Academic Program Development
Build a Standout Program Portfolio that Aligns with Market Demand
Growth-minded institutions don’t leave critical program decisions to intuition. Hanover Research provides the data insights you need to launch competitive programs, optimize current offerings, and deepen academic ROI.
Attract more students, meet workforce needs, and make smarter resource investments with data-informed portfolio analysis.
Optimize Academic Programs
Need section description
Achieve the right mix of viable offerings. Score your programming using growth and demand metrics to strengthen institutional value.
Make confident new program decisions. Assess the feasibility of a new degree or certificate with objective market data, ahead of resource commitments.
Gain instant program development answers. Validate existing or potential programs using our self-serve dashboards to examine completions, workforce projections, market saturation, and more.
Identify programs in need of scaling or support. Understand the true financial dynamics of a program, department, or school by examining its costs, revenues, and margins.
Understand Market Demand
Need section description
Program Benchmarking Analysis
Sharpen market positioning intelligence. Compare and learn from peer institutions’ programs and practices to gain a strategic competitive advantage.
Unlock fresh industry insights. Use in-depth interviews that surface labor market needs and perceptions to deepen workforce partnerships, design programs, or bolster job placement rates.
Gather real-time program search patterns. Quickly measure search engine data to gauge student interest, expand positioning, or uncover new opportunities.
Price and Position Competitively
Need section description
Tuition & Fees Benchmarking
Set competitive pricing and positioning. Compare program tuition trends across peer institutions to align cost structures and optimize enrollment.
Trusted by 2,000+ institutions for critical decisions
Strategic academic program optimization powered by experts
360-degree program assessment
We bring together multiple points of evidence into a single decision framework to quantify your highest-impact opportunities.
Direct insights from employers and students
Our deep survey and interview expertise reveals insights about where the workforce is heading and what drives student decisions.
Targeted competitive intelligence
Analysis of relevant peer institution data, emerging trends, and demand signals to sharpen your program value and reduce risk.
Tackle your toughest portfolio questions with objective data insights
UF Hamilton Uses Market Research to Attune to Student Program Demand
“This partnership helped us figure out how we could actually address the people who would be signing up for our majors. Hanover’s insights helped us understand how prospective students and families think.”
— Robert G. Ingram, PhD, Professor of Humanities and Associate Director
University of Florida Leverages Higher Ed Market Analysis to Strengthen Academic Programs
“At the University of Florida, we are required to complete a market analysis for most new academic programs to justify their creation and funding. Before Hanover built our dashboards, the only way we could get that kind of market analysis was by piecing it together ourselves, which was very time consuming.”
—Jonathan Orsini, PhD, Director of Operations, Office for Strategic Initiatives
Saint Joseph’s University Builds Capacity to Reimagine Adult Degree Completion
“Our institution needed an objective thought partner to guide us through an ambitious project to reimagine degree completion. This entails several tactical projects that include deep dives into qualitative research that we simply didn’t have internal capacity to do.
The Hanover Research team heard our needs clearly, providing partnership and dialogue that enriched the project. We’ve found that it is possible to gain objective expertise that is affordable, efficient, and personal.”
The University of Bristol and Hanover Partner to Explore A.I. Viability
“Hanover Research has proved to be a valuable partner to enable us to expand the capacity of our in-house market research team at a time when the University is changing its programme portfolio significantly. They helped us to analyse the student market for new postgraduate programmes in AI, enabling us to develop the business cases for the programmes at top speed. They have worked effectively with us to scope tasks and identify appropriate international comparators. Their research with international employers has been very valuable in the analysis of existing and new programmes alike.”
Wharton County Junior College Teams Up with Hanover to Boost Student Outcomes & Workforce Impact
“Wharton County Junior College (WCJC) selected Hanover Research as a strategic partner to expand our institutional research capacity without adding permanent staffing. Because our college is committed to data-informed strategy and continuous improvement, we need timely, high-quality analysis to inform our decision-making, especially tied to student success, enrollment, and workforce alignment.”
– Amanda Allen, EdD, President
Featured Insights
- Reports & Briefs
Find out how academic program cost tracking is helping higher ed leaders assess program value, reduce costs, and make smarter academic investment decisions. In 2026–27,
- Reports & Briefs
Prepare more students at two-year institutions for a shifting workforce by tracking the top career skills for associate degree holders in 2026. Aligning your institution’s
- Reports & Briefs
Prepare more students for a shifting workforce by tracking the top career skills for bachelor’s and master’s degree holders in 2026. In 2026, aligning the
- Insights Blog
Understand Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s evolving college expectations to shore up your higher education enrollment and recruitment efforts. How can colleges and universities recruit
- Reports & Briefs
Track the latest data on trending associate degrees and occupations to understand where student and employer demand is heading. For two-year institutions, demonstrating a strong
- Reports & Briefs
Track this year’s trending degrees and occupations to understand where student and employer demand is heading. Students are increasingly drawn to college degrees that deliver
- Insights Blog
Academic program cost tracking isn’t just about budget cuts. Learn how financial clarity can protect programs and fuel innovation in higher education. If you asked
- Reports & Briefs
Turn uncertainty into strategic advantage with insights from these 2026 trends in higher education. Higher education leaders have an unprecedented opportunity to counter ongoing political
- Reports & Briefs
For a steadier financial outlook, institutions need an academic portfolio review process that can strengthen program mix and performance. Shifting enrollments, workforce needs, funding threats,