Based on responses from nearly 1,800 parents and guardians, the national annual study finds that Millennial parents approach the college search differently from their Gen X predecessors. While their fundamental priorities of cost, academics, and career outcomes may be similar, Millennial parents demonstrate greater involvement, stronger preferences, and a heightened sense of responsibility for their children’s college decisions.

The generational shift is already underway. Among students entering their junior year — the Class of 2028 — Millennial parents outnumber Gen X parents, making it increasingly important for enrollment teams to reconsider how and when they engage families.

Key Insights:

• Millennial parents and guardians are more likely than Gen X parents to lead their children’s college searches, and their involvement increases rather than decreases as the enrollment decision approaches.
• More than half of Millennial parents and guardians begin thinking about college by the time their child enters 10th grade, and 72% believe colleges should engage with parents before the application stage.
• Millennial parents and guardians engage across a broad range of channels and platforms, with no single secondary communication channel standing out after the college website.
• About 86% of Millennial parents and guardians who received parent communications from a college said they liked being included.
• Millennial parents and guardians express stronger preferences than Gen X parents about their children’s college choices, particularly around career outcomes, cost, academics, and safety.
• Across household income levels, a greater share of Millennial parents and guardians expect to take responsibility for covering their children’s college costs, even though they do not necessarily expect to spend more than Gen X parents.

“Parents and guardians have always played an important role in college choice, but Millennial parents are bringing that influence into sharper focus,” said Emily Ross, Eduventures senior analyst and primary author of the study. “They are entering the search earlier, taking a more active role in decision-making, and expecting institutions to provide clear answers to the questions that matter most to their families.”

The research also highlights the increasingly important role parents and guardians play in the enrollment process. More than half of admitted students identify a parent or guardian as influencing their ultimate college choice, outpacing other people in the student’s life.

For enrollment teams, the report recommends engaging parents earlier, expanding communication beyond traditional parent channels, providing more transparent and specific information, and designing outreach with parents and guardians in mind as genuine decision-makers.

Millennial parents and guardians are particularly focused on questions surrounding career outcomes, cost, academics, and their children’s futures. The report suggests that institutions should make information about price, financial aid, career pathways, academic programs, and the student experience easier for families to find and understand.

As Millennial parents and guardians become a larger share of the prospective family audience, the research makes clear that parent engagement can no longer be treated as secondary to student recruitment strategy.

Members of the media who would like to speak to the author of this report or obtain a copy of the report can contact Todd Boullion at toddb@encoura.org.