What's in This Report

Higher education is at a turning point. Just as we find ourselves on the cusp of a steep demographic downturn, voices questioning the value of higher education are growing louder. Added stressors, like the delayed FAFSA application rollout, are keeping higher education professionals on their toes.

Given these disruptive forces, it can be easy to ignore—for now—another subtle but significant change on the horizon. Generation Alpha (a.k.a., Gen Alpha or Alphas) has officially entered high school and will soon be in the college pipeline. In the current enrollment environment, failure to adequately prepare for the arrival of this new student population can become a costly mistake. Recruiting Gen Alpha will require different strategies than those applied to Gen Z.

This report highlights the key changes we observed that are directional and consistent with current knowledge about Generation Alpha and foreshadows how these changes will impact recruitment efforts over the foreseeable future. It outlines strategies institutions can take to accommodate the changing student search behaviors and ensure continued engagement in a highly competitive market.

Key insights include:

• Ease of access to information is critical amid declining student patience.
• Digital search is becoming more interactive.
• Social platforms are no longer a supplemental recruitment channel.
• It is time to rethink the top-of-funnel channel strategy to reach a broader market.
• Relevant content matters more than the right cadence.

About this Study

The Eduventures annual Student Sentiment Research provides first-hand insight into student perceptions about institutional marketing and communications as well as insight into students’ inherent college search behaviors. This research is based on a national survey of college-bound high school seniors, juniors, and sophomores. Invitations are distributed in the springvia email and through a survey panel provider. Respondents are asked questions about their college search experiences, use of specific communication channels, and reactions to institutional outreach. Close to 2,000 college-bound high school students completed the online survey in March of 2024.