Over half of graduate enrollment staff are considering resigning—here’s what you can do about it

Staff retention has always been a top priority for graduate enrollment leaders, but mounting challenges—such as the looming demographic cliff forecasting enrollment declines and a new presidential administration creating funding uncertainty—make retaining top talent both more difficult and more critical. As pressure to meet enrollment goals intensifies, graduate enrollment staff are feeling the strain and looking to their leaders—and to AI—for support.

To better understand these concerns, our Adult Learner Recruitment team partnered with NAGAP to survey graduate enrollment staff, uncovering the top issues on their minds and the biggest factors contributing to their stress. Here are three strategies to improve your staff retention, based on the survey data.

1. Prioritize pay, support, and flexibility

More staff are thinking about leaving, and that’s a real risk for graduate enrollment teams already struggling with heavy workloads and high expectations.

For those thinking about leaving higher education, the top reason—year after year—is “better pay/benefits.” Around 30% of staff also mentioned wanting “more support from the organization,” “more flexibility,” and “less stress” as factors driving their decision to move on. However, the percentage of respondents seeking new opportunities or better work-life balance has dropped significantly since 2022. This suggests that most GEM staff would prefer to stay in higher ed—provided their needs are met.

Why are you considering leaving higher education?* (Select all that apply.)

To keep staff happy and engaged, start with the basics: fair pay and good benefits. While it might require some effort upfront, consider setting up a process to regularly review salaries and benchmark them against local competitors to ensure staff are being paid fairly. Beyond salary, offer benefits that support physical, mental, and emotional well-being, like flexible hours and work arrangements. Promoting a healthy work-life balance helps staff feel valued and supported, making them more likely to thrive in their roles—and stay for the long haul.

2. Identify and address key stressors

Managing workplace stress is key to keeping staff happy and engaged. In our latest survey, 80% of graduate enrollment leaders said they’re feeling moderate to high levels of stress, so we took a closer look to see what’s driving it. For more than half of survey participants, budget/fiscal challenges are the biggest concern, followed by heavier workloads and leadership changes.

The first step in addressing staff stress? Listening. Regular surveys or check-ins not only help leaders understand what’s weighing on their teams but also show staff that their concerns are being heard. This helps to build a workplace culture where employees feel valued and want to stick around.

Since fiscal concerns are a top stressor, assess whether your graduate programs’ budget aligns with enrollment and revenue goals. Is it sufficient to cover essential costs? If not, how is this affecting staff workload and morale? Where possible, consider adjustments to better reflect the needs of your staff.

With workload also a major concern, evaluate how responsibilities are distributed across your team. Are workloads reasonable? Is outsourcing being used effectively to ease the burden? If not, take steps to rebalance workloads and ensure staff are set up for success.

3. Look to AI as a potential solution to staff workload concerns

AI is quickly becoming a go-to tool for making enrollment work more efficient, helping to eliminate repetitive tasks and free up time for more strategic work. Since September 2023, familiarity with AI among graduate enrollment staff has jumped 12%, with 87% of respondents now saying they’ve tried using AI tools.

Surveyed staff were most excited by the potential for AI to draft marketing content, handle questions via a chatbot, and optimize communication flows. Each of these AI applications could reduce workloads and allow staff to spend more time on the parts of their job that require a human touch, like connecting with students.

But enthusiasm for AI doesn’t mean there aren’t concerns. Nearly every respondent reported a variety of worries, with the top three being the integrity of student applications, the cost of acquiring and training AI tools, and the risk of sharing proprietary or personal information. This tells us that staff aren’t necessarily resistant to AI itself—they just want to be sure it’s used responsibly and ethically.

That’s where leadership comes in. If your institution is considering AI adoption, clearly outlining policies and best practices can go a long way in easing concerns and building trust. Staff need to know how AI should (and shouldn’t) be used to feel confident in integrating it into their work.

Creating open lines of communication, offering faculty support groups and training, and providing a repository of AI resources can also help staff feel more comfortable experimenting with AI. By addressing concerns head-on and fostering a culture of learning, leaders can turn AI from a source of uncertainty into a powerful tool for efficiency and engagement.

Rising stress levels put graduate enrollment staff at risk of burnout—and without action, you could lose top talent. Budget constraints and heavy workloads are the biggest challenges, but leaders can ease the strain by offering flexibility, reassessing budgets, outsourcing tasks, and reviewing compensation. Many staff see AI as a way to streamline work, but they need clear guidance and training to use it effectively. By listening, fostering transparency, and providing support, you can build a more resilient, less stressful workplace that keeps top talent happy and less likely to jump ship.