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 webinar 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.