Higher Education

The changing nature of the higher education industry demands a strategy that is inclusive, collaborative, and resilient. BCG helps today’s leaders stay competitive by navigating key trends in higher education, such as:

• A growing need for higher ed-employer collaboration. An estimated 1.3 billion people have competencies misaligned with the work they perform, fueling a rapidly growing skills mismatch across the globe.
  
• New business and delivery models. Competency-based models, massive open online courses (MOOCs), “boot camps,” and microcredentials are all emerging. But shifting from in-person to online instruction—while maintaining quality—is not a simple task.
  
• A shift in student expectations. Gen Z students are demanding to be treated as customers and to realize value commensurate with the investment they’re making.
  
• An expanding ecosystem. The corporate sector is increasingly involved in academic programming, research programs, and apprenticeships.

Our Approach to Higher Education Consulting

BCG's higher ed consulting teams have decades of experience helping public and private institutions around the world to become more sustainable and resilient. We work shoulder to shoulder with clients during all stages of planning, enablement, and growth:

• Planning. We support leaders as they set a strategic direction, develop a roadmap for growth, ensure racial equity and economic access, and discover new ways to differentiate from competitors.
  
• Enablement. We offer new strategies to ensure maximum cost efficiency, improve student outcomes, simplify administrative structures, streamline governance, and drive effective fundraising.
  
• Growth. We ensure that institutions are leveraging cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions, launching new initiatives, and scaling up the most successful programs.