How liberal arts colleges and universities can reassert their value

Enrollment pressure, financial stress and lessening public confidence in the value of higher education continue to be head winds for higher education institutions. Liberal arts colleges and universities have experienced these trends more significantly than other private, not-for-profit institutions and public institutions.

However, even within the liberal arts segment, trends vary substantially. For example, the most selective liberal arts institutions have not experienced the same enrollment declines and enhanced discounting of their less selective peers. Even among the selective institutions, some have performed better than others and are better able to retain pricing power. This variation may be explained by the ability and willingness of some institutions to adopt strategies to differentiate in the market, enhance the student experience, and deliver on the promise of value made to students and families.

To assert their position in an increasingly competitive landscape and in view of Gen Z student needs and preferences, liberal arts institutions also need to carefully consider how best to incorporate responses to these changing needs in their long-term strategies. What transformative strategies should liberal arts institutions adopt to differentiate in a crowded market and to build out their value proposition to students and families?

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