Higher Education

We offer institutions of higher education superior end-to-end consulting services from market needs assessments and strategy development to organizational redesign and implementation planning, as well as hands-on implementation of new, sustainable business processes and system improvements.

What EY can do for you

As a leading global advisory firm with a dedicated higher education practice, Ernst & Young LLP has unparalleled commitment to the education sector. We offer institutions of higher education superior end- to-end consulting services from market needs assessments and strategy development to organizational redesign and implementation planning to hands-on implementation of new, sustainable business processes and system improvements.

We have worked with over 150 higher education institutions whose collective annual enrollments exceed two million students worldwide. Our education clients include state departments, boards of higher education, large public university systems, large private and public research universities, and small private liberal arts colleges. We also work with providers of products and services to higher education institutions, including publishers, assessment companies, ed tech providers and online program managers.

Thanks to our work across the public and private higher education sectors, we have deep knowledge of what is happening on the front lines of education and we bring those perspectives to our clients.

Is your institution considering these strategic questions?

  • How do we grow and thrive, organically or in partnership with others?
  • How do we drive better outcomes for our students, our state or region, or the nation?
  • How do we improve performance, operational efficiency and quality of service?
  • How do we achieve financial health? How can we optimize our assets to sustain our mission?
  • How do we enable our faculty and our workforce to succeed?
  • How do we manage strategic, regulatory, operational and financial risks in a rapidly changing higher education environment?
  • How do we establish and nurture a culture of accountability, transparency and trust?

How EY can help

  • We have a symbiotic relationship with the education sector; we depend on the sector for our talent and we deploy our capabilities to help education institutions thrive.
  • We bring a disciplined and rigorous approach to our work in education strategy, reform and implementation.
  • We offer leading practices and solutions, but can also flex to customize our approach to your needs, recognizing that one size does not fit all.
  • We focus on driving your outcomes and on translating innovations into transformations that last.

Our latest thinking

How digital’s impact on higher education can be improved

Higher education is not immune to digital disruption as it reaches across the university community.

Six key financial and operational metrics pinpoint higher ed risk

A new EY-Parthenon metric shows that 40% of US higher education institutions are at or nearing financial and operational risk. Learn more.

ESG in higher education: From strategy to execution

Learn how a deliberate ESG strategy can help higher education institutions recruit students, staff and faculty.

Are universities of the past still the future?

EY is helping universities to prepare for a future higher education landscape that could look very different from that of today.

How the right public-private partnerships in higher education provide value

Institutions are struggling to provide a quality education while keeping up with the challenges of deferred maintenance.


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