What makes your graduate program different? How to find—and prove—your value proposition

Pop quiz: which institution’s MBA program do these claims describe?

“Our MBA is offered online or in a hybrid format to meet your busy schedule.” “Gain a competitive edge in your career by pursuing your MBA.” “Unlock your potential in our top-ranked MBA program.”

The truth is, these claims could apply to virtually any MBA program. While these attributes—flexibility, career advancement, personal fulfillment, and academic excellence—are appealing, they’re table stakes. They don’t help your program stand out. And in today’s hyper-competitive market, standing out has never been more critical, for MBAs or any other graduate or adult-serving programs.

So, how do you differentiate your graduate programs? Here are a few insights to help you identify and articulate your graduate program’s value proposition.

Why is it so hard to stand out?

There are a few reasons standing out is both more important, and more difficult, than ever:

• Competition is growing: Across the last decade, schools have been launching new graduate programs faster than students can enroll in them, with 2.37% growth in new programs launched compared to 1.58% growth in conferrals. And those numbers exclude programs offered by non-university providers—think certificates, badges, etc. from the likes of Grow with Google or Coursera. Simply put, students have more options than ever before.
• Student mindshare is maxed out: From morning commutes to social media scrolls and nightly Netflix, today’s consumers encounter 4,000 to 10,000 brands daily. At the same time, we know that prospective students spend just 90 seconds on a .edu webpage on average, leaving schools mere moments to capture students’ attention and pique their interest.
• Students are applying to only a handful of schools: The prospective graduate students and adult degree completion students we surveyed applied to an average of just 3.8 and 3.3 schools, respectively. A differentiated value proposition will help your school make their short list—and set you apart as prospects compare you against 1-2 other options.
• Stealth applicants are the norm: 80% of applicants to professional, continuing, and online programs are stealth, meaning they rely on program information from across digital channels to learn about your program before ever engaging with your institution directly. The rise in stealth shopping means your marketing messages are doing more work than ever before. Are they helping to set your institution apart?

How can you stand out?

The first step in defining your differentiation is to consider the following:

• Competitor offerings: First, make sure you know exactly which programs and schools you’re competing with. Consider what makes students choose your program over theirs, and vice versa. What do these findings say about your reputation and your value in your primary market? It’s critical to identify unique capabilities (see below) that are distinct from those of your competitors.
• Audience needs: Not every student is going to be the right fit for your program, and you aren’t the right fit for every student. Consider what your historical best-fit students share and what’s changing about what prospective students value. Check out our latest research on evolving student preferences, behaviors, and goals.
• Institutional capabilities, by program: From your location to your price, your values and your partner networks, think about what existing characteristics contribute to your value proposition.

Of course, you must also think about the larger industry context impacting your audience, competitors, and your institution. For example, what demographic trends are impacting your region and your campus? What emerging technologies could impact your capabilities—and what your audience expects?

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Putting your differentiated value proposition to the test

Not every positive attribute is a differentiator. For something to be a true value proposition, it needs to be distinctive, relevant, and provable. If you have a value proposition in mind, consider it against the following questions:

• Is your claim relevant? Consider testing any claims with current students via interviews, a survey, or a focus group to make sure they resonate with students.
• Is your claim difficult to replicate? Can your competitors reasonably say the same thing? If so, do you execute it better—or differently—than they do?
• Does your claim reach the majority? A strong value proposition should speak to most of your students, not just a niche subset.
• Is your claim provable to the market? Your value proposition should be demonstrable via data (e.g., alumni outcomes), student testimonials, or third-party recognition.

These are just a few early steps in setting your institution apart. This work typically requires close collaboration with stakeholders across campus, and sometimes an outside perspective to challenge assumptions and uncover what truly makes your program unique. My teammate, Katie Shaver, and I will be providing more actionable tactics to differentiate your institution in our upcoming webinar (and common pitfalls to avoid as you work to differentiate your programs). We hope you’ll join us!