Scott Jeffe Publications
Scott is the author, co-author, or principal researcher of more than 20 national reports and studies focusing on both the demands, preferences, and expectations of graduate, online, and adult undergraduate students, as well as how institutions align operations with these expectations. *Note: For "ungated" access to the RNL reports, please contact me directly at scott@scottjeffe.com* The full list of publications includes:
Attracting Domestic Doctoral Students. Scott Jeffe Market Research, 2025. In this report, Scott responds to the growing interest in leveraging doctoral programs as part of an enrollment health strategy, while contending with public policy that may reduce international student enrollment at this level. The report uses data gathered during Scott's time at RNL to profile 15 key aspects of domestic doctoral student expectations and preferences. (PDF available at link.)
2025 Graduate Student Recruitment Report. RNL, 2025.. Scott continues his research partnership with RNL as the author and consultant researcher on this third national study of the graduate student audience. In this report, Scott drills down on AI use in the program search, significantly expands our understanding of student search behavior, and surfaces important findings on personalization preferences.
Two Demographic Cliffs: How to Diversify Student Audiences. RNL, 2024. In this white paper, Scott first discusses new (2020 rather than 2010) Census Bureau data that indicate that a second demographic challenge will come almost immediately after the first one ends (in 2030). He then goes on to describe 12 strategies that institutions should consider as they plan for a more challenging future. (PDF available at link.)
Generations of Online Learners. RNL, 2024. How Online Students Expectations Diverge and Converge Across Generations. In this report, Scott disaggregates the 2024 online student survey data by the three primary generations operating in the online market: Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X. The focus of the report is to see where their expectations align and diverge. (PDF available at link.)
The 2024 Online Program Marketing and Recruitment Practices Report. RNL, 2024. In this continuation of the online practitioners series, Scott's survey and report drills down on the emerging role of AI in marketing and recruitment processes as well as digging deeper into how recruitment offices are communicating - and tracking the success - with online students throughout the enrollment process.
The 2024 Online Student Recruitment Report. RNL 2024. In this continuation of the online student-focused series, Scott's survey and report drills down on student concerns, barriers to applying, and ratings of satisfaction with online learning in addition to those question sets of continuing interest to online program marketers, enrollment leaders, and program leaders.
Strategic Enrollment Planning: A Dynamic Collaboration (Graduate and Online Chapter). RNL, 2023. Scott is the co-author (with Dawn Hiles) of chapter 14 Attracting and Retaining Adult, Online, and Graduate Students which provides copious underpinning data and insights to help institutional leaders underpin a winning growth strategy.
The 2023 Graduate Marketing and Recruitment Practices Report. RNL, 2023. In the second RNL survey of graduate practitioners, Scott's survey and report moves away from issues of strategic and annual planning to toward organizational structure, a better understanding of the marketing spend, and the level to which marketing and recruitment leaders are collaborating for successful enrollment growth.
The 2023 Graduate Student Recruitment Report. RNL, 2023. In this second report focusing on the expectations of graduate students, Scott's survey and report drills down on how graduate students evaluate programs of interest, digs deeper into enrollment motivations, seeks a better understanding of how graduate students pay for their studies, and tries to better understand the demographics of the graduate market today.
Serving the Underrepresented: A Graduate Student Report. RNL, 2023. This special report uses the data from the 2023 national graduate student survey to present findings only among respondents that chose to identify themselves as being among student of backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented in higher education.
Using Market Data in Program Selection and Prioritization. RNL, 2023. In this whitepaper, Scott describes how institutions can effectively leverage existing secondary data sources in innovative and unique ways to help to prioritize their program portfolio with an eye on capitalizing on market demand, institutional strength, and employer needs.
Institutional Online Readiness: A Best Practice Guide. RNL, 2022. In this white paper, Scott provides insights into RNL's approach to ensuring that your institution is ready to expand its online footprint. The report provides a set of required elements and aspects that need to be in place in order to ensure success and enrollment growth.
The 2022 Online Program Marketing and Recruitment Practices Report. RNL, 2022. In this first national survey of online program practitioners, Scott profiles how online marketing and recruitment operations are organized, how marketing dollars are allocated across outreach channels, how online programs are integrated into annual and strategic goals, and how, when, and by whom online students are cultivated throughout the enrollment process.
The 2022 Online Student Recruitment Report. RNL, 2022. In this first RNL national study of the expectations and preferences online students, Scott surveyed a sample of more than 1,500 prospective, enrolled, and recent online students. The survey and report focuses on the most important issues that online programs leaders must understand for success: program format/structure preferences, search methods, enrollment decision making patterns, and demographics of today's online market.
The 2021 Graduate Student Recruitment Report. RNL, 2021. In this first RNL national survey of prospective and enrolled graduate students, Scott profiles the preferences and expectations of today's graduate students in regard to their format and scheduling preferences, their search and program research processes, their enrollment decision priorities, and specific attention to questions about those resources (video, chat, cultivation) that are most important in their choice of program.
The 2021 Marketing and Recruitment Practices for Graduate Students Report. RNL, 2021. In this first full-scale survey conducted among graduate level practitioners, Scott investigates the extent to which graduate enrollment has been woven into institutional strategic plans, the extent of annual marketing and enrollment planning at the graduate level, what institutions are spending to market programs, and the organization of graduate enrollment operations.
The Online College Student Report. Aslanian Market Research/EducationDynamics/The Learning House, 2018. In 2018, Scott managed the data collection process and provided the first-draft analysis for the latest edition of this annual report which, starting in 2012, had become one of the seminal reports on the demands and preferences of online students in the U.S. (PFD available at link.)
Post-Traditional Graduate Students: Insights for Program Development and Marketing. Aslanian Market Research/EducationDynamics, 2018. In this report, Scott and Carol Aslanian brought their translated their research on the undergraduate "post-traditional" student to the graduate audience. The report profiles the demands and preferences of graduate students who are of any age, working, but not engaging (or seeking to engage) in a traditional graduate education experience. (PDF available at link.)
Post-Traditional Undergraduates: Attracting and Serving The New Majority. AMR/EducationDynamics, 2017. In this seminal report, Scott and Carol Aslanian move from a long-time focus on "adult students" to profile the demands and preferences of "post-traditional" students of any age but who do not/cannot enroll in a traditional undergraduate experience. (PDF available at link.)
The EducationDynamics eLearning Index: Prospective Student Demand for Online Degrees. Education Dynamics, 2014. This report represents an early attempt to leverage secondary data to help institutions assess and prioritize their program mix to align with student demand indicators.
Today's Adult Online Student: A Profile of Adults Enrolling in Undergraduate and Graduate Online Study. EducationDynamics, 2010.
Hindsight, Foresight, Insight: Understanding Adult Learning Trends to Predict Future Opportunities. Aslanian Group Inc., 2009) In this report, Scott and Carol Aslanian review recent data-driven trends in adult learning to predict future trends among adult learners, and identify the most important practices that institutions should have in place in order to be the institution of choice. (PDF available at link.)