The Name Game: Colleges Rebrand to Get More Students

What’s in a name? For colleges looking to gain prestige along with more students and precious out-of-state tuition dollars, plenty.

In this July 9, 2015 photo, members of the Vermont Geographic Alliance walk across campus at Castleton State College in Castleton, Vt., where they are attending a summer institute. AP Photo/Lisa Rathke

CASTLETON, Vt.—What’s in a name? For colleges looking to gain prestige along with more students and precious out-of-state tuition dollars, plenty.

Faced with declining enrollment, reduced public funding or both, some state colleges and universities are adding graduate programs and changing their names to attract more students and compete with private institutions.

To some, this represents the natural growth and evolution of campuses in response to state needs, but to others this just represents old-fashioned mission creep.

— Thomas Harnisch, director of state relations, American Association of State Colleges and Universities