Where Parents and Students Actually Look for College Information

When families begin researching colleges, the places they look for information often differ as much as the decisions they make. Students and parents may be evaluating the same institution, but they do not rely on the same mix of influence and digital channels to get there.

Advance Education’s Parent and Student Survey shows that these differences are not just about technology. They are about who people trust first.

One of the clearest insights from the survey is that students do not begin their search online. They begin with people.

When asked where they started their search for post-secondary options, students most often pointed to family and friends and teachers or counselors. These trusted voices shape which schools even make it onto a student’s radar.

Only after those early conversations do students turn to digital channels like search engines, social media, and school websites to explore, compare, and validate their options. AI tools and chatbots are already part of that mix for some students, but they still trail behind human influence.

Parents tend to enter the process differently. Once their student shows interest, parents often turn to official sources to confirm details about cost, outcomes, and credibility. Search engines, school websites, and email communications play a much larger role in how they evaluate whether an institution feels trustworthy.

For parents, the decision is not just about discovery. It is about risk reduction. They want information that feels accurate, complete, and verifiable.

This creates a challenge for enrollment teams. Students are influenced early by people, then by digital discovery. Parents rely more heavily on formal, authoritative channels. A campaign that focuses on only one side of that equation risks leaving half of the decision makers behind.

When institutions align their messaging with how both audiences actually behave, they create a clearer and more confident path through the enrollment funnel.

Understanding where families turn for information is no longer optional. It is how effective enrollment strategies are built.