What is GEM?

Graduate Enrollment Management

NAGAP and GEM

Graduate Enrollment Management (GEM)

Graduate enrollment management (GEM) is a systematic approach to managing the graduate student lifecycle from initial awareness to alumna/alumnus by integrating the core functions associated with the enrollment and support of a graduate student.

In order to establish the best practices of graduate enrollment management (GEM) and to formalize the GEM field, NAGAP’s Research and Global Issues Committee conducted a multi-layered research study to discover, clarify, and record themes regarding GEM practitioners’ perception of GEM and how GEM fits within their institution’s strategic enrollment management system.

The researchers believe identifying best practices for GEM may be beneficial in creating visibility with senior leadership and facilitating knowledge of the similarities and differences between enrollment management at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Having a clear, consistent, and commonly accepted understanding of GEM can provide insights to inform institutions’ strategic planning processes.

Below you will find resources created as part of this initiative.

Expanded Definition

What is GEM?

Graduate enrollment management (GEM) represents a comprehensive approach to the methods by which an institution recruits, admits, supports, retains, and graduates post-baccalaureate students in their respective degree programs. This dynamic paradigm includes codependent functions working congruently to strategically manage overall enrollment levels and the student experience.

Regardless of staffing levels, utilizing an integrated interdependence model in GEM may create an environment whereby cross-trained professionals in a graduate office are able to support a student throughout their time at the institution. This approach creates an environment that sustains differentiated student experiences.

GEM organizational structures have multiple models that range from decentralized to centralized, including a number of hybrid models. Two emerging concepts support institutional priorities that address various resource limitations, while simultaneously focusing on the student’s experience and the institution’s competitive advantage.

Integrated Interdependence: The Emergence of Graduate Enrollment Management

integrated interdependence As U.S. colleges and universities continue to grapple with rising tuition costs, increasing competition for scarce resources, and calls for more accountability (Selingo, 2013), institutions may look to strategically examine how to best recruit and retain students. At the forefront is creating a full-service GEM lifecycle support operation with expertise in enrollment planning, data analytics, budgeting, advising, registration, and financial aid. The emerging concept of GEM may improve productivity, continuity and, above all else, create a differentiated student experience.

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Case Studies

GEM Organizational Structures

NAGAP members discuss their experience working in an integrated graduate enrollment management environment.

These case studies represent a cross-section of institutions large and small, both public and private, that have taken steps toward integrating and addressing the comprehensive needs of graduate students through one office. Each handled implementation differently, highlighting unique strengths and benefits.