A Strategic Partnership Built to Last

40%

growth in first-year enrollment over the total partnership

+$1M

increase in net tuition revenue over the total partnership

Loyola Marymount University partnered with Carnegie to grow enrollment, increase net tuition revenue, and strengthen its academic profile year after year.

A data-driven strategy strengthens enrollment and institutional health.

Loyola Marymount University operates in one of the most competitive higher education markets in the country. Surrounded by highly ranked public and private institutions, LMU needed a strategy that would drive enrollment and revenue growth while maintaining disciplined financial aid practices.

LMU wasn’t simply looking to maintain enrollment. The university needed to push its enrollment and revenue goals forward each year while operating within disciplined financial aid parameters. In a market defined by choice and competition, sustainable growth required precision. Across 20 years, the collaboration deepened — building a data-rich foundation that allows LMU to make confident, forward-looking decisions in an ever-changing landscape.

The Challenge

Loyola Marymount had a strong academic reputation and a desirable location, but wanted a more refined approach to enrollment and financial strategy. They wanted to increase first-year enrollment and net tuition revenue to stay competitive with their neighbors while remaining financially sustainable.

These goals required more than stronger recruitment efforts. They demanded precise financial aid modeling, deeper insight into student behavior, and careful alignment between pricing and long-term institutional goals.

Our Approach

At the core of this engagement was a simple principle: sustainable enrollment growth requires disciplined financial strategy supported by deep data insight. Every initiative—from pricing to recruitment to retention—needed to work in concert to strengthen both enrollment outcomes and long-term institutional health.

We began by refining first-year financial aid optimization, ensuring that aid offers supported enrollment goals while maintaining planned discount rates. From there, the strategy expanded to address additional enrollment drivers across the student lifecycle.

What Worked

Financial aid optimization for first-year and transfer students to align pricing strategy with revenue and selectivity goals.
Transfer enrollment consulting to strengthen an increasingly important enrollment segment.
Market research with prospective and admitted students to inform recruitment and messaging strategy.
Retention modeling and intervention planning to support student persistence.
Continuing student survey analysis to uncover trends affecting satisfaction and success.
Custom consulting engagements focused on enrollment forecasting and fiscal planning.

The Results

Over 20 years of strategic collaboration, Loyola Marymount University achieved sustained enrollment and revenue growth while maintaining planned discount rates and strengthening selectivity. First-year enrollment expanded significantly, net tuition revenue more than doubled, and the composition of the incoming class evolved to reflect greater geographic reach. Together, these outcomes reflect not short-term gains, but a durable enrollment strategy that supports LMU’s long-term institutional health and national standing.

+40%

Growth in first-year enrollment over the total partnership

+5.9%

Increase in yield

+$1M

Increase in net tuition revenue over the total partnership

48%

Of enrolling students from outside California (up from 30%)

The Financial Aid Optimization team at Carnegie has been a valued partner to LMU for 15 years with consistently strong results. Over this time, the team has built an understanding of our mission, our opportunities, and our challenges, which has added significant value to their analytical work for us. We appreciate the sophistication of their work and the trust that has been built over our partnership.