Join NACUBO Consulting and three university research and business leaders for a robust conversation about the changes to federal research funding and the impact it is having on universities, faculty, principal investigators, staff and students.  Discussion will include the JAG (Joint Association Group) FAIR (Financial Accountability in Research) models being considered and how changes to indirect costs may affect various stakeholder groups, including business operations. The three panelists come from an HBCU, University of Virgin Islands (land grant); a large private R1, USC; and a Land-grant recently recognized R1, New Mexico State University.  Panelists come from business/administration, research administration, and financial/cost analysis.

In 2024-25, NACUBO’s Tuition Discounting Study (TDS) showed that private, nonprofit colleges and universities continued to significantly discount their published prices for undergraduate students. On average, the tuition discount rate among

participating schools reached 56.3% for first-time, full-time undergraduates and 51.4% for all undergraduates. While rising discount rates potentially make college more affordable for many students and their families, they also could cause even greater financial stress for tuition-dependent private institutions. In addition, changes to student admissions, financial aid, and international visa policies may continue to challenge independent colleges and universities.

It is now more important than ever for chief business officers, chief enrollment officers, and other campus administrators to evaluate their discounting and pricing strategies and the effects they have on net tuition revenue and college affordability.

This webcast provides an overview of the changes in average discount rates during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years and provides more details about the pricing and enrollment strategies private colleges have considered to deal rising student financial need and other factors.

In addition to an overview of the TDS results, this webinar will also provide a summary of NACUBO’s most recent Top 5 Business Issues of 2025, with a special focus on the challenges faced by private nonprofit colleges and universities The panelists will discuss the complex factors that go into new tuition discounting, enrollment, and financial aid strategies, and provide their early assessment of how strategies might need to change due to the policy and financial challenges being faced by many independent colleges.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

After participating in this program you will be able to:

· Review and discuss the most recent trend data on tuition discounting and net tuition revenue.

· Evaluate the strategies chief business officers, chief enrollment officers, trustees, and other campus leaders are considering to resolve the new challenges related to changes in admissions policies and practices, financial aid rules, and potential new legal requirements related to admissions and enrollment policies and practices.

· Understand the relationship between the discount rate, enrollment, and net tuition revenue and learn how to bring balance to each component.

Amidst the surge of headlines and market chatter, it can be challenging to cut through the noise and grasp what’s really happening in private markets — and what it means specifically for higher education portfolios. 

Mercer’s Matt Vokes, Cori Trautvetter, and Texas Hemmaplardh will explore the investment asset classes that are currently capturing the attention of colleges and universities. Together, they will analyze the key challenges, emerging opportunities, and strategic insights across alternative asset classes such as private equity, private debt, and real estate.

Presented By: 

This event is provided for general informational purposes only. The views expressed in the event are those of the event sponsor and/or individual speakers and not NACUBO. NACUBO does not necessarily endorse any information, views, products, or services discussed in the event.

Historically Black institutions play a unique role in providing educational opportunities to African Americans and other traditionally disadvantaged students. Endowed funds at these institutions get very little attention, but they play a vital role in financial aid, research, and other important expenditures. NACUBO and Commonfund’s 2025 Endowment Study Webinar Series explores findings from the 2024 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments (NCSE) and shares valuable insights and benchmarking data that focus on the unique roles and challenges facing these institutions as they leverage endowment funds to support their mission and students.

The Institutional Viability Metric (IVM) is a strong predictor of financial risk that incorporates measures of financial position, market demand, and student outcomes to create a dynamic and timely view of an institution’s health. During this session, the presenters will speak to why it’s important to conduct this kind of assessment, when it is most valuable, and how it differs from and intersects with the annual budgeting process. They will also discuss changes they’re making to resource allocation because of this assessment work and the impact on their institutions.

Learning Objectives

• Describe how the IVM is calculated and how it can be used to assess institutional health. 
  
• Utilize a step-by-step approach to assessing current state resource allocation and identifying opportunities for reallocation. 
• Recognize challenges that can arise in conducting resource analysis and ways to mitigate these challenges. 

NOTE: This session is a live reprisal of a session previously offered during the NACUBO 2025 Annual Meeting.

Join Dan Greenstein for a NACUBO Consulting webinar demonstrating data-driven insights into the financial health of universities and colleges. Based on an analysis of nearly 1,500 institutions across 14 years of IPEDS data and more than three dozen key indicators, this new research identifies clear, observable risk patterns that reliably predict an institution’s financial trajectory. These insights function as an early-warning system – arming leaders to understand vulnerabilities and take action before it’s too late.

Explore the evolving higher education landscape, focusing on significant trends and challenges that are driving mergers and acquisitions (M&A), strategic partnerships, and joint ventures within the sector. The presenters will discuss the rising costs of education, explore the increasing number of campus closures, examine the growing enrollment of non-traditional and adult learners, and share effective approaches to address institutional sustainability. You’ll also hear the impact of digital transformation, the benefits of shared services, and the role of strategic partnerships in enhancing college and university resilience. 

Learning Objectives

• Analyze key trends and challenges in higher education. 
  
• Outline and implement effective M&A strategies. 
• Ensure that acquisitions and partnerships promote equitable access to education and support diverse student populations.  

NOTE: This session is a live reprisal of a session previously offered during the NACUBO 2025 Annual Meeting.

Colleges and universities are facing rising levels of past-due student accounts, with many still managing pre-collections in-house while contending with limited staff and outdated systems. This session will present new benchmarking data gathered from hundreds of institutional financial statements to establish clear, comparable metrics for assessing the health of student receivables at your campus. Attendees will learn how their institution’s A/R position stacks up against peers by size, type, and region, and leave with a framework for monitoring exposure and managing allowances more effectively.

What to Expect:

• Review of Key Metrics: Learn about Student A/R Exposure (Student A/R as a share of net tuition revenue) and Share of Allowances (allowances for doubtful accounts as a share of A/R), two benchmarks for evaluating portfolio health
• Sector-wide Findings: See how student receivables are trending across higher education, including breakdowns by institution size, sector, and tuition revenue bands.
• Impact of Operational Challenges: Explore how staffing shortages, technology gaps, and policy shifts (such as transcript bans) are shaping student receivables outcomes.
• Actionable Takeaways: Gain practical insights into how institutions can strengthen receivables management, reduce allowances, and improve resolution of past-due accounts through modern, student-first approaches.

Recording

This webinar will be recorded. Registrants will receive an email when the recording is available.

Sponsor

This NACUBO Partner Webinar is created by and offered free for members thanks to Meadow.

This webinar and associated materials are provided for general informational purposes only. The views expressed in the webinar are those of the sponsor and/or individual speakers and not NACUBO. NACUBO does not necessarily endorse any information, views, products, or services discussed in the webinar.