Student Priorities and Preferences in a New Era of Graduate and Adult Education

Demographic change and the decline in college-going mean that fewer students are entering the graduate market than in past years. These challenges, coupled with growing competition from university and non-university providers, economic headwinds, and changes to international markets, present leaders of graduate and adult-serving programs with new obstacles to enrollment growth. Students’ search trends, application behaviors, and enrollment decisions also continue to evolve—forcing marketing teams to keep pace despite staff and resource shortages.

To help colleges and universities better recruit, enroll, and serve graduate and adult learners, we surveyed 6,000 prospective and current adult students about their preferences, needs, and goals. This insight paper includes findings from that survey, along with insights from prior EAB adult learner surveys to understand trends over time. These insights will help you effectively adapt your recruitment strategies to meet shifting student search behavior, application preferences, and enrollment realities.

Questions explored in the insight paper:

• What motivates graduate and adult learners to further their education?
• How do prospective graduate and adult students search for programs, and how has search behavior changed over time?
• What factors are most important in graduate and adult learners’ enrollment decisions?

Download the Insight Paper