Key Takeaways

Why lead generation matters now

Graduate and adult learner markets are evolving quickly, making effective lead generation and enrollment marketing strategies increasingly important for institutions.

What changed in the graduate student market

Traditional lead sources are becoming less reliable as student behavior shifts, requiring enrollment leaders to rethink how they generate and engage graduate and adult learner leads.

Adult learners (students aged 25+) and graduate students now make up a significant—and steadily increasing—share of the higher education market, reshaping how colleges and universities think about outreach, engagement, and support. And nearly all surveyed presidents, provosts, and vice presidents of enrollment management said graduate and adult learner recruitment and enrollment strategies are high or moderate priorities for their institutions. 

Reaching adult learners and graduate students, however, comes with its own set of challenges. Graduate and adult students bring diverse career histories, educational backgrounds, and personal and professional responsibilities to their program search. And unlike first-time, full-time undergraduate students, there is no single, reliable source of graduate or adult learner leads, requiring institutions to rely on multiple channels to reach these audiences effectively.  

Instead, enrollment and marketing teams must identify prospective students, or leads, across a wide and shifting set of channels. Each lead source performs differently, requires different levels of investment, and carries its own risks and opportunities. 

This guide is designed for enrollment leaders, marketers, and program directors looking to strengthen their higher education lead generation strategies for graduate, online, and adult education programs. Below, you’ll find: 

• An overview of the challenges shaping today’s graduate and adult learner markets;  
• Guidance on how to build a diversified lead generation portfolio;  
• Insight into traditional and emerging lead sources; and 
• Strategies for continual optimization

Why lead generation matters for graduate and adult learner programs 

Strong lead generation for adult learners and graduate students is fundamental to sustainable enrollment. As demographics shift, competition intensifies, and student expectations evolve, institutions can’t rely solely on passive inquiries or brand awareness alone. An intentional lead generation strategy ensures colleges and universities connect with students most likely to enroll in and benefit from their programs before those prospects turn elsewhere.  

Schools that invest in smart graduate enrollment marketing and lead generation see stronger ROI, better matches between programs and students, and more stable enrollment growth. Without an effective lead generation strategy, institutions risk: 

• Missing enrollment and revenue targets in the near and long term 
• Wasting marketing dollars in an already tight budget environment 
• Losing ground to competitors 

Market challenges that make graduate and adult learner lead generation harder 

Lead generation for graduate and adult education programs has become more challenging than ever, largely due to shrinking student pipelines and changing student search behaviors. These challenges directly affect an institution’s ability to execute effective lead generation strategies. 

Structural Shifts

The demographic cliff is here

The 15- to 19-year-old population in the U.S. is expected to decline by 6% from 2021 to 2032, a loss of roughly 1.4 million students. The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation projects we’ll then see a steeper decline in this population (21%) from 2041 to 2100, equivalent to 4.3 million fewer prospective students, intensifying competition and increasing reliance on effective lead generation for graduate and adult education programs.

More students are opting out of higher education

Although high school graduation rates have increased 3.3% across the last decade, college enrollment has not followed a similar trajectory. From 2012 to 2022, college enrollment declined by 8.6%. The decision not to enroll reflects decreasing confidence in higher education nationwide as more prospective students question the value of returning to school. 2024 data from Gallup indicates 32% of U.S. adults have little or no confidence in higher education, up from 10% in 2015.

The international student market is less reliable

Ongoing travel bans and immigration restrictions are severely limiting enrollment from international students as a stable source of graduate program leads. International enrollment is now down 10-15% annually, and interest in studying in the U.S. dropped nearly 40% in 2025.

Behavior shifts

Fewer students are taking graduate admissions tests

The number of domestic students taking graduate admissions tests such as the GRE and GMAT fell 62% from 2019 to 2024, reducing the volume of leads that institutions can expect from test-taker lists.

Stealth shopping continues to rise

Eighty percent of prospective graduate and adult students are “stealth,” or unknown to institutions until they apply. Fifty-eight percent of surveyed graduate and adult learners said they prefer to research programs independently before sharing their contact information with a school, which reduces early inquiry volume and complicates enrollment management.

AI is reshaping student search behavior

SEO and paid search continue to drive leads but not at historical volumes or as efficiently as in prior years.

Fewer students clicking on search results means fewer become leads

Nearly 20% of surveyed graduate and adult learners said they used AI tools such as ChatGPT and Perplexity in their search process. Another 23% of surveyed students said they consulted the AI-generated summaries at the top of search results during their program search, bypassing the need to click into university websites. As a result, institutions have seen a 60% drop in click-through rates across key search terms.

Engagement with paid ads is declining

Only 6.5% of survey respondents reported clicking on paid or sponsored links when searching for colleges, compared to 23% who said they read AI-generated summaries at the top of the page. This shift reduces both the volume and efficiency of paid search as a lead source.

Related Resources:

The New Rules of Engagement for Enrolling Today’s Adult Learners 

Here’s how AI is amplifying stealth search behavior 

How to build a diversified lead generation strategy for graduate and adult learner programs 

Because once-reliable channels like international recruitment, organic search, and paid search are becoming less predictable, it’s even more important for institutions to generate leads from multiple sources at every stage of the enrollment funnel.  

A diversified lead generation strategy should balance traditional and emerging lead sources to ensure consistent volume, quality, and cost efficiency. This reduces dependency on any single channel and helps institutions stabilize lead flow even as market conditions shift. To determine the right mix of lead sources, consider four criteria: 

• 

  Lead volume

  Generate enough leads to meet your enrollment and revenue goals consistently.

• 

  Lead quality

  Ensure a sufficient portion of leads are high-intent, or prospective students actively seeking educational opportunities and seriously considering enrollment.

• 

  Lead performance

  Adjust your strategy according to your institution’s goals and the productivity of each lead source.

• 

  Budget

  Determine how much to invest in each lead source based on your institution’s budget.

Related Resource:

The New Rules of Graduate and Adult Lead Generation  

Key lead sources for graduate and adult learner recruitment 

A successful approach to graduate and adult learner lead generation and graduate recruitment requires a mix of traditional and emerging sources. Many institutions rely heavily on familiar sources, but today’s environment demands a broader approach as no single channel reliably provides sufficient volume or quality on its own. 

Optimize traditional lead sources

• Organic leads for your .edu: Ninety-four percent of surveyed graduate and adult learners visited the websites of all schools they considered. An AI-ready .edu site can transform stealth shoppers into measurable leads and serve as a powerful enrollment engine.  
• Digital ads: Display and social ads help generate awareness and re-engage past prospects. These remain valuable but are among the most expensive forms of lead generation. 
• Paid search: Paid search leads are generated by prospective students actively searching for keywords pertinent to your program, such as “best MBA program in Chicago.” Because these leads originate from prospects actively searching for programs like these, those prospects are typically high intent. However, declining engagement and rising media costs are pushing cost-per-lead higher. 
• Test-taker lists: Although fewer students are taking graduate admissions tests, test-taker lists are still an important, low-cost part of a diversified lead generation strategy.  
• Known lead sources: Known lead sources include institutional inquiry and application starters, current undergraduate students, and alumni lists. Because these students have existing affinity with your institution, known leads are typically lower cost and high intent. Although managing these lists can be resource-intensive, they generally offer strong ROI.

Related Resources: 

Is your webpage AI ready and built to drive enrollment? 

Diagnose your website’s search visibility gaps 

5 reasons graduate list-buying is so hard 

Emerging lead sources shaping graduate and adult learner pipelines 

As traditional channels become less predictable, emerging student lead sources play an increasingly important role in stabilizing and strengthening the graduate and adult learner pipeline, especially as student search behaviors continue shifting toward digital and AI-enabled environments. 

Consumer database-driven targeting: By matching historical student data to national consumer datasets, institutions can identify individuals who resemble successful past students and reach prospective adult learners beyond their typical market and often earlier in their decision process. 

Student search platforms: Platforms such as Appily Advance curate high-intent, first-party leads. Because these leads are high intent, they are often more cost-effective than other lead sources such as Meta or LinkedIn, giving institutions access to students earlier in their research journey. 

AI platforms: Nearly one in five surveyed adult learners (19%) use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity to explore program options, up from just 3.5% in 2024. Optimizing your .edu content for AI search helps ensure AI-generated search results accurately reflect your institutional strengths, reducing the risk of incomplete or outdated information. 

AI chat agents: Institutions have long relied on chatbots to help answer student questions. Now, AI chat agents can provide students with better, more customized answers, capturing leads and driving enrollment outcomes as a result.  

Related Resources:  

Why AI is the biggest disruption to your graduate lead pipeline 

What changed in the graduate lead gen landscape in 2025 

How to measure and continually improve lead generation performance  

A strong lead generation strategy is never static. The most effective teams regularly evaluate performance, adapt strategies, and shift resources according to evolving market dynamics, ensuring lead quality and volume remain aligned with enrollment goals. 

Track the right metrics 

Enrollment leaders should consistently monitor: 

• Lead volume 
• Cost-per-lead 
• Conversion rates between stages 
• The share of high-intent leads 
• Shifts in .edu traffic or paid media performance 
• Early indicators of disruption (e.g., sudden drops in paid search performance) 

Tracking these indicators makes it easier to diagnose emerging issues before they significantly affect inquiry or application flow. 

Test and iterate 

Lead generation channels behave differently over time. Small adjustments such as refreshing creative assets, refining audience segments, updating landing pages, or optimizing for AI search can meaningfully improve performance. 

Calibrate mix and spend 

As lead sources fluctuate, reallocate investment toward the channels that are producing the highest-quality leads at the best cost. This may mean shifting spend away from underperforming paid channels, doubling down on emerging sources like consumer database targeting, or strengthening organic .edu pathways. 

Beyond lead generation: Building a holistic adult learner and graduate enrollment strategy 

Effective lead generation is essential for enrolling graduate and adult learners, but it’s only one part of a broader enrollment strategy. Sustainable enrollment growth requires coordinated efforts across marketing, enrollment, program development, and student support. 

Institutions that succeed in today’s graduate and adult markets tend to: 

• Diversify their lead mix 
• Strengthen their brand and program differentiation 
• Personalize nurturing sequences 
• Use data-driven insights to guide decisions 
• Provide clear, transparent information to remove friction from the student experience 

A holistic approach not only strengthens recruitment but also improves retention and long-term student success, making enrollment outcomes more resilient to market volatility.  

EAB’s approach to lead generation for graduate and adult learner programs 

In a tight budget environment, it’s critical that every lead source contributes meaningfully to your enrollment growth. Based on a deep understanding of your enrollment and class-shaping goals, our Adult Learner Recruitment experts build and execute a custom lead generation strategy for your program or institution. We deliver both lead volume and quality with close attention to optimizing your marketing dollars. With the right strategy and partners in place, institutions can generate the leads they need while ensuring every prospective graduate and adult learner finds the program that fits their goals. 

Let's boost your graduate and adult learner enrollment together

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