Undergraduate Portfolio Health Check
Translate data into strategy with a custom report that will help you strengthen your portfolio’s market position, adapt to AI-driven workforce changes, and ensure regulatory compliance
Colleges and universities have long relied on traditional program review processes to evaluate academic performance and student outcomes. However, these reviews often happen infrequently, involve limited external benchmarking, and rarely lead to bigger change.
Undergraduate portfolios, in particular, present unique challenges: unlike graduate students who apply to a specific program, undergraduates often apply to an institution. Traditional program-by-program reviews fail to capture how programs interact with one another and how they align to strategic goals across the portfolio. The undergraduate portfolio should be assessed holistically to account for the interconnected nature of its programs.
Without a clear view of how programs fit together, where growth opportunities exist, or where risks are emerging, institutions may fall behind peers and face misalignment between programs and student and/or market demand.
Introducing EAB’s Undergraduate Portfolio Health Check
A smarter way to review your academic portfolio
The Undergraduate Portfolio Health Check is a custom report that helps leaders take a comprehensive, data-informed look at the strength and sustainability of their academic offerings. Unlike traditional reviews that focus only on internal metrics, EAB’s approach complements your internal analysis by drawing on external data to identify:
Which programs are thriving
Where peer programs are gaining ground
How your portfolio aligns (or misaligns) with workforce demand
Where ROI regulations may expose your programs to risk
Which of your fields may be most impacted by AI and automation
This assessment gives provosts, deans, and academic planners the insight to make proactive, strategic decisions about growth, investment, and redesign—before external forces demand them.
Inside the report
The Undergraduate Portfolio Health Check is structured around key analytical sections designed to help leaders translate data into action:
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Competitive position
See how your programs perform in the market
- Benchmark program performance against peers
- Identify where you lead the market and portfolio gaps
- Surface strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities
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ROI exposure
Anticipate financial risk before it becomes a crisis
- Evaluate program-level financial outcomes
- Flag programs at risk of losing federal aid eligibility
- Proactively align your portfolio with the evolving workforce
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AI disruption
Adapt your portfolio for an AI-driven future
- Identify where automation and AI are reshaping job demand across fields
- Use EAB’s analysis to position your offerings for long-term success and strengthen graduate employability
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Labor market relevance
Align your portfolio with the labor market
- Map your portfolio to workforce needs
- Identify growing skills across occupations
- Highlight alignment and gaps in workforce relevance
What’s next?
The Undergraduate Portfolio Health Check is not just an analysis—it’s a roadmap for strategic action. The report includes tailored recommendations and links to EAB resources to help leaders:
- Prioritize programs for investment or redesign
- Strengthen alignment between programs and workforce needs
- Mitigate regulatory and market risks
- Prepare for long-term shifts in technology and talent demand
The Undergraduate Portfolio Health Check is available to Strategic Advisory Services and Academic Innovation partners. Learn more about how we work with higher ed leaders to make a meaningful impact on campus through Strategic Advisory Services.