Strategic Context
Indiana Tech’s strategic planning process included taking an in-depth look at the context in which our work will take place, now and into the future. Understanding the past, present and future of higher education is vital to our efforts to be impactful for our students and our community in the decades ahead.
Past
Rising online and on-demand higher education
2010
Western Governors University – Indiana founded as WGU’s first satellite school. Becomes eligible for Indiana state financial aid.
2011
Stanford offers first massive open online course (MOOC). 160,000 students register and over 20,000 complete the course.
2012
Coursera is launched, revolutionizing online education market with low-cost courses ($49) and subscription plans for certificates and degrees ($399 per year).
2017
Purdue acquires for-profit Kaplan U. and online and post-traditional space as Purdue Global.
2020
COVID pandemic forces colleges to cancel in-person classes. Many enter online education space for the first time.
2020
WGU and Southern New Hampshire U. Each enroll over 100,000 online students.
Declining enrollments and public perception of the value of a college degree
2013
U.S. experiences first two-year decline in higher ed enrollments since early 1990s.
2011-20
Enrollment in higher ed declines by 2.2 million – a 12% drop.
2015
U.S. Department of Education launches College Scorecard to help students compare the cost and value of colleges and universities.
Multi-year trend
Public perception of value of college degree declines. Low unemployment leads many employers to remove degree requirements to hire entry-level employees.
Present
Challenges
Competition is growing outside of traditional higher ed. Coursera is now world’s largest provider of online courses, serving over 82 million users.
College going rate of high school graduates in Indiana is currently 53% – down from 64% in 2016 and ten percentage points below national average.
18 colleges and universities permanently closed in 2023, with 10 more closures planned by June 2024. Since 2020, 47 schools have closed in the U.S. due to dwindling enrollment and financial resources.
Purdue acquires for-profit Kaplan U. and online and post-traditional space as Purdue Global.
Increased price sensitivity among undergrads has driven a shift to lower-priced state-subsidized public universities in Indiana. Publics saw a 2.5% annual increase in 2023 enrollment while privates saw a slight decrease.
Mental health is a leading cause of college stop-outs. A 2023 U.S. Census Bureau survey finds 49.9% of adults 18-24 report anxiety and depression symptoms compared to 32.3% of adults overall.
Opportunities
Today, 770,000 Hoosiers have some college and no degree. Only 40% of adults in Indiana have a bachelor’s degree.
Private universities have the agility to respond quickly to societal and industry needs. 2023 graduate program enrollments at Indiana privates are up 32.3% from 2022 while graduate enrollments at Indiana publics are down 0.3%.
In the 22-23 academic year, 1.1 million international students attended U.S. universities – up 12% from prior year. India’s total was 268,923 and had greatest increase of any country from prior year (+35%).
The top 20 jobs in 2023, ranked by U.S. News, and are all in health care, STEM, and business analytics.
In 2023, the Lilly Foundation announced a $300 million grant program to help Indiana universities collaborate with community stakeholders on projects that enhance quality of life and place in their shared communities.
In-person and online students are seeking greater levels of wrap-around support services in and out of the classroom.
Enrollments in non-degree programs and certificates grew 5% nationally in 22-23.
Future
Declining domestic enrollments, increasing pressure
Demographic cliff begins to affect the Midwest in 2025. Regional universities may see a 15% decline in domestic traditional undergrad enrollment through 2030.
More colleges and universities will struggle and close. Stronger universities will drive more mergers and acquisitions in the higher ed space.
Fewer domestic traditional students and an excess supply of schools will create downward pressure on price. Successful colleges will resist this pressure by selling their DISTINCTIVE value.
Rising international markets
Africa is a new frontier for international students. Nigeria and Ghana are already among top 25 countries sending students to the U.S., with the highest annual growth rates after India.
Partnerships will redefine who drives demand and who pays for education
Corporate partnerships will become vital to enroll students. As companies in a tight labor market hire employees without degrees, they seek partners for upskilling, retraining, and education of employees.
Partnerships with third-party benefit providers will become more critical to enroll students as companies do more to educate their workforce and look for efficiencies in managing their education benefit programs.
U.S. policy and spending will impact higher ed
The 2024 presidential election will affect higher ed significantly from 2025 to 2029, impacting immigration policy, investment in military and regulation of higher ed.
Partnering with the military on education will continue to be an opportunity. U.S. is forecast to increase annual defense spending from $786 billion in 2022 to $1.1 trillion in 2033
National and regional jobs will grow in key industries
The bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 15% annual growth in STEM job opportunities through 2030.
The National Institutes of Health predicts 29% annual growth in health care job opportunities through 2030.
Innovation in advanced manufacturing in Northeast Indiana is a regional focus for growth by 2030.