International enrollments are shrinking. Your program must adapt.

Graduate and adult-serving programs have long relied on international students to fill their classrooms. But with international enrollment down 10–15% annually—and postgraduate interest in studying in the U.S. dropping by 40% in early 2025—institutions now face an urgent reality: as the international pool shrinks, the pressure on domestic recruitment has never been greater.

But domestic prospects have become harder to engage. They’re more skeptical about the value of a degree, apply to fewer programs, and face daily competition for their attention from “online giants” and aggressive marketing campaigns. To succeed, institutions must rethink their domestic recruitment strategies from the ground up.

Here’s how your program can stand out in this increasingly complicated and competitive market.

Discover the State of the Domestic Student Market and How to Recruit This Elusive Audience

1. Understand your new competitor set

Decreasing international enrollment and losses in federal funding are fueling an increase in competition. As selective universities and regional schools alike pivot to focus more on domestic recruitment, your competitor landscape is rapidly changing and expanding. Programs once focused almost exclusively on global audiences are now recruiting from the same domestic pool you are. Even small, regional institutions now find themselves competing not only with “online giants” like Western Governors University and Southern New Hampshire University, but also with the country’s most selective schools, which have historically relied on international students to fill their programs. To keep up:

• Map your competitor set – Identify schools with similar programs to yours that weren’t on your radar before.
• Analyze their marketing – Study how they position their value proposition, target audiences, and promote ROI. How do they set themselves apart?
• Adjust your approach – Benchmark your messaging and outreach against theirs to ensure your institution stands out.

2. Refine and strengthen your program messaging

In EAB’s 2024 Adult Learner Survey, nearly 40% of prospective domestic graduate and adult students named high program costs as their biggest barrier to enrollment. This underscores the significant role financial considerations play in students’ decision-making processes. As a result, domestic students want proof that your program will pay off—both financially and professionally. Your messaging must address this head-on. Consider the following approaches to directly address student concerns about cost and return:

• Develop a strong value proposition – Create a value proposition that solves students’ pain points, is difficult to replicate, reaches the majority, and is provable to the market.
• Focus on return on investment (ROI) – Address tuition and fees up front, and highlight available aid and tangible career outcomes your graduates achieve.
• Incorporate social proof – Share authentic student and alumni stories, in their own words, that reflect diverse experiences and the clear benefits of your program.

3. Build your top of funnel and diversify your sources

Domestic students are also hard to reach and selective with their applications. Many “online giants” spend over $100 million annually to reach your target audience, adding to an already overcrowded ad pool that students encounter daily. But despite all the institutions vying for their attention, domestic students only submitted 3.08 applications on average in 2024 – significantly lower than international students, who submitted an average of 4.72 applications. To break through the noise and reach the right students, leverage the strategies below.

• Leverage “known” sources – Prioritize outreach to inquiry and application starter lists, current undergraduates, recent graduates, alumni with undergraduate-age children, and alumni from cornerstone programs. These populations are already familiar with your institution and potentially even your program and are more likely to engage with your marketing efforts.
• Diversify your outreach – Blend traditional channels (organic search, paid ads) with emerging ones (social media, student search platforms) to keep your lead pipeline strong.
• Prioritize high-intent leads – Focus your budget on prospects actively seeking programs like yours. Platforms such as Appily Advance, EAB’s graduate and adult lead generation solution, can deliver these leads at a 15% higher response rate than other purchased names.

International enrollment declines have intensified competition for domestic graduate and adult students. By expanding your competitor awareness, sharpening your program’s value proposition, and building a diversified lead generation strategy, your institution can maintain—and even grow—enrollment in this new reality.

Institutions that adapt quickly will be best positioned to reach right-fit students, deliver the outcomes they seek, and thrive despite global market disruptions.