increasingly reward clarity and expertise over exaggerated headlines or overly promotional messaging.

That’s good news for higher ed. Colleges and universities are built on research, faculty insight, and measurable outcomes. The opportunity isn’t creating substance; it’s strategically elevating it.

Faculty represent one of the most underutilized assets in higher ed content strategy. Elevating faculty voices as subject matter experts demonstrates credibility.

Strong content should:

• Lead with insight, not enrollment language
• Use descriptive, transparent headlines
• Be easy to understand and quickly scan
• Provide timely commentary on industry trends
• Translate faculty expertise into real-world relevance

When faculty perspectives are integrated into content strategy, institutions build both visibility and trust, positioning themselves as credible voices in the conversations that matter most.

Building a discovery-focused higher education content strategy

A modern content strategy requires alignment across marketing, enrollment, and academic teams. To move forward, institutions should focus on four key areas.

1. Define institutional authority pillars

Start by identifying the themes that differentiate your institution. Anchor content around these pillars so every piece reinforces a clear area of expertise.

To keep messaging consistent, we often work with our partners to develop message maps that align institutional strengths with meaningful student outcomes. This ensures content stays focused, aligned, and grounded in real value.

Remember, clarity and consistency drive credibility. Without them, content loses impact.

2. Integrate regional and workforce signals

To resonate, content must connect offerings to outcomes. Make an effort to connect your content to:

• State and regional economic data
• Employer demand trends
• Community partnerships
• Local alumni impact

This strengthens relevance while reinforcing your institution’s role in its ecosystem.

3. Align marketing and academic voices

Marketing teams shape content direction and distribution. Faculty and academic leaders provide depth and credibility. When academic insight and strategic storytelling operate together, authority becomes visible.

This alignment turns expertise into impact. Instead of disconnected efforts, institutions create content that reflects real knowledge, answers real questions, and builds trust with prospective students.

4. Use data to understand what’s working and why

Discovery performance should be evaluated differently from traditional search performance. Both matter, but they reflect different audience behaviors.

• Search reflects existing demand — what users actively look for.
• Discovery reflects emerging interest — what earns attention based on relevance and expertise.

Together, they show both what audiences ask for and what captures their attention. And AI-powered results add another layer, prioritizing content that is clear, credible, and easy to interpret.

The opportunity for institutions ready to lead

For colleges and universities, this shift in how people consume information and evaluate credibility is an opportunity.

Institutions already possess subject matter expertise, research credibility, community impact, and authentic mission-driven narratives. The ones that will lead in this environment are those that operationalize these strengths through a disciplined, insight-driven higher education content strategy.

The institutions that thrive will:

• Own clearly defined areas of expertise
• Connect content to regional and workforce outcomes
• Replace promotional tone with informed perspective
• Align marketing, enrollment, and academics
• Use data to guide continuous refinement

What to do when your team can’t do it all

Not every institution has the internal skills or capacity to sustain this type of content strategy. It requires planning, cross-functional alignment, and consistent execution over time.

For many, the challenge isn’t recognizing the need — it’s operationalizing it.

That’s where an experienced higher ed marketing partner can help, bringing structure and execution together to ensure content efforts remain consistent and aligned to institutional goals.

Building authority in a discovery-driven future

Search still matters. But discovery and AI-driven experiences are shaping influence earlier than ever. Institutions that adapt will build lasting authority, grounded in expertise and visible where decisions begin.

At Collegis, we help institutions turn strategy into execution, building content that drives credibility and supports enrollment outcomes.

Because authority isn’t built by reacting. It’s built by design.

You Can’t Cut Your Way to Growth in Higher Education

During conversations with dozens of institutional leaders at our recent DisruptED summit, it is clear that they are facing unprecedented financial pressure.

Tuition revenue is declining at many institutions. Retention rates are slipping. The demographic pipeline of traditional-age students continues to narrow. Competition is intensifying. And labor costs (often the largest line item on the budget) rise year over year.

When the top line shrinks, the immediate instinct is simple: cut expenses. Balance the budget by reducing overhead, freezing hiring, trimming programs, delaying investments, etc.

Fiscal discipline is necessary. Institutions do need to right-size expenses. But here’s the reality: You can’t cut your way to growth.

The temptation of expense control

Few colleges and universities have endowments large enough or flexible enough to offset sustained enrollment declines. When revenue drops, leaders often turn to the most direct lever: expense. It’s measurable, it can be immediate, and it creates the appearance of control.

Reducing costs can stop the bleeding, but it does not address the structural challenges driving financial strain in the first place. Enrollment headwinds are not temporary, retention pressures are not isolated, and labor costs will continue to increase.

And there is a limit to how much you can cut. There is only so much you can remove before you begin weakening the very capabilities required to compete. At some point, you’re cutting into bone.

The hidden costs of cutting your way to stability

When institutions focus exclusively on expense, they often underinvest in the very capabilities that generate and protect revenue.

There are areas in higher education that are not discretionary — they are strategic.

Enrollment infrastructure

Reducing marketing investment or enrollment operations may create short-term savings. But it weakens the pipeline that fuels future cohorts.

If institutions scale back recruitment strategy, market visibility declines, inquiry flow softens, and conversion rates slip. The downstream impact may not show up immediately, but it will compound.

Enrollment is not optional spending. It is revenue generation.

Retention and student support

Retention protects the revenue institutions have already worked so hard to earn. When student support structures are reduced or there is unnecessary friction in the student lifecycle, stop-out rates increase, students disengage, and tuition dollars disappear.

Improving retention requires intentional investment in data, technology-enabled engagement models, and proactive outreach. Cutting here may balance a line item today while accelerating revenue loss tomorrow.

Data and technology modernization

Many institutions are allocating substantial dollars to maintain outdated infrastructure. Siloed systems, inefficient processes, and disconnected data environments absorb budget without advancing growth.

You cannot compete in today’s environment with yesterday’s infrastructure.

Growth requires more than maintaining legacy systems. Institutions must invest in a modern, connected data ecosystem that brings together enrollment, retention, academic, and financial insights in real time. Without integrated, reliable data, AI initiatives stall before they scale and generate ROI. A unified data foundation is the prerequisite for innovation and sustainable growth.

IT capability and cybersecurity

Technology has become central to institutional resilience. Reducing IT capability may appear efficient, but it often eliminates critical skill sets and increases cybersecurity exposure. In an era of escalating threats, a fragmented or under-resourced IT environment carries significant risk.

Short-term savings achieved at the expense of security and resilience can create long-term consequences far greater than the dollars preserved.

Start with a clear view of where you stand

Before institutions can grow, they must understand where they are. That begins with a clear-eyed assessment of how resources are currently allocated. Leaders need visibility into where investments are going, and whether those investments are advancing institutional priorities or simply sustaining the status quo.

In our work with partners, we conduct IT and institutional health assessments as part of the discovery process. These assessments provide a comprehensive view of technology infrastructure, operational processes, and investment priorities to ensure recommendations align with each institution’s goals and desired outcomes.

Through this exercise, we often see institutions investing significant resources in outdated technologies, duplicative systems, and manual processes that no longer support their strategic direction. In some cases, they are throwing good money into bad infrastructure — continuing to fund tools and workflows that limit agility instead of enabling it.

Without that clarity, cost-cutting becomes reactive and misdirected, trimming visible expenses while inefficient systems continue draining resources behind the scenes. Sustainable growth requires more than reduction. Leaders must know what drives revenue, what protects it, and what erodes it. From there, you can streamline with precision, modernize with purpose, and reinvest where it matters most.

Shifting from stabilization to sustainable growth

Once you understand where you stand, the next step is a deliberate commitment to change.

Cost control is certainly part of the equation, but it is not the full solution. Streamlining inefficiencies and modernizing outdated systems are important steps. They are not, on their own, a growth strategy.

The real shift happens when leaders stop asking, “Where can we cut?” and start asking, “What will move us forward?”

That means:

• Bringing the right programs to market based on demand
• Using data to strengthen enrollment and retention strategy
• Aligning technology with the student experience
• Protecting and expanding revenue engines
• Leveraging automation and integration to scale impact

Growth does not happen by default. It happens when institutions intentionally build the capabilities that drive momentum across the student lifecycle.

Leadership will define what comes next

Committing to change requires decisive leadership.

Higher education is navigating structural shifts, not temporary disruption, and stability will not simply return with time. Leaders must move beyond preserving the status quo and instead shape what comes next for their institutions.

That means challenging long-held assumptions, prioritizing investments that strengthen enrollment and retention, and acting with urgency in an environment defined by constant evolution. There is no final steady state ahead. The institutions that succeed will be those that build agility into their strategy, infrastructure, and culture.

Growth does not happen by chance. It is the result of sustained investment, modern capabilities, and leaders willing to move before circumstances force their hand.

You cannot cut your way to growth. But you can build your way toward it.

Last month, presidents, chancellors, and cabinet-level leaders, along with some of the most influential voices in higher education, joined Collegis Education at Arizona State University for #DisruptED26 — an executive-level summit where leaders came together to confront higher ed’s toughest challenges, from enrollment pressure and regulatory disruption to AI readiness and student experience.

It was a day of courageous conversations on how to shift the balance of power in our space from being disrupted to being the disrupters of higher ed. We discussed what it takes to operationalize innovation and how to redesign the student experience around the realities of modern higher education.

One message came through consistently: Institutions cannot afford to respond to today’s challenges with yesterday’s models. Here are some of the key insights and takeaways from #DisruptED26.

5 Key insights shaping higher ed’s next chapter

The conversations at #DisruptED26 surfaced several themes that will shape how institutions respond to enrollment pressure, technological disruption, and evolving student expectations.

1. Student behavior has changed faster than institutional design has kept pace.

The traditional student of today is non-traditional. Their expectations, behaviors, and preparation levels have evolved just as quickly. Students now search and browse differently — 60% of searches end in zero clicks — learn with AI, and arrive differently prepared, with reading levels the lowest in 30 years.

But here’s the problem: Institutions are still designing experiences for learners from 10 to 20 years ago. AI, technology, and a global pandemic rewired our behaviors, yet higher ed models remain relics of another era. We’ve reached a watershed moment, and as Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University, boldly states. Higher ed must evolve — or risk dying.

Institutions need to start thinking and operating more like businesses, treating their students as customers, and delivering products, experiences, and services that meet student expectations while staying mission-aligned. We’ve reached our Netflix moment.

2. The 60-year ‘Golden Age’ of enrollment growth is gone

The challenge is bigger than the demographic cliff alone. Wage compression, declining consumer confidence in higher ed, and graduates not being immune to lengthy periods of unemployment are all contributing to a decline in matriculation.

As Nathan Grawe, author and professor of economics at Carleton College, warned, “Institutions cannot simply recruit their way out of this problem.” The traditional-age higher ed market will continue to tighten. Recent projections show a 10% decline nationally from 2025 to 2041, requiring institutions to chase the same shrinking pool, potentially intensifying discounting and competition.

3. Experience is the new differentiator and it requires systems thinking and design thinking

To win the long game, schools must look at the end-to-end student experience, not just course design and curriculum. Fixing one piece of the student journey will do you no good if the surrounding student experience remains broken.

How do you accomplish this? To start, higher ed needs to adopt a systems-thinking and design-thinking mindset. It enables leaders to evaluate their tech, data, and institutional infrastructure while keeping solutioning and innovation student-centered. When system health is balanced with end-user delight, friction is reduced, outcomes improve, and exceptional experiences emerge.

4. The OPM era is giving way to a more accountable partnership model

Institutions are facing new program-level accountability requirements and need to shift from dependency to empowerment in their online and hybrid strategies. This is less about abandoning partnerships and more about pursuing balanced, transparent partnerships that build institutional capability over time.

As Marc Austin, Vice Provost and Managing Director of Montclair Unbound, stated at a previous Collegis summit, “Invest internally in your current centers of excellence, and look to partner where capacity and expertise may be limited.”

5. The higher ed regulatory environment is not episodic; it is cumulative

From January 2025 through early 2026, there’s been a regulatory tsunami — a rolling sequence of federal actions spanning DEI, funding freezes, IES cuts, Department of Education restructuring, accreditation, workforce development, AI, admissions transparency, and negotiated rulemaking.

The key insight is operating volatility: Leaders are not responding to one rule change but to continuous policy churn. Accountability is moving closer to program economics and outcomes, with earnings thresholds, disclosure requirements, and potential loss of direct loan eligibility, thereby shifting risk from the institutional level to the program level.

Rewriting the rules of higher education

From the first session to the final conversation, #DisruptED26 proved that a packed agenda need not come at the expense of engagement. The day prioritized session quality over quantity, bringing together senior leaders for honest, candid, and deeply interactive discussions.

Rather than delivering presentations from a distance, speakers and SMEs engaged participants in a true dialogue — one that challenged assumptions, invited debate, and sparked the kind of collaboration that rarely happens in larger conference settings. As Amanda Gulley, Chief Product and Experience Officer at ASU EdPlus, said, “This is some of the best content I have seen at a higher ed conference.”

If #DisruptED26 made one thing clear, it is that higher ed leaders are hungry for spaces where real challenges can be met with real conversation. We’re already looking ahead to the next DisruptED on September 23 in Denver, Colorado, with more details to be announced soon. We hope to see you there!

Here’s how the student digital twin framework helps institutions personalize at scale and operate with precision.

Higher education is navigating a perfect storm.

The demographic cliff is shrinking the traditional undergraduate market. Inflation is intensifying scrutiny around the ROI of a degree. Competition is fierce, and prospective students expect the same seamless, personalized experiences they receive from companies like Amazon and Netflix. As one recent Forbes piece described it, higher education is entering its own “Netflix moment” — a shift that demands more intuitive, data-driven, and personalized digital experiences. Institutions that fail to adapt risk falling behind.

This pressure has prompted institutions to invest heavily in data and technology, but higher ed doesn’t have a data problem. It has a data activation problem.

Collecting data is no longer the challenge. Using it intelligently, in real time, and at the individual level, is what separates institutions that grow from those that stall.

That’s where the concept of a “student digital twin” changes the equation.

A smarter way to humanize institutional data

The student digital twin isn’t a product or a single platform. It’s a strategic approach to using institutional data with intention.

At its core, it’s a dynamic, evolving view of each student or prospect. This is built from behavioral, academic, engagement, and operational signals, and it’s designed to drive action.

Simply put, it humanizes your data, enabling you to activate insight at the individual level and deliver best-in-class experiences for current and prospective students.

Instead of relying on static funnels or backward-looking reports, you gain a living model that answers the questions that matter most:

• Who is most likely to apply?
• Who is disengaging?
• Who is at risk before classes even begin?
• Where are we missing opportunities in the funnel?

More importantly, this framework doesn’t stop at insight. It enables action.

Here are some practical ways institutions can apply the student digital twin concept across the student lifecycle.

Enrollment marketing strategies powered by real-time student data

Enrollment leaders face mounting pressure to do more with less. Teams are stretched, inquiries fluctuate, and not every lead carries equal intent.

The student digital twin approach helps institutions prioritize with precision.

1. Lead scoring that drives real action

Rather than treating every inquiry the same, institutions can score incoming leads based on behavioral signals, academic interest, engagement patterns, and likelihood to apply.

This can result in:

• Counselors prioritizing outreach to high-probability applicants.
• Marketing budgets shifting toward channels producing qualified interest.
• Human capital focusing where it drives the greatest ROI.

It’s not about replacing people. It’s about empowering them to spend time where it matters most.

2. Dynamic website personalization

Today’s students expect relevant, tailored experiences. A one-size-fits-all website no longer meets that standard. Through a student digital twin model, institutions can dynamically modify website content based on:

• Program interest
• Funnel stage
• Prior engagement
• Geographic location

For example, a nursing prospect can see clinical placement outcomes. An MBA candidate sees career advancement data. A returning adult learner sees flexible scheduling options.

Relevance increases engagement, and engagement increases conversion.

3. Proactive disengagement signals

Disengagement rarely happens all at once. It shows up in subtle shifts — missed emails, stalled applications, reduced website visits.

The student digital twin framework can identify these signals early and support in the following ways:

• Automated nudges at the right moment
• Personalized outreach aligned to the student’s needs
• Escalation to a human advisor when necessary

Instead of reacting to melt after it happens, institutions intervene before it does.

Data-driven student retention and proactive support

Retention strategies often rely on lagging indicators, such as midterm grades, financial holds, or formal withdrawal requests.

By then, recovery is harder. The student digital twin approach enables earlier intervention in the following ways.

1. Identifying high-risk students before day one

Risk patterns often appear before classes start. This could be in the form of delayed registration, incomplete onboarding, or inconsistent communication.

The student digital twin model allows institutions to flag these students and align onboarding support accordingly, ensuring they enter the term with clarity and confidence.

2. Automating support for stalled registration

When a student delays course registration, that’s a signal. Instead of waiting for staff to manually monitor reports, institutions can use automated workflows to:

• Send targeted reminders
• Provide registration guidance
• Escalate to an advisor if inaction continues

When small friction points are addressed quickly, they prevent larger retention issues.

3. Scheduling support based on behavioral insight

Attendance inconsistencies, LMS inactivity, and declining engagement can indicate academic or personal challenges.

The student digital twin approach surfaces these signals and can prompt the following actions:

• Advisor check-ins
• Coaching conversations
• Targeted academic resources

This blend of automation and human interaction ensures students feel supported, not surveilled. Retention becomes a coordinated, data-enabled effort rather than a series of isolated interventions.

Data-enabled institutional decision-making

For presidents and provosts, the value extends beyond individual interactions. The student digital twin concept strengthens institutional clarity.

1. Real-time funnel diagnostics

Rather than discovering enrollment gaps after a start date is missed, institutions can identify weaknesses mid-cycle and glean insight:

• Are applications stalling at a particular stage?
• Is yield underperforming in a specific program?
• Are certain segments disengaging?

Leadership can adjust marketing spend, staffing, and messaging before outcomes are locked in.

2. Smarter allocation of human capital

Not every touchpoint requires a counselor. Not every student needs the same level of intervention.

By aligning insight with action, institutions can:

• Automate low-risk interactions
• Prioritize high-impact outreach
• Reduce staff burnout while improving outcomes

Efficiency and personalization no longer compete. Instead, they reinforce one another.

3. Academic and program-level visibility

Patterns tied to course performance, withdrawal rates, or engagement trends can surface early warning signals.

Institutions can gain visibility into:

• Courses that may require review
• Programs with emerging demand
• Support structures that need strengthening

This elevates your data from a reporting obligation to a strategic asset.

Insight is powerful. Activation is transformative.

Many analytics initiatives focus on connecting data and visualizing trends. But visualization alone doesn’t change outcomes.

The student digital twin is best understood as an operating model — one that moves beyond integration and toward activation. It aligns data, technology, and talent to automate outreach at the right moment, prioritize human intervention when it matters most, and personalize engagement at scale.

It’s not about adding another system. It’s about rethinking how institutions use the systems they already have.

Activate your data. Accelerate your results.

Data collection is table stakes. Personalization is expected. Operational efficiency is required to compete.

The institutions that win in the coming years won’t be those with the most data. They’ll be those that activate it faster and more intelligently than their competitors. Institutions that humanize and activate their data deliver experiences that feel intentional, relevant, and supportive at every stage. In today’s market, that’s not a luxury. It’s a necessity.

At Collegis, we’ve built and operationalized this model alongside our partners, aligning data, technology, and talent to make individual-level activation achievable at scale. If you’re ready to move beyond reporting and start driving measurable enrollment and retention impact, we’re ready to help make those wins yours.

Technology expectations in higher education have never been higher. Students expect seamless digital experiences, faculty rely on stable, integrated systems to teach and conduct research, and institutional leaders need real-time data to make informed decisions.

Yet many colleges and universities remain stuck, held back by aging infrastructure, limited budgets, or the belief that maintaining the status quo is safer than change.

From where I sit, that belief is one of the most expensive misconceptions in higher ed today.

IT inaction isn’t neutral. Standing still doesn’t preserve resources; it quietly drains them. Over time, those costs compound in ways that are harder to see, harder to control, and far more disruptive than proactive modernization.

The hidden costs of doing nothing

When institutions delay IT investment, the consequences rarely show up as a single line item. Instead, they surface as inefficiencies spread across budgets, teams, and timelines.

Legacy systems are a prime example. Redundant platforms often require duplicated effort, separate maintenance contracts, and manual reconciliation between systems that should be integrated.

Hardware that’s past its lifecycle can lead to unexpected outages and emergency spending that exceeds planned budgets. Older systems also demand specialized support, which is increasingly difficult and expensive to find as vendors phase out end-of-life technology.

What’s most costly, though, is time.

IT teams spend countless hours keeping outdated systems afloat by troubleshooting avoidable issues, applying workarounds, and responding to preventable failures. That’s time not being spent on strategic initiatives that improve efficiency, student experience, or institutional resilience.

I often describe it this way: Maintaining legacy systems is like pouring money into a leaky boat just to stay afloat, not to move forward.

Security vulnerabilities and reputational risk

When it comes to cybersecurity, the cost of inaction is especially serious.

Legacy systems that lack consistent monitoring pose a heightened security risk. Outdated software, fragmented technology environments, and limited visibility create prime opportunities for cyberattacks — particularly for institutions that handle sensitive student, faculty, and financial data.

Compliance becomes more difficult in these conditions. Meeting FERPA, HIPAA, and other regulatory requirements is far more complex when systems aren’t integrated or consistently managed. Non-compliance doesn’t just carry financial penalties. It can threaten accreditation and erode institutional trust.

The fallout of a breach extends well beyond remediation costs. Reputational damage can deter prospective students, strain donor relationships, and take years to repair.

Simply put, institutions don’t want to make headlines because of a cybersecurity lapse they could have prevented.

Missed opportunities for strategic growth

IT inaction doesn’t just introduce risk. It actively limits growth.

Students move seamlessly across digital platforms in every part of their lives. When institutional systems don’t integrate, the student experience becomes fragmented, support slows down, faculty shoulder unnecessary administrative burdens, and leaders lose the data visibility needed to intervene early or plan strategically.

I’ve seen institutions stuck on legacy SIS infrastructure that prevents modern integrations altogether. The result is manual reporting, delayed insights, and staff hours spent pulling data instead of using it.

Outdated environments also restrict access to emerging technologies like AI, automation, and advanced analytics. These are tools that could drive efficiency, personalize engagement, and support enrollment and retention strategies. Without a scalable IT foundation, even well-intentioned growth initiatives increase cost and complexity instead of reducing them.

IT staff burnout and talent drain

The impact of chronic IT underinvestment is deeply human.

Internal IT teams in under-resourced environments operate almost entirely in reactive mode. They’re constantly firefighting by responding to outages, security alerts, and system failures, all while knowing the underlying risks remain unresolved.

That’s exhausting, and over time, it erodes morale.

Talented IT professionals want to innovate. They want to build, improve, and contribute strategically. When their work is limited to keeping aging systems alive, frustration builds, and burnout follows. Eventually, institutions lose people they can’t easily replace.

Recruitment becomes harder as well. Prospective hires can quickly identify an organization with no clear IT roadmap. They understand what that environment demands, and many choose to look elsewhere.

This is where managed IT support can fundamentally change the equation.

By shifting routine monitoring, maintenance, and after-hours support to a trusted partner, institutions reduce daily stressors on internal teams. Proactive management prevents crises before they escalate. Internal staff regain the capacity to focus on strategy, innovation, and meaningful institutional impact.

Inaction is a choice (an expensive one)

One of the biggest misconceptions I hear from higher ed leaders is that modernizing IT is too expensive, too complex, or too disruptive.

The reality is that institutions are already paying for IT. They’re just paying in less visible and far less controlled ways. They’re paying through staff turnover, downtime, security exposure, and through leadership time spent managing exceptions instead of advancing strategy.

Modern IT investment isn’t about chasing the latest technology. It’s about stabilizing operations, reducing risk, and making costs predictable. It’s a decision about institutional capacity, long-term resilience, and the people who make both possible.

If I had 60 seconds with a higher ed president or CFO, I’d say this: The decision isn’t whether you’re spending on IT. That spend is already happening. The real question is whether you want it to be controlled and strategic, or hidden and reactive.

Moving forward with confidence

Higher education is navigating unprecedented change. Institutions that succeed won’t be the ones that avoid investment. They’ll be the ones that built strong, flexible foundations capable of supporting their mission long-term.

If your institution is feeling the strain of outdated systems or reactive IT, now is the time to act. Collegis partners with colleges and universities to stabilize operations, reduce risk, and build IT environments designed for what’s next through our Managed IT Services for higher education.

Colleges and universities are pouring more budget and bandwidth into recruitment and not seeing the return. Funnels are stalling. Costs are climbing. Yield is unpredictable. And students are checking out without warning. It’s not a lack of effort. It’s a system that isn’t built for how students decide now. Put simply, the model is broken.

Institutions are operating in a fundamentally different environment than the one this recruitment playbook was built for. Attention is fragmented. Expectations are higher. And personalization that stops at a first name is no longer enough. Continuing to rely on outdated recruitment models doesn’t just slow progress, it puts institutions at a competitive disadvantage.

The legacy model doesn’t match how students decide today

Many recruitment strategies still rely on a familiar set of assumptions:

• Students move predictably through a linear funnel
• Stage-based triggers signal readiness to advance
• Communication plans can be prebuilt and scaled
• Historical reports provide enough insight to guide what comes next

This model was designed for a time when student journeys were more linear and decision-making was easier to anticipate. But that’s not the reality institutions are recruiting into today.

Today’s learners don’t follow a neat path from awareness to enrollment. They research across devices. They pause and re-engage on their own timelines. They evaluate cost, outcomes, flexibility, reputation, and support — often all at once. And they expect institutions to recognize their needs without forcing them to repeat themselves at every step.

When recruitment strategies rely on stage-based signals alone, they miss what actually matters: behavior.

Two students may both be labeled “inquiry stage,” but one may be ready to apply while the other is still building trust. Treating them the same doesn’t create efficiency. It creates friction.

This is where the traditional recruitment playbook breaks down. Funnels show movement, but they don’t explain motivation. They don’t reveal intent. And they don’t equip institutions to respond in the moments that matter most.

Higher education leaders are increasingly naming this gap as an inflection point. As Arizona State University President Michael Crow has argued, institutions face an “evolve or die” moment, one that underscores the risk of continuing to rely on models built for a different era. His framing isn’t about alarmism. It’s about recognizing when long-standing approaches no longer align with how learners actually discover, evaluate, and choose where to enroll.

Recruitment sits squarely inside that challenge. When institutions continue to optimize outdated models rather than rethink them, they reinforce systems that no longer reflect how students decide today.

Shifting from funnel management to student experience

Forward-looking institutions are changing the question. Instead of asking, “Where is this student in the funnel?” they’re asking, “What does this student need right now?”

That shift requires more than new messaging or additional channels. It requires a different recruitment model — one built around experience, not sequence.

It calls for a model that brings marketing, enrollment, and engagement together into a single, coordinated system that uses data not just to report outcomes, but to guide decisions in real time and respond to students as individuals rather than averages.

Turning student data into actionable intelligence

What leading institutions are moving toward isn’t a new tool or platform. It’s a more sophisticated way of understanding students, and it starts with data.

Think of it as creating a “digital twin” of each student — a living, continuously evolving model that reflects how an individual actually engages across channels, systems, and moments in time. Rather than relying on static personas or stage-based assumptions, this approach combines behavioral signals, engagement data, and institutional context to surface real insights into student intent.

What does that enable?

• Website behavior that signals readiness or hesitation
• Device usage that informs how (and where) to engage
• Content engagement that reveals what matters most to the student
• Patterns over time that help predict next best actions

With this level of intelligence, institutions don’t have to wait for students to raise their hands or move to the next stage. They can anticipate needs and respond with relevance. Outreach becomes more timely, conversations feel more personal, and trust builds earlier in the journey.

This isn’t about automation or scale for its own sake. It’s about using data intentionally—to create recruitment experiences that reflect how students actually make decisions.

Why most providers can’t deliver this

Many service providers talk about personalization, but few can operationalize it.

Traditional models are constrained by their structure: email-heavy communication, predefined workflows, and limited visibility into what’s actually happening across the recruitment journey. Even when data is collected, it’s often siloed, static, or disconnected from human engagement.

A model built on real-time student intelligence requires something fundamentally different:

• Unified data environments grounded in actual behavior
• Transparent access to insights within institutional systems
• Multichannel engagement guided by data, not dictated by it
• Human expertise embedded alongside technology

It also requires the ability to scale personalization without sacrificing experience, supporting thousands of students while still treating each one as an individual.

What a modern recruitment partner looks like

As recruitment models evolve, expectations of partnership must evolve with them.

Institutions need partners who do more than generate demand. They need partners who help convert it. Partners who embed alongside internal teams bring a strategic perspective and adapt as student behavior shifts. Partners who can support across learner types and enrollment moments, not just the most profitable ones.

Most importantly, institutions need partners with a proven approach — one grounded in data, enabled by technology, and delivered by people who understand the complexity of enrollment today.

It’s time for a new recruitment playbook

The institutions that succeed next won’t recruit harder. They’ll recruit smarter.

They’ll move beyond linear funnels and static campaigns. They’ll replace assumptions with insight. And they’ll design recruitment experiences that reflect how students actually make decisions — not how we wish they did.

The rules of recruitment have already changed. The only question is whether institutions will continue running the old plays or adjust to a game plan built for what comes next.

For today’s adult learners, persistence is about more than just academic support. It’s about navigating real-world responsibilities — jobs, caregiving, financial stress — and still finding the flexibility and value they need from their educational experience.

To better understand what drives retention in this evolving landscape, Collegis Education partnered with UPCEA to conduct a national survey of both institutional leaders and online adult learners. The results revealed a powerful insight: While most institutions are actively investing in retention, many are missing the mark on what students actually need to stay enrolled and succeed.

5 Key takeaways from our latest retention research

Here are five notable insights from the research, and what they mean for colleges and universities committed to improving student outcomes.

1. Students want flexibility and autonomy, not more oversight

Many institutions prioritize structured check-ins and process-driven interventions, believing these strategies keep students on track. But our research shows adult learners value autonomy. They want tools that help them manage their own progress on their own time.

This disconnect highlights a critical point: ease of enrollment doesn’t guarantee persistence. Students need systems that accommodate their lives, not ones that require compliance with rigid structures.

2. Life stage matters more than demographics

A 25-year-old balancing their first full-time job faces different challenges than a 45-year-old returning to school after a career break. Yet many institutions still apply a one-size-fits-all support model across adult learner populations.

Our research shows that segmenting support by life stage (early career, mid-career, late career) helps institutions design smarter, more personalized services. That kind of alignment strengthens trust and improves outcomes.

3. Visibility drives persistence, but institutions underdeliver

What do students say actually helps them stay enrolled? Tools that let them track progress, set goals, and manage deadlines. A self-service progress dashboard was ranked as the most helpful support resource by students, yet institutions ranked it near the bottom.

This doesn’t mean eliminating human touchpoints. It means empowering students with the information they need upfront, so that staff interventions can be more timely, relevant, and effective.

4. Career goals are the anchor across segments

Despite their differences, adult learners are united by one common motivator: career advancement. Whether they’re seeking a promotion, changing industries, or gaining credentials for long-term growth, students want programs that deliver clear ROI.

Institutions that embed career relevance into coursework, advising, and communication are more likely to keep students engaged and enrolled.

5. Nearly half of institutions don’t track online retention

This was one of the most surprising data points: 48% of institutional leaders said they couldn’t report their online retention rate. Without clear tracking, it’s nearly impossible to assess what’s working or where improvement is needed.

Better visibility into retention metrics — paired with predictive analytics and student feedback — can help institutions act earlier and more effectively.

How institutions can start closing the retention gap

Improving retention for online adult learners isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right things with the right focus. The full UPCEA-Collegis report goes into detail about three institutional shifts that can help close the gap between intention and impact:

• Smarter automation that personalizes student support at scale
• Segmented strategies that align with learners’ life stages and goals
• Proactive intervention driven by real-time data and predictive tools

Get the full story

These insights are just scratching the surface. To explore the full findings and get actionable advice on how to build a more student-centered, data-powered retention strategy, download the full report below.

Colleges and universities are under growing pressure to do more with less, and automation often feels like the fastest path to efficiency. Naturally, that includes deploying technology to handle key parts of the recruitment process, from lead scoring to chatbots to self-service portals.

But in the rush to digitize, many institutions are making a critical mistake: scaling back live, person-to-person outreach. It’s an easy budget line to trim, but a costly one.

Despite the rise of AI and self-service tools, students still crave human support, especially when they hit a moment of uncertainty or decision. That’s when they want a real person, with real answers, to guide them forward.

The challenge: Institutions are pulling back at the wrong time

Institutions are under more pressure than ever to grow enrollment, yet many are deprioritizing the very human touchpoints that move students through the funnel. It’s a paradox.

Prospective students are more selective and less responsive than they used to be. They’re not eager to talk on the phone or attend live events — until they are. And when that moment arrives, institutions need to be ready.

As I often tell partners, “Prospective students don’t want to talk to you until they need to talk to you.” But when they do, it’s not an automated email or AI chatbot they’re hoping for. It’s a knowledgeable voice that can answer questions, solve problems, and build confidence in their decision.

The power of human outreach

Strategic, human outreach isn’t an outdated approach. It’s a proven one.

Live conversations give prospective students what digital tools can’t: clarity, empathy, and connection. That’s especially important for students navigating financial aid, transfer credits, or personal life hurdles.

Technology enables scale, but people deliver reassurance. Even the most sophisticated AI can’t replace the feeling of being understood by someone who’s walked hundreds of students through the same decision before.

And when that interaction is powered by strong data — right student, right time, right message — it becomes a high-converting moment that no automated sequence can replicate.

How scalable outreach drives real enrollment growth

One large public university partner of Collegis offers a real-life example of how human outreach can scale effectively. They’ve invested in a large-scale outreach operation, deploying hundreds of enrollment coaches who make and receive thousands of calls every day. A significant portion of that team is staffed by Collegis.

The enrollment gains speak volumes about what’s possible when outreach is resourced and prioritized.

This institution has reported consistent year-over-year growth, even as peer institutions face enrollment declines. According to state-level data, the broader university system recently hit a record high, with enrollment increasing by 1.6% over the prior year. Online program enrollment alone has grown 11.7% year over year and 41% over five years — a clear sign that scalable, strategic outreach works.

When other schools are scrambling to fill classes, those kinds of results speak volumes.

Rethinking your recruitment structure

If your institution is struggling to connect with prospective students, the issue may not be messaging — it may be structure.

Before scaling back or shifting strategy, consider asking these key questions:

• Do we have enough trained staff dedicated to meaningful student conversations?
• Are our outreach efforts fully integrated with CRM and student data platforms?
• Are we supporting students throughout the journey, not just at the top of the funnel?
• Are we tracking and optimizing the impact of live interactions?
• Have we clearly defined where automation ends and human engagement begins?

Many institutions have over-indexed on automation, expecting tools to do what only people can: build trust.

That doesn’t mean swinging the pendulum back toward high-touch everything. Instead, it’s about building a hybrid recruitment model that reserves human interaction for the moments that matter most.

Reinvest in the human advantage

The most successful institutions aren’t choosing between people and technology. They’re integrating both in a way that meets today’s student expectations.

Prospective students want to receive relevant, personalized information that is delivered efficiently and in the formats they prefer, whether that’s email, text, voice, or even AI-powered communication. At Collegis, we help our partners achieve this through platforms like Connected Core® and student digital twins, which enable personalized, multichannel communication grounded in real-time data.

But here’s the catch: Students also expect to speak with a real person the moment they need to. If institutions rely too heavily on automation without the infrastructure to support live, skilled human interactions, they risk creating a disconnected, frustrating experience.

Strike the right balance for enrollment success

The best recruitment models balance data, technology, and talent. Automation can open the door, but it’s trained people — backed by insights — who help students walk through it with confidence.

Finding that balance isn’t easy, but it’s essential. And it’s exactly where Collegis can help support your team.

If you’re rethinking how to connect with today’s students, we can help you build a balanced outreach strategy that’s powered by data, enabled by technology, and delivered by people.

Accessibility is now a mandate, not a “nice to have”

Digital experiences have become essential public infrastructure. For colleges and universities, that means every student, parent, faculty member, and stakeholder must be able to access institutional websites and apps without barriers. With the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) new rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), public institutions are now legally required to ensure their digital experiences are accessible.

Accessibility in higher education spans physical environments, signage, communication, and more. But this article focuses specifically on digital accessibility — websites, mobile apps, and online content. The institutions that thrive under this rule won’t treat accessibility as a checkbox project. They’ll embrace it as a digital operating model, one that improves user experience, compliance posture, and long-term digital performance.

A quick breakdown of 2024 Title II requirements

The DOJ’s final rule applies to state and local government entities, including public colleges and universities. It requires that all digital programs, services, and activities (whether on the web or in mobile apps) be accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Key requirements include:

• Use of WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard
• Accessibility across websites, web apps, documents, videos, and mobile applications
• Compliance deadlines that vary by institution size, with the first deadline set for April 24, 2026

Common barriers to digital accessibility compliance

Most institutions aren’t starting from scratch, but recurring obstacles within their digital ecosystems continue to put compliance at risk. These include:

• Decentralized web teams
• Fragmented domains
• Legacy PDFs
• Inaccessible videos
• Third-party tools

Without strong governance, accessibility debt builds every day. Worse, content continues to be created in non-compliant ways. Waiting to address it means digging a deeper hole. Even the best CMS tools can’t solve this without clear processes and accountability.

Laying the foundation for sustainable accessibility

Digital accessibility isn’t something that can be addressed once and set aside. It requires institutional commitment, cross-functional coordination, and repeatable processes. The good news is that building a sustainable program is possible with the right structure in place. Here’s where to begin:

Establish ownership

• Assign a digital accessibility lead or working group
• Secure sponsorship from institutional leadership
• Define WCAG 2.1 Level AA as your north star

Define processes

• Create a regular cadence for training, monitoring, and review
• Build accessibility considerations into content workflows and publishing guidelines

Inventory and prioritize

• Document all digital properties: websites, subsites, mobile apps, PDFs, and media libraries
• Triage by impact: prioritize content critical to student success (apply, register, pay, request support)

Proving progress: Documentation that defends and builds trust

Demonstrating good-faith efforts is critical not only for legal defensibility but also for building institutional credibility. While the primary goals are usability and inclusion, these same steps are also your best protection against ADA-related lawsuits. When schools document progress and act transparently, they strengthen their position should legal challenges arise — showing a clear commitment to meeting federal accessibility standards.

Institutions should be prepared to show:

• A public-facing accessibility statement and internal accessibility policy
• Logs of audits, training sessions, and issue backlogs
• Records of vendor accessibility reviews and remediation sprints
• A feedback loop for reporting and responding to barriers

Prioritization strategies: Where to start when everything feels urgent

Not all content is equally critical. Here’s a practical way to tackle accessibility without getting overwhelmed:

1. Critical student pathways: admissions, registration, payment, accommodation requests, portals
2. High-traffic content: landing pages, program information, financial aid, academic policies
3. Transactional experiences: forms, payment flows, scheduling tools
4. Document-heavy content: course catalogs, student handbooks, policy libraries
5. Everything else: governed backlog with regular cycles of review and remediation

Accessibility tools, tactics, and must-haves

A well-rounded accessibility program includes both the right tools and a focus on the fundamentals of WCAG 2.1 AA. Institutions should prioritize the following.

Tools and workflows:

• Automated scanners for global and template-level checks
• Manual spot checks for screen reader compatibility and form validation
• CMS guardrails: accessible templates, checklists, and heading/link standards
• Ticketing systems to track issues, exceptions, and fixes
• Vendor procurement workflows with accessibility reviews built in

WCAG 2.1 AA essentials:

• Keyboard navigation and visible focus states
• Adequate color contrast
• Logical heading structure
• Descriptive link text and meaningful alt text
• Forms with clear labels and instructions
• Captions and transcripts for all media content

How Collegis can help

While schools are ultimately responsible for their own compliance, Collegis can support institutions in developing accessibility strategies that scale. We help our partners:

• Build prioritized remediation roadmaps
• Integrate accessibility into digital governance frameworks
• Implement monitoring workflows and training programs
• Evaluate tools and vendors with accessibility in mind

Digital accessibility also supports stronger SEO (search engine optimization) and AEO (answer engine optimization). In fact, just like optimizing for search or AI, making your content accessible helps machines consume and interpret it — whether it’s assistive technology, search engine crawlers, or generative AI systems.

Take the first step toward an inclusive digital strategy

The best time to act on digital accessibility was yesterday. The second-best time is now. Start with an inventory and a review of top student pathways. Establish clear ownership and repeatable processes.

Remember: Accessibility is more than compliance — it’s a commitment to usability, inclusion, and digital readiness. When institutions invest in accessibility, they improve user experience, strengthen their SEO and AI visibility, and align with their mission to serve all learners.

Collegis is here to help you take the next step. Let’s build a more accessible, inclusive digital future together.

In today’s higher education landscape, the pressure to adapt has never been higher. Institutions are facing increased demands for transparency, affordability, and accountability from both students and the federal government. To thrive amid this scrutiny, colleges and universities must shift from periodic academic program reviews to an “always-on” portfolio management approach.

The institutions that succeed in the coming years won’t be those with the biggest catalogs. They’ll be the ones with the most disciplined, data-informed portfolios. Those that are regularly evaluated and refined to meet student, market, and regulatory expectations.

3 market trends forcing a new approach to program strategy

The following trends are reshaping how institutions must approach academic program strategy. Each highlights why traditional review cycles are no longer enough, and why a continuous, data-informed portfolio management model is essential.

1. Student affordability sensitivity is rising: Students and families are making more value-conscious decisions. They want proof that an academic program will lead to career outcomes that justify the investment. Programs with unclear value propositions face enrollment decline and reputational risk.
2. Labor market and skills cycles are accelerating: The pace of change in the workforce means skills needs are evolving faster than ever. If academic offerings don’t keep pace, institutions risk graduating students into irrelevance. Agility is crucial for staying aligned with industry demand.
3. Program-level scrutiny is intensifying: New regulations, such as those proposed in the bipartisan OBBB bill, formalize expectations around gainful employment and financial value transparency. These changes mark a shift from access-based accountability to market- and outcomes-based accountability. They require institutions to know, show, and grow the value of every program they offer.

A new operating rhythm: Annual program review

Many institutions still operate on a five-year program review cycle, a cadence that no longer supports sustainable decision-making. In a faster-moving environment, annual review is the new standard.

“Program review must evolve into a dynamic, ongoing process. Institutions need a defined, strategic, and systematic rhythm — one that uses valid data to ensure alignment with student demand, workforce needs, and financial sustainability.”

— Dr. Tracy Chapman, Chief Academic Officer

A modern review process should include:

• Internal metrics: enrollment trends, revenue contribution, cost of delivery, and student learning outcomes
• External data: student and employer demand, competitive positioning, and alignment with learner expectations
• Financial performance: program profitability, tuition pricing, and resource optimization

When done consistently, this evidence-based practice can help institutions scale what’s working, fix what’s slipping, and sunset programs that no longer serve students or the institution.

Make market research a strategic discipline

Just as accreditation is a continuous, evidence-based process tied to institutional decisions, so too should market research. It cannot be treated as a one-time validation for new programs or a compliance box to check. It should be embedded into institutional strategy.

That means investing in:

• Reliable, valid data sources
• Systems and platforms that connect market signals to internal performance
• Skilled analysts and decision-makers who can interpret and act on insights

What it takes to operationalize strategic program management

To make continuous portfolio management a reality, institutions need the following:

• Time: Strategic prioritization of program review as a leadership function
• Talent: Cross-functional collaboration across academic, enrollment, finance, and IT teams
• Technology: Data platforms like Collegis Connected Core® to unify insights and enable evidence-based decisions at scale

For institutions that have yet to build the internal expertise or data infrastructure to support this work, Collegis Education brings the strategy, technology, and insight needed to support this type of transformation. From market research and academic portfolio development to data integration and instructional design, we help colleges and universities move from reactive review cycles to proactive portfolio optimization.

Disciplined portfolios drive sustainable growth

Whether the White House and Congress tilt red or blue, regulatory oversight of higher education isn’t going anywhere. The institutions that are best suited for long-term success will be those that treat program portfolio management not as a reactive task, but as a continuous, strategic discipline.

It’s time to make market analysis a routine leadership practice. Protect your students. Protect your resources. And double down on the programs that deliver the most value — to students, to employers, and to your institution’s future.

Reach out to learn how we can help you make this shift with confidence and clarity.