Dive Brief:
- Colleges leaders in the UK say offering free graduate degrees to incoming high school students is the best way to counter a reduction in the overall number of students attending college in the country.
- The initiative, some say, is a direct reaction to the Brexit secession, a move that some college leaders are concerned could become a growing trend among domestic and international students.
- The free college initiative is unlikely to find similar support in the United States, but post-election reaction could spur similar results in four-year institution attendance if community college initiatives continue to grow in states.
Dive Insight:
A scenario which provides free higher education to large groups of students will be highly unlikely in the United States, but campus leaders should be keenly aware of students' attitudes along lines of affordability, necessity and pathway building to professional careers.
As dozens of institutions are working towards private sector partnerships for workforce development, and some institutions are evolving campus space into startup hubs, the notion of attracting students while maintaining costs already exists. But for mid-size institutions, the prospects of free educational add-ons, not degrees, could be a consideration to market to top students.