About the MAPS Project

The landscape of higher education is shifting across the nation. Enrollment is dropping nationwide, particularly for schools that typically serve vulnerable populations (i.e. community colleges). The “demographic cliff,” a concept coined by Nathan Grawe that predicts a steep decline of the traditional college-age student population in the US around 2025, is on the minds of many college presidents and boards. With these changes comes the need to understand who the future students of higher education will be and what they need from their institution to be successful. Leaders need new ways to look at industry data that offer greater context around the student experience and upcoming trends—the suite of MAPS data tools was born from this need.

The MAPS Project is currently a joint project between the University of Utah Academic Innovation and Intellegence Lab and the National Institute of Student Success at Georgia State University.  It was developed by the Sorenson Impact Center, with generous support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation