Struggling to attract graduate students? Here are four ways to fix it

Many graduate programs face significant enrollment challenges. Nearly one-third of graduate enrollment management professionals reported missing their headcount goals for fall 2024. Top contributing factors include external pressures, such as shifting demographics and an increasingly competitive market, as well limited budgets and internal misalignments that hinder progress.

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To better understand these concerns, our Adult Learner Recruitment team partnered with NAGAP to survey graduate enrollment staff in February 2025. Here are four areas enrollment teams should focus on to enhance their graduate student recruitment strategies, based on the survey data.

1. Offer the right programs for your audience

To attract prospective graduate students, it’s essential to align your program offerings with current market demands and student expectations. For example, even though the MBA landscape shows a 14% increase in enrollment for graduate business programs from 2012 to 2022, the path to growth is complex, leading some business programs to growth and others to declines. Our survey data reveals that nearly 31% of respondents saw enrollment growth in Business/MBA programs, whereas 29% reported declines.

Which specific programs are driving overall enrollment growth/decline? (Top responses)

To ensure your institution is offering programs that will contribute to enrollment growth, regularly analyze and audit your graduate program portfolio. Use data on local student preferences and employer demand to make strategic programmatic decisions. Prioritize promising programs like business analytics and continuously track the performance of existing offerings to allocate resources more effectively.

2. Enhance your digital presence

Once you’ve optimized your program portfolio, your next step should be ensuring your program pages are up to snuff. In the digital age, your website is more than just an online presence – it’s the first point of contact for many prospective students. With a staggering 94% of prospective students visiting the websites of schools they are considering and web inquiries providing the best recruitment outcomes for survey respondents from hybrid and online programs, maximizing your digital presence isn’t optional. However, due to busy schedules and competing priorities, many prospective adult learners don’t look beyond the first page of their search results. Strengthen your .edu’s search performance by leveraging top SEO practices.

But it goes beyond just visibility. A user-friendly, informative website that offers an intuitive experience is vital. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly, provides clear information about your programs, and answers common questions – a smooth, engaging online experience can turn casual visitors into high-quality applicants.

3. Forge strong corporate partnerships

Nearly 10% of survey respondents—and 20% from online programs—identified corporate partnerships as their top recruitment activity. When institutions build partnerships with local businesses, they open valuable opportunities for graduate students. These collaborations often provide internships, job placements, and real-world experiences that enhance the attractiveness of your programs. Institutions that actively engage with the corporate sector may find it easier to meet their enrollment targets, and 75% of survey respondents expect corporate partnerships to have an overwhelmingly positive impact on graduate enrollment over the next 3-5 years.

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4. Outsource key functions

When asked about their greatest enrollment concerns over the next 3-5 years, GEM professionals identified trends such as declining university budgets, increasing costs, and decreasing federal funding for graduate programs. Despite the growing focus on graduate programs at many institutions, the enrollment management teams that support them typically have significantly smaller budgets than their undergraduate counterparts. Graduate and online programs have an average total enrollment management budget of $912,000, compared to the average $4.37M enrollment management budget for undergraduate programs.

With fewer resources, it’s especially important to use funds effectively and efficiently. Our survey data shows that institutions that strategically invest in outsourcing some of their functions—such as recruitment marketing, market research, and SEO—are more likely to meet their enrollment goals. Tasks that require additional FTEs or specialized skills may be good options for functions to outsource, allowing staff to focus their time on high-impact, relationship-driven efforts, such as one-to-one student outreach.

By delegating these tasks to experts like EAB that have a deep understanding of the nuances of graduate recruitment, universities can stay ahead of trends and shifts in student preferences, ultimately driving higher enrollment while managing resources more efficiently and reducing staff stress levels.

In today’s climate of tighter budgets and limited resources, attracting graduate students may feel like an uphill battle. However, institutions that make strategic and purposeful choices about program design, digital strategy, corporate engagement, and outsourcing can set themselves up for long-term graduate enrollment success.