Graduate Enrollment Management: Reflections and Development—A Decade In

Enrollment management (EM) was established as an area of study about 50 years ago, yet the first definition of graduate enrollment management (GEM) only emerged in 2014. In the past decade, despite pressure to increase graduate enrollments to address institutions’ budget challenges and impending undergraduate enrollment declines, few empirical studies focus solely on GEM. Institutions are starting to develop graduate strategic enrollment management (G-SEM) plans. This article highlights a qualitative case study of GEM practitioners that explored their experiences with GEM models and G-SEM planning. Although participants’ institutions were in the early phases of G-SEM planning, their schools had not fully embraced any GEM model to support those efforts. Practitioners reported that this resulted in increased pressure to advocate for more intentional coordination across the graduate student life cycle and to build relationships to breakdown silos. Study participants stressed the continued significant role of faculty in graduate program structures and goals, discussed the importance of career outcomes, emphasized the need to use data to inform decisions, and highlighted the evolving relationship with external partners and central marketing offices. Higher education institutions face budget and enrollment challenges while there is increased scrutiny on the value of a degree. This study underscores the pressing need for ongoing empirical research that will guide institutions’ G-SEM plans and investments in strategic GEM models.