10 Best Higher Education Market Intelligence Tools for Identifying In-Demand Academic Programs Universities must continuously evaluate which academic programs align with student interests, workforce requirements, and changing industry needs. Launching a new degree program requires significant investment in faculty, curriculum development, infrastructure, and marketing. Without reliable market intelligence, institutions may invest in programs that struggle to attract students or provide relevant career pathways. Higher education market intelligence tools help universities make more informed decisions by analyzing labor-market trends, student demand, competitor offerings, employment projections, and graduate outcomes. These insights can guide academic program development, curriculum planning, enrollment strategies, and institutional growth. In this article, we examine 10 higher education market intelligence tools that can help universities identify in-demand academic programs and make data-driven decisions.
Why Do Universities Need Market Intelligence Tools? Traditional academic planning often relies on historical enrollment figures, internal surveys, and faculty assessments. Although these sources remain valuable, they may not fully capture emerging career opportunities, changing student preferences, or regional skills shortages. Market intelligence platforms combine different data sources to help institutions answer important questions: ● ● ● ● ● ●
Which academic programs are gaining student interest? What skills are employers looking for in graduates? Which industries are expected to experience employment growth? Are competing universities already offering similar programs? Which existing programs should be expanded, updated, or reassessed? Where are the best opportunities for online, postgraduate, or professional education?
By combining labor-market data with student demand and competitor analysis, universities can make stronger decisions about their academic portfolios.
10 Best Higher Education Market Intelligence Tools 1. Lightcast Analyst
Lightcast Analyst provides labor-market intelligence to help educational institutions understand employment trends, employer demand, occupational growth, and emerging skills. Its data can support academic program development, curriculum planning, and assessments of how existing programs align with workforce requirements. Universities can analyze job postings, occupations, wages, industries, and relevant educational pathways to identify potential opportunities for new or updated programs. Key features: ● ● ● ●
Labor-market and occupational analysis. Employer demand and job-posting insights. Emerging skills and industry trends. Academic program planning and evaluation.
Best for: Universities seeking to align academic programs with workforce demand.
2. Hanover Research Academic Assessment Suite Hanover Research offers an Academic Assessment Suite designed to help institutions evaluate potential new programs and review their existing academic portfolios. Its dashboards support program identification, portfolio optimization, and competitive analysis using indicators such as student demand, employment projections, and market saturation. These insights can help academic leaders assess which programs may offer growth opportunities and which require further investigation. Key features: ● ● ● ●
New academic program identification. Existing program portfolio assessment. Student and labor-market demand indicators. Competitive program analysis.
Best for: Institutions evaluating new degrees or optimizing their current academic offerings.
3. EAB Market Insights EAB Market Insights helps higher education institutions assess academic program opportunities using labor-market information, enrollment trends, and competitor program data. Its research can help institutions evaluate potential course launches, understand employment opportunities associated with different fields, and determine how existing curricula compare with market needs. Availability and data coverage vary by market and service offering.
Key features: ● ● ● ●
Academic program viability research. Labor-market and employment insights. Competitor curriculum analysis. Program development and optimization support.
Best for: Universities seeking research-backed guidance for strategic academic planning.
4. Office for Students Higher Education Market Monitoring Tool The Office for Students in England provides a higher education market monitoring tool that brings together information on student applications, study destinations, graduate employment, and research activity. Its regional and subject-level views can help institutions understand how higher education provision varies geographically and identify areas that may warrant further analysis. As a developing public-sector resource, its coverage and available datasets should be checked against the institution's specific research needs. Key features: ● ● ● ●
Regional higher education analysis. Student application and enrollment-related information. Graduate destination insights. Subject-level and institutional comparisons.
Best for: Institutions and planners examining higher education supply and demand in England.
5. JobsEQ by Chmura JobsEQ is a labor-market analytics platform that supports workforce planning and economic analysis. Depending on the datasets and subscription available, institutions can use it to investigate regional employment trends, occupation growth, wages, and workforce supply. Universities can apply these insights to assess whether academic programs are aligned with local employer requirements and regional economic priorities. Key features: ● ● ● ●
Regional labor-market analysis. Occupational and industry projections. Wage and workforce indicators. Workforce supply and demand insights.
Best for: Institutions planning career-focused programs around regional workforce needs.
6. IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) IPEDS is a U.S. federal education data system maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics. It provides information on postsecondary institutions, enrollment, completions, finances, and other institutional characteristics. Although it is not a commercial market intelligence platform, universities can use IPEDS data to benchmark academic offerings and examine degree completions across institutions and fields of study. Key features: ● ● ● ●
Institutional enrollment data. Degree and program completion statistics. Institutional benchmarking. Historical higher education trends.
Best for: Universities comparing academic offerings and student outcomes across U.S. institutions.
7. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center publishes research and reports on college enrollment, persistence, completion, and student pathways in the United States. These resources can help institutional leaders understand changes in student participation and progression. When combined with workforce and competitor data, they can contribute to broader decisions about program demand and enrollment planning. Key features: ● ● ● ●
College enrollment trends. Student persistence and completion insights. Student pathway analysis. Sector-level higher education research.
Best for: Institutions examining student participation trends and enrollment patterns in the U.S.
8. College Scorecard The U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard provides information about colleges, academic programs, costs, graduation outcomes, and selected post-college earnings measures. Universities can use the available data to compare institutions and understand how educational offerings relate to costs and student outcomes. It is particularly useful as a complementary source rather than a complete forecasting solution.
Key features: ● ● ● ●
College and program comparisons. Cost and financial information. Graduation and completion indicators. Selected post-college earnings outcomes.
Best for: Institutions benchmarking educational outcomes and evaluating the competitive landscape in the U.S.
9. EMSI Alumni Outcomes and Related Lightcast Analytics Graduate outcome analysis can reveal whether students are entering relevant occupations, which industries employ graduates, and how academic programs connect to career pathways. Lightcast's alumni and career-outcomes analytics can help institutions examine graduate employment patterns and use those findings alongside job-market demand when reviewing academic programs. Institutions should verify the availability and coverage of specific alumni analytics products when selecting a solution. Key features: ● ● ● ●
Graduate career pathway analysis. Employment and occupation insights. Employer and industry information. Program-to-career alignment.
Best for: Universities assessing graduate outcomes and the career relevance of academic programs.
10. Talisma Higher Education CRM Market intelligence helps universities determine which programs may be worth offering, but institutions also need to understand prospective student interests and manage the recruitment journey effectively. Talisma provides CRM solutions for higher education that support student relationship management, inquiry tracking, and coordinated communication. These capabilities can help admissions and enrollment teams organize prospective student information and manage engagement across recruitment activities. When used alongside market research and workforce analytics, CRM data can contribute to a more complete view of program interest and student recruitment performance. For example, universities can use structured inquiry records and engagement histories to investigate which programs attract prospective students, where inquiries originate, and
which follow-up activities support conversion, depending on their CRM configuration and reporting capabilities. Key features: ● ● ● ● ●
Centralized prospective student information. Inquiry and lead management. Coordinated admissions communication. Recruitment pipeline visibility. Support for student engagement and enrollment workflows.
Best for: Universities looking to connect market-informed recruitment strategies with student relationship management. Learn more about Talisma's higher education CRM solutions.
How to Choose the Right Higher Education Market Intelligence Tool The best platform depends on the institution's goals, available data, geography, and planning requirements. Before selecting a tool, universities should evaluate the following factors.
1. Labor-Market Data Coverage Look for reliable information on occupations, salaries, job postings, employer demand, and projected employment growth. These indicators help institutions evaluate how academic programs may align with workforce opportunities.
2. Student Demand and Enrollment Trends Review whether the tool provides historical enrollment, program completion, student application, or related demand data. Workforce demand alone cannot establish whether students will enroll in a particular program.
3. Competitor Analysis Assess whether the platform can identify competing programs, compare academic offerings, and highlight underserved geographic or subject areas.
4. Graduate Outcomes Employment pathways, graduate earnings, and employer information can help institutions evaluate the career relevance of their academic programs.
5. Data Integration and Reporting
Universities should determine whether insights can be combined with existing student information systems, CRM platforms, and institutional reporting tools.
6. Cost and Ease of Use Compare licensing costs, implementation requirements, data availability, training needs, and the expertise required to interpret the results.
How Market Intelligence Helps Universities Identify In-Demand Programs A practical approach combines several types of evidence instead of relying on a single metric. For example, a university considering a master's program in data analytics could: 1. Analyze job postings and employment projections to understand workforce demand. 2. Review competitor universities to assess existing program availability. 3. Examine student inquiries, search behavior, and enrollment trends to estimate potential interest. 4. Consult employers and industry partners about relevant skills. 5. Evaluate faculty availability, delivery costs, and institutional capacity. 6. Monitor inquiries, applications, and enrollment after launching the program. This process helps universities assess both the external market opportunity and their ability to attract and serve students. Importantly, strong job-market demand does not automatically guarantee high enrollment. Institutions should validate opportunities through student research, employer consultation, financial feasibility, and academic review.
Final Thoughts Higher education market intelligence tools enable universities to make better-informed decisions about new academic programs, curriculum updates, and institutional growth. Platforms such as Lightcast Analyst, Hanover Research, and EAB Market Insights focus on program assessment and workforce alignment, while public resources such as IPEDS and College Scorecard support institutional benchmarking and outcomes research. However, identifying an in-demand program is only one part of the process. Universities must also understand prospective student interests, manage inquiries efficiently, and build consistent communication throughout the admissions journey. Combining market intelligence with a well-organized student recruitment process can help institutions translate research into actionable enrollment strategies. For universities seeking to strengthen prospective student engagement and admissions coordination, Talisma's
higher education CRM solutions can support the relationship-management side of this process.