Enrollment leaders came to NACAC with the same question: where should we focus?
Over three days at NACAC 2026 in Minneapolis, the MARKETview team had 507 engagements with current partners and prospects. We met 376 partner team members from 140 institutions, in panel discussions, meetings, and the hallways in between.
The real value was in the listening and hearing what enrollment leaders are dealing with in the middle of a cycle that isn’t behaving the way last year’s did.
The MARKETview data we reviewed as of October 11 explains why those conversations carried so much weight. Compared with this point last year:
- Overall applications are up 2.8%, against 15.3% growth in EC26.
- Inquiries are down 3.5%, so better conversion is carrying growth that a larger pool used to carry.
- International applications are up 41.5% even though international inquiries are down 10.0%.
- Affluent domestic applications (over $250k) are down 3.9%, with the $500k+ tier falling fastest.
- In-state and out-of-state applications have both stalled, at +1.0% and -0.5%, respectively.
Underneath the specifics, we heard a version of one question: Is this us, or is this the market? An institution can see its own inquiries, applications, and deposits. It can’t see how the same students are behaving across other institutions. Without that context, it’s hard to tell whether a soft number is a problem to fix or a market movement to hold steady through.
A Common Thread
That’s the gap that MARKETview was built to address. By aggregating de-identified, student-record-level data from partner institutions, refreshing it daily, and focusing on the Critical Elements — the few populations and metrics that matter most to a given institution’s goals.
Where MARK Fits In
MARK is MARKETview’s Insights Analyst. You ask the enrollment question already on your mind and get a direct, structured answer grounded in MARKETview’s comparative data, with no learning curve and no waiting on a report.
The advantage isn’t that MARK can answer a prompt. It’s that MARK has the enrollment context to answer the question that matters. A general-purpose AI tool can describe what an application rate is. MARK can show how your application rate compares with the market, because it draws on the same de-identified, student-record-level data that powers the rest of MARKETview, refreshed daily.
That matters most in a cycle like this one. When overall applications are up 2.8% on a shrinking inquiry pool, the useful questions are specific:
- Which populations are driving the movement, and which are pulling against it?
- Is a decline in affluent applications something we’re seeing alone, or something the market is seeing too?
- Where should we focus next?
MARK is built to answer questions like these, and to help you turn the answer into a leadership-ready explanation for a president, cabinet, or board.
For partners, MARK is a faster way into intelligence they already have. For the prospects we met, a demo can show how the tool works, but it can’t show an institution’s own competitive position. That takes partnership and the institution’s own data, which is the point of the model.
What We’re Taking Home
First, thank you to the 376 partner team members from 140 institutions who stopped to talk with us. NACAC lands in the middle of decision season, when calendars are full and attention is scarce. We don’t take that time for granted, and the conversations were the best part of the week.
The October 11 data gave those conversations a shared reference point, and a few movements stand out:
- Conversion is carrying the cycle. The app rate rose from 4.3% to 4.5%, which is helping offset a smaller inquiry pool. Teams that sharpen how they convert the interest they already have are better positioned than teams waiting for volume to return.
- Affluent demand is softening, and the top of the range is softening fastest. Applications from families earning over $250k are down 3.9%, with the $500k+ tier down 5.1%.
- Senior inquiries are up but converting less. Seniors are 34.0% of the domestic inquiry pool, up from 30.2%, yet their app rate fell from 7.0% to 6.4%.
- Growth is concentrated in the middle. In-state applications from $100k-$150k and $150k-$250k households are the only domestic income bands still growing.
- Early Decision is steady. ED applications are up 8.8% after +10.3% last year, which is useful as teams plan for decision season.
None of these is a reason for alarm. Each is a reason to look closely, compare against the market, and decide where to act while there is still time to influence the cycle.
We’re following up with the partners and prospects we met, and we’ll keep sharing what the data shows as the cycle develops. If we missed you at NACAC, or you’d like to see how your institution compares with the market, we’d be glad to speak with you. Let us know if you’d like to talk!