The 2025 Higher Education Transformation Priorities Report

Considerations and demands are shifting for modern education partnerships — and if you’re budgeting for 2026, you’ll want to know what factors matter most.

With growing competition for a smaller pool of potential learners, overcoming enrollment and retention challenges is a top priority for education providers — and those proactively seeking appropriate partnership solutions are poised for success. The strongest partnerships take a systems-thinking approach, holistically simplifying processes and streamlining operations to encourage better recruitment and higher persistence.

Boundless Learning surveyed leaders representing a wide variety of education providers — public and private institutions, medium (2,000-9,999 learners) and large (10,000-30,000) — for insights into their priorities, expectations, and decision-making processes.

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More than 95% of institutions are ready to move forward — with the right partner. Learn the ins and outs of what makes a great higher education partnership and what you should focus on when partnering for success in 2026 and beyond.

• The service areas best suited to partnership and external support
• The most in-demand tool features and qualities, including customization, seamless integration, and proven ROI
• What decision-makers value most in a partnership: Data-backed insights, enhanced innovation capabilities, streamlined workflows
• Evolutions in the industry: OPM vs. EPM, fee-for-service vs. revenue-sharing, and more
• The biggest challenges standing in the way of solutions adoption