New Paper Reveals How Institutions Sharing Students Leads to Increased Retention and Financial Sustainability

Data from Acadeum unveils revenue gains from course sharing strategies at the University of Mount Union and Angelo State University 

AUSTIN, Texas, March 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As colleges and universities face declining enrollment and financial challenges, a new white paper from Acadeum reveals data around how colleges are using collaboration to increase learner progress and revenue. Titled If You Love Them, Let Them Go: How Colleges Are Boosting Retention and Enrollment by Sharing Courses With Their Peers, the paper highlights how institutions that embrace sharing their students are seeing improved student success, higher enrollment gains, and financial stability.

With U.S. undergraduate enrollment declining by 15% since 2010 and an impending demographic cliff, the paper highlights how the counter-intuitive nature of sending students from their home college to take courses at another can increase retention by expanding course access. Recent national data indicates that 57% of college students are enrolled in programs in which their path to completing a degree on time is blocked because the institution isn't offering required courses at the days, times and modalities accessible to learners. Course sharing allows students to take approved credit-bearing courses from partner institutions, ensuring they count toward GPA, financial aid, and graduation requirements.

The paper includes an analysis of data from the University of Mount Union, which expanded the use of course sharing to improve retention and their bottom line. At Mount Union, course sharing has helped increase offerings during the summer term, when students often transfer to other institutions. Since adopting the model, Mount Union has tripled summer enrollment and quadrupled summer session revenue, brought in nearly $1.1 million in 2024 alone.

"We went from being 20 years behind to being a leader in online education and course sharing," said Bryan J. Boatright, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Graduate, Digital, and Continued Learning at Mount Union. "More importantly, it has demonstrated to our faculty that by partnering with other institutions via course sharing, we can grow our own numbers in new and profound ways."

The paper also highlights Angelo State University, which approached course sharing as a sustainable solution that benefits both students and institutions. At Angelo State, 70% of students who participated in course sharing between 2021 and 2024 were not on track at the time to graduate. By retaining these students, the university generated an estimated $2.85 million in additional tuition revenue.

"In a time of shifting enrollment trends and financial pressures, the future of higher education lies in collaboration, not competition," said Melanie Gottlieb, Executive Director of AACRAO, who authored the paper's foreword. "When institutions work together, they can advance learning mobility through the recognition and application of credit while creating more opportunities for learners to persist, graduate, and thrive—proving that collaboration is the key to a stronger, more resilient higher education system."

"The data in this paper demonstrates the power and potential of course sharing for colleges to expand course access and provide the flexibility students need to stay on track -- allowing institutions to improve retention, generate revenue, and strengthen long-term sustainability," said Richard Keaveny, CEO of Acadeum "Course sharing ensures students can complete their degrees on time, while institutions retain more learners and maximize their academic offerings—a win for all."

To read the paper and learn more, visit Acadeum's website.

ABOUT ACADEUM
Acadeum helps colleges and universities expand academic resources that support student progress and equitable access to workforce opportunities. Today, more than 500 higher education institutions are members of the Acadeum network to offer in-demand courses and credentials they need to keep learners on track, and bolster existing or offer new programs. Institutions can improve retention and completion, and offer workforce-aligned and stackable certifications, while also unlocking new revenue to increase financial sustainability. To learn more about Acadeum, please visit www.acadeum.com.

SOURCE Acadeum