Webinar

Monthly Demand Trends
in Higher Education

Every month, we release the latest data on a free webinar. Gray DI covers on-campus and online programs ranging from bachelor to doctoral degrees. Gray DI’s data includes academic program student enrollment, Google search volumes, job postings, and international and non-degree demand.

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Meet Our Speaker:

Bob Atkins
 Founder, Gray DI

Bob led Gray DI’s entry into the education industry and the development of Gray DI’s proprietary industry databases and service offerings. He has worked directly with many of Gray DI’s education clients, consulting with CEOs and CMOs on business strategy, pricing, location selection, curricular efficiency, and program strategy.
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Highlights from June

Rise in Demand for Business & Operations:
Employer job postings reveal a heavy emphasis on efficiency and organizational growth, with workplace skills like scalability, operational excellence, and business operations increasing well over 70 percent year-over-year. This corporate focus directly mirrors high student demand for logistics and supply chain programs, which currently rank in the top 1 percent (99th percentile) of all academic programs nationwide.

Nursing & Engineering Drive Bachelor’s Growth:
Bachelor’s-level fall enrollment grew by 132,000 students, showing strong resilience against broader demographic headwinds. This growth was heavily concentrated in career-aligned programs: nursing enrollment jumped by 29,000 students to address critical workforce shortages, while mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering fields saw substantial gains.

Sourcing Shifts Adjust International Demand Data:
Following a sharp three-year contraction, international student page views rose 10 percent year-over-year. However, this stabilization is largely due to a significant shift in geographic sourcing, specifically increased engagement in Mexico. Conversely, page views from several traditional overseas recruitment regions fell by 14 percent.

Economic Vitality Presents Enrollment Pressures:
The U.S. economy displayed notable strength with a 6 percent increase in overall job postings. While robust hiring expands opportunities for graduates, it historically creates a recruitment headwind for higher education. Because enrollment typically moves inversely to employment metrics, strong labor market demand can temporarily reduce adult learner demand.

Rapid Academic Expansion in Artificial Intelligence:
Institutions are moving swiftly to build formal academic pathways in AI, with 30 institutions launching dedicated programs in early 2026 alone. Student demand is scaling rapidly alongside this rollout: AI enrollment grew 72 percent at the associate level and 76 percent at the bachelor’s level year-over-year, while 8 of Coursera’s top 10 courses are now AI-focused.

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Upcoming Dates:

  • July 30th at 2PM ET

  • August 27th at 2PM ET

  • September 24th at 2PM ET
  • October 19th at 2PM ET

  • November 19th at 2PM ET

  • December 31st at 2PM ET
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Session Recordings:

Playlist

5 Videos

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  • July 30th, 2026
  • 2pm ET
  • Webinar
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