

Graduate Learners Are Planning with Purpose in 2026
Finding schools is only the first step. Our survey shows that once families begin comparing options, they quickly shift from discovery to evaluation. At that stage, students and parents are not asking the same questions. They are both trying to make the right choice, but they use different filters to get there.
Moving From AI Experiments to Real Strategy
Parents and students are not only motivated by different values they search differently. Parents are pragmatic searchers, relying on search engines, ranking sites, ROI calculators, and institutional pages. Students pay the most attention to social media, particularly TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram; after social media they notice email and college fairs.
Skilled Path Learners Are Ready to Enroll in 2026
Finding schools is only the first step. Our survey shows that once families begin comparing options, they quickly shift from discovery to evaluation. At that stage, students and parents are not asking the same questions. They are both trying to make the right choice, but they use different filters to get there.
Recent Posts

OUR LATEST WHITEPAPER
3rd Annual Parent & Student Survey
The New Rules Of Higher Education Marketing
How AI and Shifting Family Priorities are Reshaping Student Recruitment
AI isn’t new. It’s normal. Students and parents alike are increasingly using LLMs for research – for everything from homework help to their best options for higher education. If families already use AI to choose, the question is: how is your institution meeting them there? Our latest whitepaper outlines how to publish AI-readable answers to the most asked questions, making your value legible to both humans and machines.

