2025 Enrollment Cliff

The peak has passed. National enrollment will contract 13% by 2041.

The American high-school graduate pipeline is entering a historic decline. By 2029, the nation will produce 576,000 fewer students. In an environment of rising acquisition costs and diminishing value perception, institutional inertia is a form of decline.

Recruitment Cost
+32%Increase in CAC

The median cost of acquiring a single undergraduate student since 2021.

Institutional Stability
40Closures in 2024

Private college mergers and permanent closures reached a decadal high this year.

Regional Variance
-18%Michigan Outlook

Midwestern markets face deeper contractions than the national average through 2030.

The Executive Briefing

Strategic Enrollment Management is no longer a department. It is the primary survival mechanism for the modern university.

Dr. Helena Vance

Dr. Helena Vance

Senior Research Fellow, SEM Institute

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