To survive in today’s HE, you can’t tiptoe around change

Why is revenue still a dirty word? True sustainability demands economic pragmatism. Higher education is at an inflection point. Declining enrolment, unpredictable federal policy and rising student expectations aren’t warning signs. They’re a mandate.

This moment doesn’t call for cautious tweaks. It calls for bold leadership and a willingness to name what too many still avoid: revenue is not a threat to your mission. It’s what makes the mission possible.

And yet, on too many campuses, revenue is still treated as taboo. Raise tuition? You’re selling out. Rethink programme strategy? You’re compromising your values. Talk marketing? You’re abandoning the academic soul.

But let’s be honest. A mission without money is just a dream. Financial health fuels everything from student services to research to equity initiatives. Revenue and reputation aren’t at odds. They’re interdependent.

Presidents and provosts already know this. Many now confront the hard maths, rejecting the comfort of incrementalism. With public funding shrinking, grant pipelines narrowing, and value scrutiny from families intensifying, this is not the moment for belt-tightening alone. It’s time for economic pragmatism. That means data-backed, market-smart decisions that ensure both financial solvency and student success.

Shifting demographics

Tuition fees still lead the revenue mix. But the idea that you can keep filling classes by selling the same ‘traditional college experience’ is obsolete. Your old playbook was not built for today’s modern learner. They aren’t one audience. They’re a spectrum – working adults, first-gen students, digital natives and career switchers.

Some chase return on investment. Others seek belonging. But what unites them is one thing: they all demand value. They’re not picking universities based only on prestige or campus life. They’re also weighing cost, convenience and career outcomes. They’re asking: “Will this work with my life? Will it pay off?” They’re not impressed by lofty slogans or legacy rankings. They want relevance, flexibility and results. And they want them now.

If your institution is still marketing to yesterday’s students, you’re already behind. That means redesigning programme portfolios around workforce demand. That means building websites that function in a zero-click, AI-driven search economy. That means investing in wraparound support that reflects how students actually live and learn.

Making courageous decisions

Let’s be clear. Responding to budget pressure by cutting everything equally isn’t strategy; it’s desperation. Budget pressure isn’t an excuse to retreat. It’s a call to reallocate. Reduce where demand is waning. Invest where you can grow. Your future depends on making those decisions with clarity and courage.

Reputation plays a lead role in this equation. How students discover institutions has fundamentally changed. They start with your brand. The EducationDynamics 2025 report on the ‘Preferences and Behaviors Shaping Higher Ed’ shows nearly 60% of prospective students now begin their search by vetting universities, not programmes. If your first impression isn’t clear, credible and consistent, you don’t get a second look.

This isn’t hypothetical. It’s happening. We work with institutions focused on market-aligned programmes and smarter enrolment strategies. Result? Savings and growth. We have seen the universities we partner with double down on brand clarity and affordability.

Result? Renewed momentum. These aren’t rare exceptions. They’re signals of what’s possible when mission and market stop being treated like opposing forces.

Not all things to all people

Change is uncomfortable. It should be. Cutting legacy programmes, shifting resources or increasing marketing visibility will provoke criticism. Preserving the mission doesn’t mean preserving everything. Not every institution needs to be all things to all people.

Strategic evolution isn’t a betrayal of your values. It’s the clearest way to protect them.

If higher education wants to regain public trust, it must stop treating revenue like a dirty word. Tomorrow’s leaders will be the ones who connect the dots, who align brand, enrolment and financial strategy into one unified roadmap. They won’t tiptoe around change. They’ll take the wheel.

Brent Ramdin is chief executive officer at EducationDynamics (EDDY), a provider of reputation management, marketing and enrolment growth solutions for colleges and universities. EDDY works with over 500 institutions to help them engage modern learners, support sustainable enrolment growth and align mission with market demand. Ramdin has over two decades of experience across both higher education and K-12 sectors. He has both an MBA and bachelor degree from Florida Atlantic University, and he volunteers with community organisations that promote access to post-secondary educational pathways.

This article is a commentary. Commentary articles are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of University World News.