Two Audiences, Two Starting Points
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.
Demographic Decline Meets Affordability Pressure
Higher education faces a demographic cliff. By 2037, the number of high school graduates will fall by 12%, ending decades of expansion. This structural shift means institutions will compete more fiercely for fewer students.
The Paralysis Problem
Rising parental oversight, debt anxiety, and fear of making the wrong choice have created a generation of students who freeze at the point of decision. Our latest survey shows that while parents lead on financial matters, students carry emotional weight, balancing expectations, independence, and anxiety about readiness.
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AI for Education
A Marketer’s Guide to Visibility, Discovery, and Enrollment in an AI-Mediated World
Prospective students aren’t just searching differently. They’re discovering, comparing, and evaluating institutions through AI before they ever visit a website.
This guide explores how AI is reshaping the enrollment journey and what enrollment marketers can do to improve visibility, build trust, and prepare for the future of student discovery.