How National Scale Enterprise Universities Are Competing and Collaborating

Western Governors University, Arizona State University, Southern New Hampshire University, Purdue Global, and the University of Maryland Global Campus have been identified by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as National Scale Enterprises—institutions reaching hundreds of thousands of students through innovative online and workforce-aligned models. Collectively, these five universities now serve more than 700,000 undergraduate students—an increase of over 30% in the past five years, despite a 5% decline in national undergraduate enrollment.

Though they compete for students, talent, and partnerships, these institutions are also collaborating to improve student outcomes and expand equitable access to opportunity. In this session, senior leaders from each university will explore how they balance competition and collaboration at scale—sharing insights and action items on data-driven innovation, employer partnerships, and cross-institutional learning that are reshaping the higher education ecosystem. While the panelists represent large institutions, they will share takeaways relevant for institutions of any size.