Magellan Learning Solutions

09/23/2026

What would change if colleges and universities treated financial aid as part of the enrollment experience from the beginning?

In a new episode, Wayne A. Patton, Lee Beaumont, Ed.D, MS, and guest Jen McMahon, founder and managing partner of Mac Insight Group, discuss the challenges institutions face across financial aid, enrollment operations, compliance, and student support.

Listen to the conversation: thinkmagellan.com/podcast

08/05/2026

Assuming that popular fields automatically represent the best investment focus for new academic programs can be an expensive mistake without fully understanding the market it is entering.

Program expansion should begin with evidence to increase success. Demand, competitive positioning, workforce alignment, and institutional strengths all influence whether a new program will support long-term enrollment growth at your institution or struggle to gain traction.

Read how colleges and universities can identify oversaturated markets before committing significant resources and how a disciplined evaluation process can lead to stronger investment decisions.

It is important for schools to identify oversaturated online academic programs before committing to them.

07/22/2026

Prospective online students are more likely to enroll when their journey from each system to the next is simple, engaging, and supported. From a student’s first inquiry to the first day of class, every stage matters. When your systems are working together, students can see the intentionality, and it helps them stay on track.

Looking at your funnel and understanding where and why students disengage can help you improve conversion, reduce melt, fill classes, and build more sustainable online programs.

Disconnected processes, inconsistent communication strategies, and operational inefficiencies cause online programs to lose student enrollment.

07/15/2026

You may have more inquiries from prospective students than ever, but that does not automatically translate into enrollment growth. Colleges believe they have a lead-generation problem. In reality, the biggest losses often happen after a student has already expressed interest.

Small breakdowns throughout the enrollment journey can reduce conversion rates long before a student matriculates and can be the real reason your online programs fail. Prospective students enter the process, show interest, and then quietly disappear before applying, enrolling, or starting classes.

That is what a leaking enrollment funnel looks like.

There are many reasons why your online college enrollment funnel is leaking potential students.

07/08/2026

Online Program Management (OPM) companies have faced real criticism in recent years. Their recruitment practices, revenue sharing agreements, and student support activities have too often lacked transparency, all while operating under the institution's own brand. In fact, a number of major ed tech companies have either exited the OPM business or restructured significantly to weather difficult industry headwinds.

And still, universities rely on OPMs to perform enrollment, operational, and academic functions they simply can't support on their own. The difference is partnership.

Schools that hand over too much control often struggle, but those who build transparent and collaborative relationships with their OPMs find a real path toward growing enrollment and lasting fiscal stability.

Learn why transparency in online program management matters, from recruitment practices and academic quality to institutional oversight and student success.

07/01/2026

"By the time a prospective student actually visits your website, they may have already traveled to the bottom of the enrollment funnel."

AI search is changing how students find online programs. They now research through AI tools, social platforms, and review sites long before they ever click your link. Website traffic and form fills only show part of the picture.

Read: https://thinkmagellan.com/news-blog/students-find-online-programs-ai-discovery/

06/26/2026

"When you base curriculum decisions in validated market demand, you help ensure that your online programs are both forward-looking and sustainable."

If this is the standard, how can universities change from treating curriculum as a static document rather than a market-responsive product? Our latest blog outlines what is needed to align online curriculum strategy with where the labor market is heading.

Follow these important steps to align online curriculum development with labor market trends.

06/18/2026

Over 40% of your students work full-time, and 20% are parents. The "nontraditional" student is now the norm. The education culture has evolved significantly from primarily in-person learning to online modules to make up for this shift in priorities. So why are we still designing courses around the exception?

Our newest blog explores what authentic learning looks like for today's students. Disengagement and dropout do not have to be inevitable outcomes. Learning becomes purposeful when instructional design aligns with students’ goals, realities, and motivations.

Explore how authentic learning and real-world assessments help today’s students stay engaged, connect coursework to career goals, and find value in education.

06/10/2026

By the time a student is ready to meet with your admissions team, they have already 'pre-qualified' themselves and formed an impression of your institution.

The exchange of information that once defined your admissions discovery call is starting to happen in AI platforms now, before your team is ever in the room. AI is redefining what the online student journey looks like and what it means for enrollment strategy.

AI has considerably changed the online student enrollment journey because AI tools compress the timeline and funnel.

06/03/2026

Most institutions don't realize that something as routine as a program's name, academic designation, or course prefix can quietly determine whether it's financially viable at scale. That classification shapes faculty credential requirements. And in some disciplines, the eligible hiring pool is small, expensive, and hard to sustain as enrollment grows.

You need a structured process that evaluates market demand, competitive saturation, cost structure, and enrollment potential before you commit significant resources.

Online program viability analysis should be a core pillar in your program development process.