Competitive Positioning
Workflows

PEER INSTITUTION STRATEGIC MONITORING — 45 PEERS ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ STRATEGIC MOVES DETECTED THIS MONTH: rice.edu /about: Announced campus expansion — $1.2B investment /products: 4 new graduate programs in AI/data science /press: Full-tuition scholarship for families <$200K /leadership: New provost from MIT appointed PageRank: 7.8 (up 0.3 in 6 months) THREAT LEVEL: HIGH — aggressive expansion into our segment northeastern.edu /about: 3 new global campuses announced (London, Dubai, Seoul) /products: 12 new online programs launched /press: Record application volume — 96,000 applicants THREAT LEVEL: MEDIUM — expanding geographic footprint emory.edu /leadership: President resignation announced /press: $500M fundraising campaign paused OPPORTUNITY: Competitor distraction — recruit their prospects

RANKING FACTOR INTELLIGENCE — 2026-27 CYCLE ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ usnews.com — US News & World Report /about: 2027 methodology changes announced: Social mobility weight: +5% (now 15%) Alumni giving weight: Removed entirely Graduate debt load: New factor at 5% Research output: +3% (now 20%) IMPACT ON OUR RANKING: Social mobility: Strong (Pell graduation rate above avg) Alumni giving: Was our advantage — now irrelevant Graduate debt: Below peer average — positive factor Research output: Below peer average — area to improve NET PROJECTED IMPACT: Current rank: #28 Projected 2027: #30-32 (alumni giving removal hurts) MITIGATION: Increase research output + promote social mobility

BRAND REPUTATION INTELLIGENCE ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ POSITIVE SIGNALS: nytimes.com /blog: Feature on our AI research center — high visibility forbes.com /press: "Top 10 Best Value Universities" — we ranked #7 nature.com /press: Faculty research breakthrough covered NEUTRAL / MONITORING: chronicle.com /blog: Article on our tuition increase — balanced tone insidehighered.com /press: Coverage of our new online programs RISK SIGNALS: reddit.com — Trending thread about campus housing costs Web Filtering: Social Media | Engagement: 4,200 upvotes RISK: Viral complaint may affect prospective student perception ACTION: Prepare communications response + housing improvement PR BRAND SCORE: Overall sentiment: 72/100 (up 3 points from last quarter) Media coverage volume: +18% YoY Negative mention ratio: 8% (below 12% peer average)

TUITION STRATEGY BENCHMARKING — 2026-27 ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Institution Tuition Increase Net Price Aid % Our University $62,400 3.8% $28,100 55% yale.edu $64,700 4.1% $18,200 72% stanford.edu $61,731 3.5% $16,400 73% rice.edu $56,874 2.8% $22,600 62% vanderbilt.edu $60,348 3.2% $24,800 58% PRICING TRENDS: Avg sticker price increase: 3.5% (sector-wide) Avg net price trend: Declining (more aid) Free tuition thresholds proliferating: 8 peers now offer GAP: Our net price ($28,100) highest among peers RECOMMENDATION: Increase financial aid to reduce net price by $5K

PEER CAMPUS INVESTMENT TRACKING ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ stanford.edu /press: $1.6B campus modernization plan — New AI research complex (450K sq ft) — Student housing expansion (+2,000 beds) — Sustainability retrofits campus-wide rice.edu /press: $1.2B campus expansion — New innovation district with industry co-location — 4 new residential colleges gatech.edu /press: $800M technology campus — AI supercomputer facility — Advanced manufacturing center INVESTMENT THEMES: AI/Research facilities: 28 peers investing Student housing: 22 peers expanding Sustainability: 18 peers retrofitting Athletics: 14 peers upgrading OUR POSITION: Capital investment rank: #18 of 45 peers Key gap: No dedicated AI research facility announced RECOMMENDATION: Announce AI research center — competitive necessity

PEER STRATEGIC PLAN ANALYSIS — 45 INSTITUTIONS ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ TOP STRATEGIC THEMES ACROSS PEERS: Theme Institutions Our Plan? AI Integration 38 (84%) Yes DEI & Belonging 34 (76%) Yes Online/Hybrid Learning 32 (71%) Partial Sustainability/Climate 30 (67%) No Global Engagement 28 (62%) Yes Workforce Alignment 26 (58%) No PEER PLAN INNOVATIONS: strategicplan.uchicago.edu — "Data-Driven Decision Making" pillar plan.duke.edu — "Knowledge in Service of Society" with $200M fund forward.wisc.edu — Workforce development as core mission GAPS: Sustainability and workforce alignment not in our plan RECOMMENDATION: Add sustainability + workforce pillars in plan update

ENROLLMENT MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Institution Apps Admit% Yield% Enrolled Our University 48,200 12% 42% 2,400 duke.edu 54,000 6% 55% 1,780 northwestern.edu 52,800 7% 52% 2,100 rice.edu 31,400 8% 48% 1,200 vanderbilt.edu 47,200 6% 50% 1,420 TREND ANALYSIS: Our application volume: +8% YoY (above peer avg +5%) Our admit rate: Declining (selectivity improving) Our yield rate: 42% — below peer avg 49% Cross-admit loss to: Duke (62%), Northwestern (58%), Rice (51%) KEY ISSUE: Yield rate below peer average — losing cross-admits RECOMMENDATION: Enhance admitted student programming + financial aid

DIGITAL PRESENCE BENCHMARKING ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ Institution PageRank Pages(20) Blog Freq Subdomains Our University 7.4 17/20 8/month 42 stanford.edu 9.2 20/20 28/month 180 mit.edu 9.4 20/20 34/month 220 duke.edu 8.1 19/20 18/month 98 rice.edu 7.8 18/20 14/month 67 OUR GAPS: Missing pages: /investors, /sustainability, /events (dedicated) Blog frequency: 8/month vs peer avg 20/month Subdomain presence: 42 vs peer avg 110 PageRank: 7.4 — below peer avg 8.2 RECOMMENDATION: Add missing page types, increase content output 3x

STUDENT EXPERIENCE BENCHMARKING ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ ATHLETICS INVESTMENT SIGNALS: goheels.com (UNC) — $250M athletics facility upgrade rolltide.com (Alabama) — $180M football complex renovation gostanford.com — New Olympic sports center — $120M STUDENT LIFE INNOVATIONS: studentlife.umich.edu — New wellness center with meditation pods dosa.stanford.edu — "Stanford in the City" urban immersion program studentaffairs.duke.edu — New first-year experience program OUR POSITION: Athletics investment: Middle of pack Student org count: Below peer average Dining satisfaction: Top quartile Housing quality: Average

COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE DASHBOARD — FEBRUARY 2026 ════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ THREAT ASSESSMENT: Critical threats: 2 (Rice expansion, ranking methodology change) Moderate threats: 5 (peer program launches, pricing pressure) Low threats: 8 OPPORTUNITY ASSESSMENT: Strategic: 3 (AI program gap, sustainability positioning, digital) Tactical: 7 (micro-credentials, online expansion, partnerships) COMPETITIVE POSITION SCORECARD: Academics: Strong (top quartile) Research: Moderate (mid-range in funding per faculty) Enrollment: Moderate (yield below peer average) Digital Presence: Below average (PageRank, content volume) Financial: Strong (healthy endowment growth) Campus: Moderate (no AI facility announced)