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Industry Landscape
The higher education industry in the US is undergoing significant transformation, grappling with rising tuition costs, evolving student demographics, and increasing demand for career-focused outcomes. Digitalization and online learning continue to expand, while institutions face heightened competition for enrollment and funding. Focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion is also a key trend, alongside an emphasis on interdisciplinary research.
Total Assets Under Management (AUM)
Total Enrollment in United States
~Approximately 19.4 million students (Fall 2023, National Center for Education Statistics)
(-0.5% CAGR)
- Undergraduate enrollment is declining.
- Graduate enrollment shows slight increases.
- Community college enrollment has seen recent declines.
Total Addressable Market
600 billion USD
Market Growth Stage
Pace of Market Growth
Emerging Technologies
Generative AI for Personalized Learning
Generative AI can create personalized learning paths, adaptive content, and intelligent tutors, revolutionizing how students interact with educational material and receive support.
Blockchain for Credentialing
Blockchain technology can secure academic credentials, transcripts, and certificates, ensuring tamper-proof verification and streamlined transfer of academic records.
Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) for Immersive Education
VR/AR can provide highly immersive and interactive learning experiences, from virtual lab simulations and historical recreations to global field trips, enhancing engagement and comprehension.
Impactful Policy Frameworks
Gainful Employment Rule (2023 Reinstatement)
The U.S. Department of Education reinstated and updated the Gainful Employment Rule in 2023, requiring career-focused programs (often at for-profit institutions, but can impact non-profit programs with specific structures) to demonstrate that their graduates earn enough to repay their student loan debt.
This policy increases scrutiny on career outcomes for specific programs, potentially forcing USC to adjust program offerings or enhance career services to ensure graduates meet debt-to-earnings ratios, impacting program design and student recruitment.
Department of Education's New Title IX Regulations (Effective 2024)
The U.S. Department of Education released updated Title IX regulations in 2024, broadening the definition of sex-based harassment and setting new requirements for how educational institutions must respond to complaints, including protections for LGBTQ+ students.
USC must revise its policies and procedures for handling discrimination and harassment complaints, expand training for staff and students, and potentially increase resources for support services, affecting campus safety and student welfare.
State-level Data Privacy Regulations (e.g., California Privacy Rights Act - CPRA, effective 2023)
California's CPRA (effective January 1, 2023) significantly expands consumer data privacy rights, giving Californians more control over their personal information and imposing stricter obligations on entities that collect and process such data.
USC, operating in California, must enhance its data privacy and security protocols for student, faculty, and donor information, potentially impacting data collection for admissions, research, and alumni engagement, and requiring significant compliance investments.
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