By Keith Ramsdell, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing, Ashland University
Earlier this year, NAGAP, the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management partnered with Everspring on a joint research project to take a closer look at what’s really going on in the graduate enrollment space related to data. Together, we surveyed institutions across the country to better understand how teams are using data, where their systems are falling short, and what strategies are moving the needle.
The results were insightful—but also sobering. Despite real progress in some areas, we found that many of the core challenges facing enrollment teams haven’t changed. In fact, some are getting harder.
Here are three things I took away from the research—and what I think we need to focus on next.
1. We Don’t Have a Data Problem. We Have an Action Problem.
We’ve all heard the push to be more data-driven. And to be fair, we’ve come a long way. Teams generally have access to newer systems - like CRMs, application platforms, or communication tools. More reports are being generated. More dashboards are being built.
But access isn’t the same as action. And access alone will not prepare you to take action.
Only 2% of respondents reported integrating data across the full funnel—from inquiry to enrollment. That’s not just a tech issue. That’s a strategic challenge.
I’ve seen this first-hand at Ashland. We’ve invested in platforms. We’ve provided access to student services offices and academic departments alike. But without the structure to organize the data in a meaningful way—and the support to act on it—it becomes overwhelming fast. More data doesn’t always lead to better decisions. It often just leads to more questions.
Integration of our systems should lead to answers, and more importantly, insights. Insights into what the data are telling us should drive action. That’s what we need to focus on.
2. Tools Alone Don’t Improve Performance—It’s Also About the Who and the How
Over the past decade, we’ve added more systems, more tools, more functionality. Unfortunately, as our arsenal of resources grew, the size of our teams didn’t. And here’s where things start to break down. Do we have the expertise to know if we’re even looking in the right places for answers? Are we tracking the right metrics?
Staff are maxed out. They’re being asked to manage these tools they haven’t been fully trained on. In some cases, they’re given access—but not more guidance on how best to use that data day-to-day. And then we wonder why performance stalls.
We also noted something I’ve experienced personally: misalignment between marketing and enrollment. Marketing reports a spike in leads—but if those leads aren’t qualified, that increase doesn’t translate into results. Definitions matter. Communication between groups - your internal teams and any vendors or partners you have - is critical.
If you want your tools to be effective, you must support the people using them. Build alignment across functions. Define success early. Measure it regularly.
3. AI Isn’t Coming—It’s Already Here
One of the most urgent takeaways from our conversations during our recent webinar were the insights that Everspring shared from their 2025 AI Search Trends Report: AI is also already reshaping how prospective students search for graduate programs.
Students are using tools like ChatGPT to explore options, compare offerings, and make final decisions. That means institutions can’t afford to sit back and wait.
At the same time, we’re facing external pressures that are only making the landscape more complex - international visa issues, potential changes to financial aid, growth in alternatives to graduate (and even undergraduate) education - all while enrollment targets are increasing.
AI isn’t just a trend. It’s a competitive necessity. Institutions should be actively exploring ways to use AI tools and the potential positive impact AI could have on their recruitment efforts.
My advice? Start building your AI readiness plan now. That means reviewing your data cleanliness and infrastructure, clarifying how your systems connect, and integrating data to the greatest degree possible to provide the foundation needed for the AI to be successful. Set a realistic but aggressive timeline to prepare and get moving!
Final Thought: People First, Always
At the end of the day, enrollment success doesn’t come from tools or data. It comes from people—your team, your faculty, your students. If we want to improve outcomes, we have to be responsive to the people at the heart of it all.
That responsiveness requires embracing data - tracking and connecting it from sources old and new and granting access to your teams.
But that’s just the first part. The most successful data users in this ultra-competitive environment - those with the best chances to win - will find success by wielding that data with the context, the clarity, and the strategy to use it well.