U.S. Higher Education Institutions Expected to Spend $6.6 Billion on Technology in 2015

The following is a press release:

According to a new IT Spending Guide from IDC Government Insights, U.S. higher education institutions are expected to spend about $6.6 billion on IT in 2015, much of that driven by investments in enterprise networks and higher end notebook computers.

The first guide of its kind, Pivot Table: U.S. Education IT Spending Guide, Version 1, 2013–2018, provides estimates and forecasts for the IT opportunity in the U.S. education sector, which includes K–12, higher, and “other” education. The report also offers details on education level, individual states, education functional area, enrollment levels (school size), and technology segments.

• ClicktoTweet: U.S. Higher Education Institutions Expected to Spend $6.6 billion on IT In 2015, According to IDC Government Insights

The new Spending Guide, to be published bi-annually, provides a detailed evaluation of the IT opportunity among U.S. education institutions based on tens of thousands of data points. Of note, more than 89 million students are enrolled in some sort of educational institution (full or part time, including continuing education) in the U.S.

Other highlights from the Spending Guide include the following:

• California is by far the leader for overall education IT spending at $2.3 billion for 2015, followed by Texas ($1.2 billion) and New York ($1.1 billion).
• U.S. K-12 schools are expected to spend about $4.7 billion on IT in 2015, much of that led by investments in applications and general PC upgrades.
• Tablets and e-readers will grow by 8% across all education levels and types by the end of 2015, for a total of $522 million.
• Spending on notebook computers peaked in 2014 at just over $4 billion across all education levels and types. It is forecast to decline -6.9% for 2015.

According to Shawn McCarthy, Research Director, IDC Government Insights, “IT growth among educational institutions has been spurred by a recovering economy, recovering tax bases, and an increase in the number of government education grants. While the drop in PC spending was a bit surprising last year, we expect tablet computers to have a bright future in education, particularly for use in science classes and for one-off training via apps.”
IDC Government Insights assists government policy, program, and IT leaders, as well as the suppliers who serve them, in making more effective technology decisions by providing accurate, timely, and insightful fact-based research and consulting services. Staffed by senior analysts with decades of government and IT industry experience, our global research analyzes and advises on business and technology issues facing the Federal/Central and local/provincial Governments. International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology market.

IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, a technology, media, research, and events company, based in Framingham.