Are U.S. colleges being “oversold” to today’s students? A look at the realities of public relations in undergraduate higher education

2014-02-18Research indicates that marketing in higher education has become a burgeoning phenomenon (Litten), with colleges investing tremendous resources on marketing efforts to students. Spending has increased 100 percent since 2001, from $321,900 per year to approximately $800,000 per year at midsize universities (Lipman Hearne). Institutions are maintaining spending on traditional methods (e.g., brochures, college fairs and print advertisements), while also increasing budgets for digital marketing (e.g., email, target display ads and social media). ❧ Education institutions operate under the protection of audience members' general sense of goodwill towards academia, and in general schools' marketing and communications have not been subject to the same levels of scrutiny or transparency as other sectors such as business or finance (Pokrass). In this benevolent environment, higher education marketing efforts have been fruitful. Students and parents have effectively been sold on this ""one way to win paradigm,"" believing college is the only way to succeed. They are comforted by the notion that whatever the cost, college will be worth it. Aided by cheap and readily available credit lent to unqualified buyers, this convention has become a dangerous economic issue (Reynolds). ❧ The controversy over the value of higher education is not a new one, or one unique to the U.S. Arguments have come full circle in the last 40 years, and today audiences are once again becoming vocal about their dissatisfaction with the current higher education system, not only in the U.S., but also in Canada and a number of European countries. Backed by general concerns about the recovering economy and job market, critics have reignited old questions and doubts about the American higher education system. ❧ Controversy has reached new heights and this phenomenon has been dubbed the ""higher education bubble."" It has been likened to and is speculated to outpace the housing bubble of 2006-2012 (Davies). As Reynolds explains it, ""bubbles form when too many people expect values to go up forever. Bubbles burst when there are no longer enough excessively optimistic and ignorant buyers to fuel them"" (1). Essentially, investors realize they have paid too much for too little. Are students realizing that they have spent too much on tuition compared to the ROI they are receiving from their higher education degrees and experiences? This white paper explores the many facets of the higher education debate, addressing the overarching question: have students been oversold on higher education