Innovation in Action: How State Systems Are Transforming Enrollment Management

Today’s public higher education systems are facing more than just a demographic shift. Rising competition, public skepticism around the value of college, and outdated enrollment structures are putting pressure on systems to evolve.

Liaison’s whitepaper, Onboarding Innovation in State Systems: A Blueprint for Transforming Higher Education Enrollment Management, explores how state systems like the California State University and Montana University System are modernizing enrollment with Liaison Centralized Application Service (CAS). As you’ll learn, their success shows what’s possible when systems align around access, efficiency, and data-driven decision making.

If you’re considering a smarter, more scalable enrollment strategy for your state system, this guide will help you get started.

A CAS does more than simplify applications: It creates a shared infrastructure that transforms enrollment operations at every level of a state system.

• Students can apply once, to multiple institutions.
• System offices and campuses get real-time data access.
• Redundant processes are eliminated.
• Equity and access improve through simplified pathways.

With the right implementation, CAS becomes more than a tech upgrade—it becomes a strategic foundation for smarter policy, stronger recruitment, and better outcomes.

Here are just a few takeaways you’ll uncover in Onboarding Innovation in State Systems: A Blueprint for Transforming Higher Education Enrollment Management:

Public colleges and universities serve as the backbone of American higher education. However, state systems now face unprecedented enrollment challenges from multiple directions.

At the same time, public perception of higher education is shifting, with skepticism about the value of a degree at an all-time high. A growing number of prospective students—particularly first-generation and adult learners—are questioning whether college is worth the investment. Employers are capitalizing on this sentiment, increasingly offering alternative pathways like apprenticeships, credentials, and on-the-job training programs that compete directly with traditional degree offerings.

The bottom line? State higher education systems must act decisively to maintain relevance and enrollment stability. A more unified, data-driven, and student-centered approach to enrollment management is no longer optional—it is essential.

Despite the dominant role of public colleges, most state systems still operate under fragmented enrollment models that create inefficiencies and barriers for students. These decentralized approaches make it more difficult for institutions to remain competitive.

Challenges include:

• Disjointed enrollment and application processes.
• Lack of real-time enrollment data.
• Institutional resistance and trust barriers.
• Reduced access to student lists.
• Duplication of efforts.
• Failure to engage students early.

Fragmented systems create unnecessary barriers for applicants, reduce institutional efficiency, limit coordinated communications on affordability and access opportunities within a system, and hinder data-driven decision making at both the institutional and state levels. As higher education

faces increasing financial constraints, shifting student demographics, and growing competition from alternative education pathways, state systems must embrace new technology to modernize their enrollment strategies.

A lack of system-wide, real-time data access is one of the most critical limitations of current practices. Many state system leaders struggle with delayed or incomplete enrollment data, making it challenging to respond proactively to application trends, demographic shifts, or student interest patterns. Without a unified approach to collecting and analyzing enrollment data, states risk missing key opportunities to improve recruitment strategies, allocate resources effectively, and drive system-wide initiatives.

A CAS offers a comprehensive solution for state systems looking to modernize enrollment operations, eliminate inefficiencies, and gain real-time, data-driven insights. A CAS model provides a seamless, student-friendly application experience, allowing prospective students to apply to multiple campuses within a system through a single, streamlined process. At the same time, the CAS ecosystem enables system leaders and institutional administrators to collect and analyze application data more effectively and in real time.

CAS capabilities include:

• Streamlining processes and increasing efficiency.
• Collecting system-wide data that can be accessed by the system office and campuses.
• Generating actionable data insights.
• Applying data insights to inform high-level decision making and initiatives.

The California State University (CSU), which serves over 460,000 students across 23 campuses, adopted a system-wide CAS model to replace its outdated application pathways with a single, user-friendly platform: Cal State Apply.

In its first year alone, the CSU saw:

• 9.13% increase in first-time freshman applications.
• 6.2% increase in transfer applications.
• 22.32% increase in graduate applications.
• 8.45% overall application volume increase in year one.
• The Montana University System (MUS), which oversees 16 campuses, transitioned to a single statewide application platform, Apply Montana.

The launch of Apply Montana led to:

• 28% applicant growth in the first year.
• 1.1% growth in new in-state freshman students during its first year across the entire system.
• 9% overall in-state resident student growth over a four-year period.
• 85% system-wide buy-in leading up to the mandated adoption, up from just 10% at launch.
• 28% applicant growth in the first year.

To read the full report, learn how those institutions accomplished such impressive results, and uncover more critical insights and onboarding recommendations, download Onboarding Innovation in State Systems: A Blueprint for Transforming Higher Education Enrollment Management today.