Tuition and Fee Pricing Strategy

Engage your prospective students through strategic tuition pricing.

Data-driven.
Research-informed.
Institutionally-Aligned.

Across-the-board tuition rate increases at two or three percent at a time quietly disconnect the institution from the value and return-on-investment upon which your future students and families evaluate you. As demographic challenges, perceptions about higher education, and pressure on discounts rates create challenges in recruiting students, colleges and universities can appeal to prospective students through a realignment of tuition pricing structures.

Human Capital Education is the Leader in Tuition Modeling.

Human Capital Education builds tuition and fee pricing strategy from market evidence and backed by data. We combine competitive price analysis, willingness-to-pay research, and statistical modeling of the institution’s own enrollment history to project how a given price change impacts applications, yield, class composition, and net tuition revenue. We devise a custom tuition and pricing strategy at the institutional, college, and program level so you can more effectively communicate value to prospective and current students.

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We help Institutions Build a Value-Driven Tuition and Fee Pricing Structure

Tuition reset analysis:
Understand whether a price reset fits your institution and the impact across budgeting and operations.

Differential pricing design:
Design distinct price points by academic unit, program, or delivery method, modeled for revenue and demand.

New program and new unit pricing:
Build a market-anchored price strategy for your new programs and delivery modalities.

Online and distance education pricing:
Set competitive pricing strategies for programs with broader competitive sets.

Fee simplification:
Build a fee schedule you can easily explain and a family can understand.

Scholarship structure alignment:
Align your tuition and fees with financial aid optimization to tell a consistent and compelling brand value story.

Aligning Tuition and Strategy

Human Capital’s experts at Kennedy and Company studied 72 four-year institutions that reduced published tuition by 10 percent or more between 2012 and 2019, compiling twelve years of data on big moves in higher education pricing. We discovered that the size of the tuition reset does not determine the outcome. Across institution type, size, and location, your tuition and fee pricing structure requires a thoughtful approach that aligns with your value proposition. We help schools execute tuition and fee pricing strategic that protects net tuition revenue, improves yield and strengthens your brand story.

Developing an Optimal, Simplified Tuition Differentiation Pricing Model

Human Capital’s Kennedy & Company team supported the University of South Alabama (“USA”) on a comprehensive Tuition and Fee Pricing Strategy engagement to enhance its competitive position relative to peers. The institution utilizes a tuition differential pricing model that charges different rates by academic unit, pedagogical technique (web vs. in-person), and level (Graduate vs. Undergraduate). Our work with USA was focused on identifying the optimal tuition price while also simplifying the structure of its fees to support growth in areas of strategic focus.

Where pricing decisions connect.

Financial Sustainability and RCM Modeling

Financial Aid Optimization and Leveraging

Strategic Planning

Build Your Strategic Tuition and Fee Pricing Model

In a first conversation about Tuition and Fee Pricing Strategy, Human Capital Education reviews how your published price and fee structure are currently impacting your institution’s recruitment and net revenue. We help you understand where pricing modeling can positively impact enrollment and budget.