Could an Integrated Engagement Solution Be the Key to Navigating the Higher Ed Enrollment Cliff?

We are preparing for a considerable shift in the higher ed landscape, and this time it’s a doozy. The higher ed enrollment cliff is a looming reality that promises a potential 10-15% drop in incoming college students starting in 2025. But it’s not just about the numbers; the needs and expectations of prospective students are changing. With fewer students to attract and more competition for their attention, universities must be innovative in their engagement strategies for prospective, current, and past students.

Fortunately, the answer is relatively straightforward: Embrace the potential of an integrated engagement solution. With this tool in your arsenal, you can successfully navigate the challenges facing higher education right now and future-proof against those to come. With the right technology partner and EdTech solution, you can even find answers to all your questions, such as how to improve admissions in universities or how to improve student retention.

However, we’ve got to move quickly because the enrollment cliff is fast approaching, and it’s going to make it difficult to increase college admission rates. Now is the time to begin implementing an effective integrated engagement solution for higher education and make sure your institution is set up for success from the start.

How the Enrollment Cliff Affects Higher Education Everywhere

With fewer students and more diverse needs, the competition for attention is intense. While large institutions are eager to welcome students back to their campuses, recruiting students to traditional college routes (think community colleges or tech schools) is becoming increasingly complicated. This is not just a challenge for newly merged colleges but also for those institutions that were already heavily invested in virtual learning pre-pandemic.

This is where innovative EdTech tools for higher education come in. Integrated engagement solutions, like Mongoose’s Cadence platform, can build bridges to reach and engage students in ways that were previously unattainable. These platforms allow campus leaders and administrators to create unique, customized processes for prospective students by offering engagement experiences tailored to their needs. As a result, strong connections with students are built from the start, promoting a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere on campus that will help keep students excited about their academic journeys.

Summer break offers an excellent opportunity for higher education institutions to reflect on their EdTech solutions and communication approaches. With most students away, staff can evaluate existing tools and prepare for the upcoming academic year. This is a chance to consider the needs of both traditional on-campus students and those who opt for online programs.

With the higher ed enrollment cliff looming, this is a crucial period for strategic planning that can set the tone for the future of higher education. The right technology can make the difference between staying competitive and being left behind.

Taking on the Enrollment Cliff: Key Strategies

So, let’s strategize. When facing the enrollment cliff, here are some key tactics to consider:

1. Choose experienced partners.

Don’t just buy tools; build successful partnerships. Collaborating with institutions to take a consultative approach and tailor solutions to their specific needs is key for vendors to achieve their objectives. At Mongoose, this approach is core to everything we do, from our empathetic approach to client success to our comprehensive approach to compliance and deliverability management.

Our team comprises individuals with extensive experience in higher education, giving us a unique perspective. We don’t dictate solutions; we listen, understand, and respond. This approach means going beyond the typical customer-vendor relationship and investing in long-term partnerships that genuinely add value.

2. Look beyond buzzwords to transformative tech.

When choosing a strategic partner, look for one that goes beyond talking about innovative buzzwords and actually puts innovative technology to work on your campus. For example, Mongoose’s comprehensive suite of solutions leverages cutting-edge technologies like machine learning, NLP/NLU, and GPT to provide tangible benefits and drive meaningful outcomes for your institution. But we don’t just talk the talk; we walk the walk and ensure that you can, too.

By utilizing different machine learning algorithms to identify patterns within data sets, we create models that make accurate predictions over time. Our machine learning models then find applications in predictive analytics and recommendation engines, empowering your institution to make data-driven decisions.

Not to mention, our collaboration with OpenAI allows us to harness the power of GPT and LLMs. By integrating GPT models into our solutions, we can offer features such as sentiment analysis, topic identification, and generative applications like templates and suggested replies. Ultimately, choosing a partner that deeply understands new technology and how it can aid your institution is how you will stay ahead of the curve and deliver exceptional experiences to students, staff, and stakeholders.

3. Prioritize partners that prioritize compliance.

Working with technology providers in higher education is often a practice of trust, and ultimately, you need a partner who cares as much about compliance as you do. Fortunately, when you choose Mongoose, you can be confident that we prioritize compliance and deliverability in all of our integrated engagement solutions. Unlike many other text and chat providers, we take full responsibility for ensuring text message deliverability while navigating wireless carrier restrictions.

With Mongoose, you gain access to our comprehensive end-to-end deliverability optimization service. We manage your trust scores, handle A2P brand registration, campaign registration, Long Code reservation, and ensure 10DLC compliance processes. We also simplify brand registration during the onboarding process, saving you time and effort. Our team of higher education experts guides you through campaign registration, classifying them based on specific use cases such as Higher Education or Charity.

Trust Mongoose to take care of international compliance as well. We are proud members of the CLNPC, ensuring successful message delivery and compliance with Canadian carrier regulations on your behalf. Our integrated engagement solutions go beyond the basics and prioritize compliance management services so you can be successful in all of your communication efforts.

With Mongoose, You Can Safely Navigate the Higher Ed Enrollment Cliff

Facing the higher ed enrollment cliff may be intimidating, but with the right strategies and tools, higher education institutions can tackle this challenge head-on. Subsequently, implementing an effective integrated engagement solution can increase college admission rates and improve student retention.

The key lies in choosing the right EdTech partner — one who understands your institution’s unique challenges and works with you to develop tailored solutions. At Mongoose, we are committed to doing just that, ensuring you get the tools to enhance your student experiences and a partnership that supports your institution’s overall mission and vision.

Whether you’re looking to revamp your engagement strategy in preparation for the enrollment cliff or just want to learn more about how other higher ed institutions deal with these challenges, the team at Mongoose is here to help. Schedule a conversation with us today and subscribe to our For Your Institution (FYI) podcast for more insights into the world of higher ed.

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