Reversing the Tide
How Education Connex Delivered Five Consecutive Terms of Growth in Domestic Graduate Enrollments
In the competitive world of higher education, where enrollment numbers can make or break a program’s future, one public four-year university with over 20,000 students faced a daunting challenge: years of declining domestic graduate enrollments. Partnering with Education Connex, a leader in data-driven enrollment solutions, they not only reversed this trend but achieved remarkable growth—without increasing marketing spend, enrolling international students, or relying on an Online Program Manager (OPM). This case study highlights how strategic, best-practice approaches led to three consecutive terms of growth initially, scaling up to five terms with an average growth rate of 12%. It’s the best performance in a decade for the university.
The Challenge: Stemming the Decline in Graduate Enrollments
The university was grappling with persistent drops in domestic graduate student numbers, particularly in online programs. Key issues included:
- Limited Data Insights: Historical data was sparse, with gaps in capture and attribution, making informed decision-making difficult.
- Subpar Student Experience: Prospective students encountered a lackluster journey from inquiry to enrollment.
- Slow Response Times: Inquiries and incomplete applications often received delayed or no follow-up, leading to lost opportunities.
- Inconsistent Outreach: There was no multichannel nurturing or professional, consistent communication to engage prospects effectively.
The goal was clear: boost qualified prospects, applications, acceptances, and registrations for online graduate programs—all while keeping costs in check and focusing solely on domestic students.
The Strategy: Deploying Data-Driven Best Practices
Education Connex stepped in with a tailored, collaborative approach, staffing and implementing enrollment strategies rooted in data and proven tactics. Here’s how they transformed the process:
- Website Optimization: Subtle adjustments to the main university site’s page layouts, lead forms, and direct response elements improved on-page conversions. This required minimal IT involvement and ensured 100% attribution for leads.
- Lead Capture and Attribution: Every lead was tracked by source, providing granular insights into what worked.
- Multichannel Nurturing: A comprehensive strategy was rolled out to engage prospects across various channels, fostering stronger connections.
- Speed-to-Lead Implementation: Persistent, rapid follow-ups on all inquiries dramatically increased contact rates, applications, and conversions.
- Performance Measurement: Success was tracked per channel, focusing on qualified leads, applications, and enrollments to refine efforts in real-time.
This expertise not only accelerated growth but also halved the enrollment timeline, making the process more efficient for both the university and students.
The Results: Impressive Growth and ROI
The partnership yielded outstanding outcomes. For the Fall 2025 term alone, first-time master’s student registrations exceeded the prior year by 13%. Overall highlights include:
- 5% increase in applications
- 10% increase in acceptances
- 21% increase in registrations
- 15X ROI
- 12% above goal
Looking at the term-over-term growth:
| Term Comparison | Increase |
|---|---|
| Fall ’25 over Fall ’24 | 12.0% |
| Summer ’24 over Summer ’23 | 11.0% |
| Fall ’24 over Fall ’23 | 7.0% |
| Spring ’25 over Spring ’24 | 21.0% |
| Summer ’25 over Summer ’24 | 13.1% |
The average growth rate over these five terms was 12%, demonstrating sustained momentum. (Note: Some internal documents reference a four-term average of 13%, but the full five-term data underscores consistent progress.)
Why Choose Education Connex?
What sets Education Connex apart in the enrollment management space?
- Approach: Customized strategies that adapt to your unique needs.
- Expertise: A team of USA-based performance marketers, student success professionals, and data analysts.
- Affordable: High-impact solutions without breaking the bank.
- Data-Driven Results: Decisions backed by real metrics for measurable success.
- Executive Commitment: Dedicated leadership ensuring your goals are met.
As one university partner put it: “With Ed Connex we get more custom service versus the more cookie cutter-type work you might get from some of the larger firms. They are more committed to our success and will modify their work plan to make sure we get the results needed.”
Ready to transform your enrollment strategies and accelerate growth with data-driven solutions? Contact us today:
- Email: gswinhart@educationconnex.com
- Phone: 877-434-1828
If your institution is facing similar enrollment challenges, this case study shows what’s possible. Let’s connect and explore how we can drive similar success for you.