Much to the relief of campus leaders across the country, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSRC) announced that Fall 2024 freshman enrollment did not decline 5% as originally reported, but actually increased 4.5%. That came in the wake of more good news from the NSRC: In 2024, the overall number of postsecondary students in the United States climbed to levels not seen since before the pandemic.

Yet serious challenges remain for colleges and universities, including an impending decline in the number of high school graduates, widespread concerns about ROI, and the inefficient use of siloed data and other campus resources.

To put those issues in perspective and highlight their implications for state systems, NASH recently invited Liaison to participate in an educational webinar for NASH-member systems, Understanding National Fall Enrollment Data.

Featuring Liaison Vice President of Enrollment Strategy for Undergraduate and State Systems Craig Cornell, NASH Chief Partnership Officer Rico Reed, and Liaison Vice President of Sales Hayley Wolf, Understanding National Fall Enrollment Data focuses on strategies enrollment leaders can use to adapt to a changing landscape.

The Liaison–NASH partnership addresses increasing challenges in student mobility, legislative mandates, and system-wide data needs. One way it does so is by using Liaison’s Centralized Application Service (CAS) to streamline processes and advance large-scale enrollment initiatives across institutions.

Taking Nothing for Granted

“The enrollment growth is really quite encouraging after several challenging years,” Cornell said. “We’re seeing an uptick in overall enrollments at post-secondary institutions across the country. When you think about some of the challenges that have happened since the pandemic, it's certainly something to be welcomed at this point, but definitely nothing to take for granted.”

Highlights of Fall 2024 enrollment included:

  • 4.5% overall enrollment growth across all sectors.
  • 4.7% undergraduate enrollment growth.
  • 3.3% graduate enrollment growth.
  • 5.9% growth for community colleges.

In addition to NSRC data, the speakers also discussed the role a CAS can play in removing barriers to entry for students and supporting system-wide missions.

“Streamlining your processes and creating pathways for your students that are more understanding of their needs, while at the same time building a consolidated enrollment experience that broadens the depth of your system, can all happen through a Centralized Application Service,” Reed said.

A system-wide CAS is a highly configurable platform that allows for flexible configuration based on each public higher education system's unique needs, specifications, branding, data protocols, integration, and advanced analytics. The student-friendly architecture allows for deeper insight across the system with adaptability to current enrollment trends as well as unique state- and system-wide challenges.

Watch Understanding National Fall Enrollment Data now to learn more about current enrollment trends, the Liaison-NASH partnership, and formulating new strategies for the future.