Private Nonprofit Colleges’ Growing Reliance on Graduate Students May Prove Unsustainable

Emily Pollard

Economic Bulletin, 2026, 4

Abstract: As private nonprofit colleges face lagging undergraduate enrollments and growing financial difficulties, they have turned to graduate programs to increase their revenue. With undergraduate enrollments expected to decline, these colleges are likely to place an even greater emphasis on graduate programs going forward. However, recent government policy changes may also suppress graduate enrollment growth, testing colleges’ business models and the private nonprofit college sector in general.

Keywords: higher education; college enrollment; enrollment; college education; college students (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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