January 2017 1

2017HIGHEREDUCATIONBENCHMARKSA Thruline Marketing Report

2 January 2017

Welcome to the Third Annual Higher Education Benchmarks

For the past three years, we’ve released the Higher Education Benchmarks,

providing a current snapshot of key marketing metrics and enrollment drivers

for higher education institutions. Each year, we expand our coverage to

offer a more holistic view of the higher education environment and in 2017,

we’ve added enhanced academic program research surrounding associate,

bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.

As always, we focused on the adult education market across both two-year

and four-year, as well as public and private, institutions. The challenges for

marketers and enrollment managers are clear from our opening research,

which shows the continued slight decline in enrollments overall with bright

spots in online-specific enrollment trends.

The methods marketers are using to address enrollment challenges continue

to shift. Social media marketing continues to grow and become a larger focus;

television and traditional media dollars are clearly flowing to digital; and

mobile web usage has almost surpassed the desktop computer.

Adult students’ search queries are becoming more refined and specific. Our

research shows that they are highly motivated to pursue specific program

offerings and are not simply searching for individual school brands. With this

in mind, it is critical for schools to analyze their program portfolio and make

sure they are offering in-demand programs that align with student needs and

the job market.

We hope the 2017 Higher Education Benchmarks report serves as a valuable

guide throughout the year.

Wishing you a prosperous 2017,

Mike McHugh

CEO Thruline Marketing

January 2017 3

Enrollment trends

As we navigate uncharted territory in higher education, student

enrollment continues to decline; however, research suggests that

while this decrease will likely continue for the near term, it will

soon begin to stabilize.

Institutions are looking to online training and additional programs

to hedge the effects of negative enrollment growth. According to

the BMO Capital Markets September 2016 Education and Training

Report, nonprofit schools have been gaining share of the online

education space at the expense of the for-profit sector, though the

latter still owns a disproportionate share.

Students tend to enroll in a school within a 150-mile radius of their

residence, even for online programs. According to The Learning

House and Aslanian Market Research, the demographic of the

online student is changing. The age is trending younger, with the

majority being 31-year-old white women with a family income of

approximately $55,000.

4 January 2017

UN

DER

GRA

DU

ATE

POST

BAC

CA

LAU

REA

TE

20 mil

15 mil

10 mil

5 mil

02000 2004 2008

ACTUAL PROJECTED

2012 2016 2020 2024U

ND

ERG

RAD

UA

TE

POST

BAC

CA

LAU

REA

TE

20 mil

15 mil

10 mil

5 mil

02000 2004 2008

ACTUAL PROJECTED

2012 2016 2020 2024

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), “Fall Enrollment in Colleges and Universities” surveys, 1967-1985; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), “Fall Enrollment Survey” (IPEDS-EF:86-99); IPEDS Spring 2001-Spring 2015, Fall Enrollment component; and Enrollment in Degree-Granting Institutions Projection Model, 1980-2025. (This table was prepared February 2016.)

1 WHAT ARE THE OVERALL DOMESTIC ENROLLMENT TRENDS?

January 2017 5

Source: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center updated 10.3.16,https://nscresearchcenter.org/currenttermenrollmentestimate-spring2016/.

-1.5%

0.4%

1.3%

-9.7%

-3.3%

-0.8%

0.8%

2.0%

-4.9%

-2.9%

-1.3%

0.0%

1.6%

-0.4%

-3.5%

-1.9%

0.1%

-0.2%

-4.9%

-3.9%

-1.7%

0.4%

-0.3%

-13.7%

-2.4%

-1.3%

0.6%

0.7%

-9.3%

-2.8%

-16% -14% -12% -10% -8% -6% -4% -2% 0% 2% 4%

TOTAL ENROLLMENT ALL SECTORS

FOUR-YEARPUBLIC

FOUR-YEARPRIVATE NONPROFIT

FOUR-YEARFOR-PROFIT

TWO-YEARPUBLIC

FALL 2013

SPRING 2014

FALL 2014

SPRING 2015

FALL 2015

SPRING 2016

-1.5%

0.4%

1.3%

-9.7%

-3.3%

-0.8%

0.8%

2.0%

-4.9%

-2.9%

-1.3%

0.0%

1.6%

-0.4%

-3.5%

-1.9%

0.1%

-0.2%

-4.9%

-3.9%

-1.7%

0.4%

-0.3%

-13.7%

-2.4%

-1.3%

0.6%

0.7%

-9.3%

-2.8%

-16% -14% -12% -10% -8% -6% -4% -2% 0% 2% 4%

TOTAL ENROLLMENT ALL SECTORS

FOUR-YEARPUBLIC

FOUR-YEARPRIVATE NONPROFIT

FOUR-YEARFOR-PROFIT

TWO-YEARPUBLIC

FALL 2013

SPRING 2014

FALL 2014

SPRING 2015

FALL 2015

SPRING 2016

2 WHAT IS THE PERCENT CHANGE IN ENROLLMENT BY SECTOR FROM FALL 2013 - SPRING 2016?

6 January 2017

The largest driver for online

enrollment is career advancement.

Additional education and training

have also become highly valuable

employment perks. Corporate

partnerships provide a unique

opportunity to benefit both

organizations and universities.

3

4

Source: Online College Students 2016: Comprehesive Data on Demands and Preferences. The Learning House and Aslanian Market Research Powered by Education Dynamics. July 2016.

Source: Online College Students 2016: Comprehesive Data on Demands and Preferences. The Learning House and Aslanian Market Research Powered by Education Dynamics. July 2016.

WHAT IS THE AVERAGE AGE OF UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE ONLINE STUDENTS?

UNDERGRADUATE GRADUATE

20122013201420152016

3435363229

3537373533

YEAR

WHAT IS THE PRIMARY MOTIVATION FOR ENROLLING IN ONLINE COURSES?

I wanted a career in a new field

The satisfaction of completing my undergraduate/graduate education

I wanted to keep up to date with the skills and requirements of my current job

I was unemployed/underemployed and needed more education to get a new job

It was a requirement by my employer/profession

I was seeking a promotion/new position in my field

I was re-entering the job market and needed more education

I had just finished high school/GED

Other personal reasons

20%15%

14%

12%

11%11%8%

7%8%

January 2017 7

MARKETING TRENDS

The marketing landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace. We have seen a significant shift in

prospective student search behavior, and higher education marketing strategies are following suit.

Many institutions are transferring marketing dollars from traditional channels, television in particular,

and investing more heavily in social media advertising and other digital channels. Ad spend in the

digital space grew 17.2 percent in 2015, and Magna Global estimated that 2016 digital advertising sales

equaled TV ad dollars for the first time, with both generating approximately $68 billion, a market

share of 38.5 percent. We expect online ad spend to surpass TV in 2017.

More than ever, institutions are focusing on branding and marketing. Identifying your school’s

differentiators and tailoring your message accordingly are vital during this time of heightened

competition. Reaching the right students for your institution not only increases enrollment – it

also improves retention, graduation rates and job placement. When marketing online programs

specifically, it’s important to consider your targeting strategy. Remember to consider your position in

the marketplace and stay true to your mission as you expand current programs or launch new ones.

Although online course offerings open up a global audience, keep in mind that online students are

often partial to schools closer by.

We are also constantly reminded of the importance of mobile. Google Analytics reported that

across the millions of websites it tracks, more than 50 percent of all traffic now comes from

smartphones and tablets. According to the 2016 Online College Students report by The Learning

House and Aslanian Market Research, more than 95 percent of online students own a mobile device,

and nearly one-third of them conducted all or almost all of their online college search on a mobile

device.

Design for mobile first. As social media has become an invaluable channel for targeting prospective

students, it’s important to remember these students will likely be clicking on your ad while flipping

through social media pages on their mobile devices. If your website is not optimized for mobile, it

will be a poor experience and could cost you conversions.

Make sure you focus on conversion even in your social media strategy. Not only is social media a

great tool for sharing program information, promoting student events and encouraging engagement,

it’s also a place where you can entice your followers to take action: sign up for more information,

inquire about your school, etc. According to the Pay to Play: Social Media in Advancement 2016

report from CASE, Huron and mStoner, institutions that are successful with social media use it

for prospect research: identifying new prospects and identifying new areas of interest for current

prospects based on their engagement with social media.

In this section, we provide more social media quick facts, prospective student search behavior,

recent cost-per-click and click-through-rate trends, a breakdown of advertising spend and more.

8 January 2017

DESKTOP

FOR-PROFIT

MOBILE

TABLET

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

98%

2%

97%

3%

89%

11%

0.19%

NONPROFIT

75%

22%

3%

69%

23%

8%

67%

25%

8%

59%

34%

7%

56%

37%

7%

42% 35% 6%8%50% 58%

DESKTOP

FOR-PROFIT

MOBILE

TABLET

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

98%

2%

97%

3%

89%

11%

0.19%

NONPROFIT

75%

22%

3%

69%

23%

8%

67%

25%

8%

59%

34%

7%

56%

37%

7%

42% 35% 6%8%50% 58%

DESKTOP

FOR-PROFIT

MOBILE

TABLET

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

98%

2%

97%

3%

89%

11%

0.19%

NONPROFIT

75%

22%

3%

69%

23%

8%

67%

25%

8%

59%

34%

7%

56%

37%

7%

42% 35% 6%8%50% 58%

5 HOW IS DEVICE USAGE CHANGING FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENT SEARCH BEHAVIOR?

6 WHAT IS THE ADVERTISING EXPENSE AS A PERCENTAGE OF REVENUE FOR SELECT FOR-PROFIT INSTITUTIONS?

2010

32.9%

7.3%

10.4%

2011

35.6%

7.5%

10.7%

2012

37.0%

7.6%

12.8%

2013

36.9%

7.9%

10.2%

2014

31.2%

7.7%

12.0%

2015

31.0%

8.3%

12.6%

HIGH

MEDIAN

LOW

Source: BMO Capital Markets September 2016 Education and Training Report, Exhibit 226, including BMO Capital Markets estimates and publicly traded for-profit company reports. Data represents fiscal years and excludes discontinued operations where available.

Source: Thruline Marketing data, proprietary client list. Measured data spans January 2009 to September 2016 within Google Analytics. Beginning in 2011, mobile properties segmented into mobile and tablet categories.

Advertising

spend has received

a lot of attention at publicly

held for-profit schools because

of its “volatility.” The average percent

of revenues has stayed strong at 9-12

percent, on par with consumer goods

corporations such as Procter & Gamble.

It’s important to invest in branding

now more than ever.

January 2017 9

7 HOW HAVE AVERAGE COSTS PER CLICK CHANGED?

8 WHAT IS THE BRAND VERSUS NONBRAND COST-PER-CLICK AVERAGE?

Source: Thruline Education, proprietary client list. Periods measured January 2011-September 2016.

Source: Thruline Marketing, proprietary client list. Periods measured January 2010-October 2016.

$0$2$4$6$8

$10$12$14$16

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

BRAND$4

2016

NON-BRAND$17

BRAND$3

2015

NON-BRAND$17

BRAND$2

2014

NON-BRAND$13

BRAND$1

2013

NON-BRAND$10

BRAND$1

2012

NON-BRAND

$7

BRAND$1

2011

2016 BREAKDOWN

NON-BRAND

$6

FOR-PROFITNONBRAND

$15FOR-PROFIT

BRAND

$5NONPROFITNONBRAND

$19NONPROFIT

BRAND

$3

10 January 2017

Click-through rate (CTR)

is a key component of your website’s

Google Quality Score, which determines ad

rank and actual cost per click (CPC) in each auction. An

improved CTR can drive improvements in Quality Score,

which in turn can help improve ad rank

and decrease average CPCs.

To improve your Quality Score, write ad copy

and landing page content tightly aligned with selected

keywords. Increase CTR by frequently mining search query

reports to negative match irrelevant keywords and

implementing negative fencing to ensure that

search queries are being matched with the

most relevant keyword and match

type possible.

6.97%7.23%

2016

2015

1.05%1.22%

NONBRAND

2016

2015

BRAND

10

9 WHAT IS THE BRAND VERSUS NONBRAND CLICK-THROUGH RATE?

WHAT IS THE CLICK-THROUGH RATE BY AVERAGE NONBRAND SEARCH POSITION?

Source: Thruline Marketing, proprietary client list. Periods measured January 2015-December 2015 vs. January 2016-September 2016.

Source: Thruline proprietary client list. Periods measured December 2015-November 2016.

Education

search traffic remains

flat, according to Google’s

Q3 2016 Education Search Analysis.

It’s more important than ever to be

in a higher search position because of

Google’s algorithm changes, such as

removing right-hand ads. The better

your position, the higher your

click-through rate will be.

1.76% 1.40%2016 2015

POSITION 1

1.32% 0.94%2016 2015

POSITION 2

1.07% 0.74%2016 2015

POSITION 3

1.06% 0.50%2016 2015

POSITION 4

0.67% 0.55%2016 2015

POSITION 5

0.45% 0.31%2016 2015

POSITION 6

0.26% 0.26%2016 2015

POSITION 7+

January 2017 11

6.97%7.23%

2016

2015

1.05%1.22%

NONBRAND

2016

2015

BRAND

12

11 HOW HAS TV SPEND BY DAYPART CHANGED YEAR OVER YEAR?

HOW ARE INSTITUTIONS’ TV DOLLARS ALLOCATED BY TYPE?

Source: Kantar Media. Traditional media data was derived from advertisers listed under category codes G810 and G840. Not all stations/networks/affiliates are tracked, and cable is measured at the national level. October 2015-September 2016.

Source: Kantar Media. Traditional media data was derived from advertisers listed under category codes G810 and G840. Not all stations/networks/affili-ates are tracked, and cable is measured at the national level. January 2012-Sep-tember 2016 (estimated).

TV spend

has decreased 12.41

percent from 2012 to

2016. Cable and spot TV

have been the most

affected.

-38%OVERNIGHT

-21%LATENIGHT

-16%DAYTIME

-24%EARLY AM

-22%FRINGE

-3%PRIME

-12%WEEKEND

$1,000,000,000

$900,000,000

$800,000,000

$700,000,000

$600,000,000

$500,000,000

$400,000,000

$300,000,000

$200,000,000

$100,000,000

0

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016E

NETWORK TV

SPOT TV

SPANISH LANGUAGE NETWORKS (SLN) TV

CABLE TV

SYNDICATION

$1,000,000,000

$900,000,000

$800,000,000

$700,000,000

$600,000,000

$500,000,000

$400,000,000

$300,000,000

$200,000,000

$100,000,000

0

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016E

NETWORK TV

SPOT TV

SPANISH LANGUAGE NETWORKS (SLN) TV

CABLE TV

SYNDICATION

12 January 2017

13

14

WHAT PERCENTAGE OF ADULT INTERNET USERS PARTICIPATE IN THESE POPULAR SOCIAL NETWORKS?

WHAT ARE THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF ADULT FACEBOOK USERS?

2012 2016

2012 20162012 2016

2012 2016

2012 2016

79%

31%

29%

24%

Source: Social Media Update 2016. Shannon Greenwood, Andrew Perrin and Maeve Duggan. Pew Research Center. November 2016.

Source: Social Media Update 2016. Shannon Greenwood, Andrew Perrin and Maeve Duggan. Pew Research Center. November 2016.

Facebook

should be an

integral part of

your recruitment

strategy.

Source: Social Media Update 2016. Shannon Greenwood, Andrew Perrin and Maeve Duggan. Pew Research Center. November 2016.

83% 76%

88%AGE 18-29

84%AGE 30-49

72%AGE 50-64

62%AGE 65+

$30K-$49,999/yr - 80%$50K-$59,999/yr - 75%

$75K+ - 77%

Less than $30K/yr - 84%

77% 82% 79%

81%

77%

81%

HIGH SCHOOLDIPLOMAOR LESS

SOMECOLLEGE

COLLEGE+

URBAN

SUBURBAN

RURAL

Eighty-two

percent of online

adults with some college

education are on Facebook,

as are 77 percent of online

adults with a high school

diploma or less.

January 2017 13

15

16

HOW ARE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS USING SOCIAL MEDIA BY CHANNEL?

HOW SHOULD SOCIAL MEDIA REACH COMPARE TO AN INSTITUTION’S STUDENT POPULATION?

Source: The Seventh Annual Survey of Social Media in Advancement, conducted by CASE, Huron and mStoner. 2016.

Source: Follower information collected from primary social streams: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram – November 2016 and measured against NCES IPEDS enrollment data.

Most

schools know

they need to have a social

presence for branding and

current student engagement, but

there are also many opportunities

to generate high-quality

inquiries through these

channels.

These numbers

are based on the largest

institutions by enrollment. The

average number of followers per

student is up since the previous year.

The most notable growth is in Facebook

and LinkedIn, with a slight decline

in Twitter. For every student,

you need five Facebook

followers.

Total Answering

Facebook(create/manage communities within Facebook)

Twitter

LinkedIn (create/manage communities within LinkedIn or manage university page in LinkedIn)

YouTube

Instagram

Blogs

An institutional websitethat is an aggregator of social media channels

Pinterest

795

93%

85%

78%

70%

65%

32%

27%

22%

STU

DEN

T

FOLL

OW

ERS

STU

DEN

T

FOLL

OW

ERS

14 January 2017

17 WHAT IS THE AVERAGE MIX OF PAID SEARCH VERSUS PAID SOCIAL?

14%

86%

PAID SOCIAL

PAID SEARCH

Social

advertising

spending has dramatically

increased during the past three

years, and we expect this to

continue. We have increased

our partner’s Facebook ad

spend by more than

160 percent.

Source: Thruline proprietary client list. Periods measured December 2015-November 2016.

January 2017 15

Social media quick facts

1

2 2

3 4

5

41%of university officials believe theycan directly attribute an increase inenrollments to their social media efforts.

176MILLION

SOCIAL MEDIA USERSHAVE RISEN BY

IN THE LAST YEAR.

ONEMILLION

new active mobile socialusers are added every day.That’s 12 each second.

THE TOP TWO BENEFITS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING ARE

INCREASINGEXPOSURE

AND

INCREASINGTRAFFIC .

INVESTING AS LITTLE AS

SIX HOURSPER WEEK

CAN LEAD TO

INCREASEDINQUIRIES

AND EXPOSURE,

REDUCEDMARKETING EXPENSES,

AND

IMPROVEDSEARCH RANKINGS.

OVERALL SOCIAL MEDIA SPEND

HAS INCREASEDMORE THAN15 PERCENT

IN THE PAST YEAR

AND IS EXPECTEDTO GROW

BY 20 PERCENTIN THE NEXT YEAR.

SNAPCHATAND

INSTAGRAMdominate the

high school studentage range.

Keep this in mind for digital retargeting efforts.

1. 2016 Trends in Higher Education Marketing, Enrollment and Technology. Hanover Research. November 2015. 2. Marketing: 96 Amazing Social Media Statistics and Facts for 2016. Brandwatch. March 2016.3. 2016 Social Media Marketing Industry Report. Michael A. Stelzner. Social Media Examiner. May 2016.4. CMO Survey Report: Highlights and Insights. Deloitte, American Marketing Association, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. 2016.5. The 2016 Social Admissions Report. Chegg Enrollment Services and TargetX. March 2016.

16 January 2017

Deciding which programs to launch, grow or discontinue requires extensive research of internal and

market data. In the 2016 Benchmarks, we revealed the top 10 overall academic programs. This year,

we’re sharing the programs with the highest and lowest growth by degree level, providing context of

where your programs fall on the scale.

Healthcare programs, closely followed by computer science, continue to dominate, with the

majority of high-growth programs being nursing-related. This could be partly due to increasing

requirements for practicing nurses.

It’s important to keep in mind that even though a degree is in high demand, that does not

automatically mean it is the right fit for your institution. Carving out true program differentiators is

a must to ensure you stand out to prospective students. When considering a new program, identify

areas of strength and institutional fit, then see if it matches regional occupational demand.

Program Trends

January 2017 17

18 January 2017

18 WHAT ARE THE FASTEST- AND SLOWEST-GROWING PROGRAMS BY DEGREE LEVEL?

ASSOCIATE – HIGHEST GROWTH FOR PROGRAMS WITH COMPLETIONS OVER .5% OF MARKET SHARE

19%

21%

28%

33%

38%

48%

55%

55%

59%

130%

2%

5%

7%

5%

6%

21%

5%

9%

10%

16%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% 140%

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/POLICE SCIENCE

BUSINESS/COMMERCE, GENERAL

VETERINARY/ANIMAL HEALTH TECHNOLOGY/TECHNICIAN AND VETERINARY ASSISTANT

PHYSICAL THERAPY TECHNICIAN/ASSISTANT

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND TEACHING

LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES, GENERAL STUDIES AND HUMANITIES, OTHER

HUMANITIES/HUMANISTIC STUDIES

GENERAL STUDIES

BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES

PSYCHOLOGY, GENERAL

2014 vs. 2015 5-YEAR

ASSOCIATE – LOWEST GROWTH FOR PROGRAMS WITH COMPLETIONS OVER .5% OF MARKET SHARE

-48%

-22%

-21%

-20%

-18%

-18%

-17%

-15%

-15%

-6%

-19%

-12%

-7%

-2%

-4%

-6%

-2%

-9%

-11%

-2%

-60% -50% -40% -30% -20% -10% 0%

COMPUTER SYSTEMS NETWORKING AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

MEDICAL/CLINICAL ASSISTANT

ACCOUNTING TECHNOLOGY/TECHNICIAN AND BOOKKEEPING

ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONIC AND COMMUNICATIONS ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY/TECHNICIAN

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/LAW ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/SAFETY STUDIES

ACCOUNTING

RESPIRATORY CARE THERAPY/THERAPIST

LEGAL ASSISTANT/PARALEGAL

AUTOMOBILE/AUTOMOTIVE MECHANICS TECHNOLOGY/TECHNICIAN

2014 vs. 2015 5-YEAR

Top conferred

associate degree:

Liberal Arts and

Sciences/Liberal

Studies 243,468

January 2017 19

BACHELOR’S – HIGHEST GROWTH FOR PROGRAMS WITH COMPLETIONS OVER .5% OF MARKET SHARE

17%

19%

25%

29%

32%

38%

51%

57%

82%

83%

3%

2%

5%

12%

4%

9%

10%

9%

18%

10%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

BIOLOGY/BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, GENERAL

MATHEMATICS, GENERAL

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES, GENERAL

SOCIAL WORK

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

REGISTERED NURSING/REGISTERED NURSE

KINESIOLOGY AND EXERCISE SCIENCE

COMPUTER SCIENCE

HEALTH/HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION/MANAGEMENT

2014 vs. 2015 5-YEAR

BACHELOR’S – LOWEST GROWTH FOR PROGRAMS WITH COMPLETIONS OVER .5% OF MARKET SHARE

-27%

-20%

-13%

-12%

-12%

-11%

-9%

-8%

-7%

-7%

-8%

-9%

-4%

-3%

-5%

-7%

-4%

-1%

-3%

-3%

-30% -25% -20% -15% -10% -5% 0%

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION AND TEACHING

HISTORY, GENERAL

SPANISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES/LIBERAL STUDIES

POLITICAL SCIENCE AND GOVERNMENT, GENERAL

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE, GENERAL

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND AFFAIRS

JOURNALISM

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS, OTHER

ART/ART STUDIES, GENERAL

2014 vs. 2015 5-YEAR

Top conferred

bachelor’s degree:

Business Administration

and Management,

General

139, 875

20 January 2017

MASTER’S – HIGHEST GROWTH FOR PROGRAMS WITH COMPLETIONS OVER .5% OF MARKET SHARE

41%

44%

44%

46%

47%

58%

67%

92%

94%

156%

18%

7%

7%

8%

35%

37%

7%

23%

5%

28%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% 140% 160% 180%

INFORMATION SCIENCE/STUDIES

HEALTH/HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION/MANAGEMENT

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

REGISTERED NURSING/REGISTERED NURSE

COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES, GENERAL

COMPUTER SCIENCE

NURSING ADMINISTRATION

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING/COUNSELOR

FAMILY PRACTICE NURSE/NURSING

2014 vs. 2015 5-YEAR

MASTER’S – LOWEST GROWTH FOR PROGRAMS WITH COMPLETIONS OVER .5% OF MARKET SHARE

-

-45%

-38%

-32%

-31%

-30%

-22%

-22%

-17%

-14%

-12%

-15%

-10%

-10%

-10%

-7%

-6%

-13%

-8%

-8%

-2%

50% -45% -40% -35% -30% -25% -20% -15% -10% -5% 0%

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION AND TEACHING

SECONDARY EDUCATION AND TEACHING

LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

EDUCATION, GENERAL

READING TEACHER EDUCATION

SPECIAL EDUCATION AND TEACHING, GENERAL

BUSINESS/COMMERCE, GENERAL

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE, GENERAL

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION, GENERAL

COUNSELOR EDUCATION/SCHOOL COUNSELING AND GUIDANCE SERVICES

2014 vs. 2015 5-YEAR

Top conferred

master’s degree:

Business Administration

and Management,

General

108,640

January 2017 21

DOCTORAL – HIGHEST GROWTH FOR PROGRAMS WITH COMPLETIONS OVER .5% OF MARKET SHARE

17%

20%

23%

28%

29%

30%

37%

38%

52%

231%

4%

2%

6%

10%

7%

2%

5%

10%

6%

24%

0% 50% 100% 150% 200% 250%

PHYSICAL THERAPY/THERAPIST

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

BIOENGINEERING AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION, GENERAL

OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE/OSTEOPATHY

COMPUTER SCIENCE

CIVIL ENGINEERING, GENERAL

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT, GENERAL

NURSING PRACTICE

2014 vs. 2015 5-YEAR

DOCTORAL – LOWEST GROWTH FOR PROGRAMS WITH COMPLETIONS OVER .5% OF MARKET SHARE

-10%

-5%

6%

9%

7%

11%

7%

22%

14%

14%

-9%

-7%

-7%

-4%

-3%

-2%

-1%

0%

0%

0%

-15% -10% -5% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

LAW

PSYCHOLOGY, GENERAL

BIOLOGY/BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, GENERAL

HISTORY, GENERAL

MATHEMATICS, GENERAL

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

CHEMISTRY, GENERAL

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION

OPTOMETRY

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

2014 vs. 2015 5-YEAR

Top conferred

doctoral degree:

Law

40,644

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Systems. January 2011-December 2015.

22 January 2017

MethodologyUsing the deepest, most versatile understanding of student data and behavior in the industry, we partner with higher education

institutions to innovate every aspect of the student experience. As a result, our partner schools are better able to attract,

connect with and graduate the world’s most prepared students.

This report contains select information and analysis pertaining to the higher education industry and key benchmarks as prepared

by Thruline Marketing. Our proprietary data set includes institutions of all types and sizes, offering many degree types, including

for-profit, nonprofit, undergraduate, graduate, continuing education, ground and online. It does not purport to be all-inclusive or

to contain all of the information that a prospective institution may require to develop a cohesive marketing plan.

We took a number of steps after the data collection process to ensure the reported data is representative of the institutional

subset. Institutions were weighted and qualified based on several characteristics within the data set, including inquiry volume,

conversion availability and data validity. Neither Thruline nor its respective partners make any representation that the

information is complete or completely accurate as it relies on some self-reported data from third parties. Thruline will not have

any liability resulting from the use of this information contained herein or otherwise supplied.

January 2017 23

Key Takeaways• Top programs are aligned with job openings in the marketplace and are providing value for prospective students, successful

careers, high earning potential, etc.

• More and more students are opting for online education. In addition to catering to this audience, make sure you’re offering

flexibility to your on-ground students.

• Inquiry-to-enroll conversion trends are starting to stabilize.

• Marketing mix is as important as ever. How are your dollars working together?

• Carving out true program differentiators is a must to ensure you stand out to prospective students.

• Never stop testing.

• Pay attention to the details: Quality Score, click-through rate, position rankings, mobile optimization and landing page

conversion.

24 January 2017

2017HIGHEREDUCATIONBENCHMARKSA Thruline Marketing Report

thru-line.com

For more information, please reach out.

913.254.6000