2022

NATIONAL

PROSPECTIVE

STUDENT

SURVEY

“Manypotentialstudentsbelievetheyaren’tpreparedfortherigorsofpostsecondaryacademicsorthedemandsofindependentliving”

INTRODUCTION

Prospectivestudentsarecriticalconsumers,andthefactorsthatinfluencetheirchoiceinpostsecondaryeducationaregrowingmorediverse.Theycontinuetoseekflexiblescheduling,digitalcourseworkoptions,andshorterdegreesorcertificatesinadditiontoatraditionalfour-year,on-campusexperience.Facingeconomicuncertaintyandconcernsaboutjobprospectsaftergraduation,studentsexpectvalueintheireducationandastrongreturnoninvestment.

Theseneeds,thoughimportant,comeatachallengingtimeforhighereducationinstitutions.WithnearlyamillionfewerstudentsincollegethanbeforetheCOVID-19pandemic,leadersaretaskedwithfillingclassrostersaspotentialstudentsconsiderarangeofcompetingoptionsandinterests.Thiscomesafternearlythreeyearsofremoteandhybridlearning,whichhasacclimatedhighschoolstudentstolearningfromadistance.

Consequently,thepandemichasalsoexacerbatedcriticalgapsinpreparation.Manypotentialstudentsbelievetheyaren’tpreparedfortherigorsofpostsecondaryacademicsorthedemandsofindependentliving,whichcouldleavecollegesanduniversitiesscramblingtohelpfirst-yearstudentsestablishafoundationforlong-termsuccess.

InJuly2022,HanoverResearchsurveyedmorethan1,000highschoolsophomoresandjuniors,ages16to19,fromacrosstheUnitedStateswhoareatleastslightlylikelytoenrollinanundergraduateornon-degreeprogramatahighereducationinstitutionuponcompletionofhighschool.Thesurveyexaminesthefactorsthatareimportanttoprospectivestudentswhenconsideringwheretoapplyandenroll.Thefindingsprovideinsightsontheirpreferredacademicpaths,geographicpreferences,meansofcommunication,andmore.

Highereducationleadersmustunderstandthechangingneeds,learningpreferences,andconcernsofpotentialstudents.Keepingthesefactorstopofmind,collegesanduniversitiescanbeginaneffectiveconversationthatcouldultimatelyleadtoenrollment.

Isyourorganizationpreparedtopredictandrespondtochangingstudentexpectations?

Download5HigherEdTrendstoWatchinthe2022–23AcademicYeartofindout.

?2022HanoverResearch

2

HEDWP0522HEDWP0322

TABLEOFCONTENTS

2/INTRODUCTION

4/SUMMARYOFKEYFINDINGS

6/DEGREEANDPROGRAMINTERESTS

9/LEARNINGPREFERENCES

14/DECISION-DRIVINGFACTORS

18/COLLEGEPREPARATIONANDORIENTATION

22/COMMUNICATIONPREFERENCES

26/CONCLUSION

29/APPENDIX

32/ABOUTHANOVER

HANOVERRESEARCH

FORHIGHEREDUCATION

Hanover’sinsightshelphighereducationinstitutionsstrengthentheiracademicportfolios,maximizeenrollmentandretention,managecosts,improvebrandperception,andengagealumni.Fromresearchtoconsultingandadvisoryservices,oursolutionsaddressacomprehensivearrayofchallengestoachievethebestpossibleoutcomesforourclientsandthestudentstheyserve.

BYTHENUMBERS

15%

$500M

$700M

increaseinnettuition

innewprogram

intotal

revenueourclients

revenue

grantawards

experience

11x

600+

3000+

averageROIwith

highereducation

researchprojects

membership

members

completed

since2020

FormoreinformationaboutHanover’s

solutionsandservices,turntopage32orvisit/higher-education.

?2022HanoverResearch

3

HEDWP0522

SUMMARYOFKEYFINDINGS

Evenaselementsofnormalcyreturntocollegecampuses,pandemic-relatedshiftscontinuetoaffectprospectivestudents’expectationsaroundflexiblelearningandtochallengetheiracademicandfinancialpreparedness.

?2022HanoverResearch

4

HEDWP0522

SUMMARYOFKEYFINDINGS

PROSPECTIVESTUDENTSWANTFLEXIBILITY,SUPPORT,ANDVALUE

Mostprospectivecollegestudentsviewafour-yearbachelor’sdegreeprogramastheirtopchoice,butit’snottheonlyoptionthey’llconsider.One-thirdarewillingtoconsiderotheroptionssuchascertificateandothernon-degreeprograms.

Meanwhile,afternearlythreeyearsofremoteandhybridlearning,theycontinuetoexpectdigitalcourseoptionsandflexiblescheduling.

Theseshiftshaven’tdampenedtheinterestinreturningtocampus.Nearlyhalfareeagertolearninperson.Still,manyenrolleeshaveself-assesseddeficitsinacademicandsocialskills,whichunderscorethecriticalneedtodevelopandmarketresourcesthatdelivertargetedpreparation.

TODAY'SPROSPECTIVESTUDENTSHAVEEVOLVINGEXPECTATIONSANDNEEDS

DegreeandProgramInterests

? Theyaremostinterestedinabachelor’sdegree,but43%mayalsowantanassociatedegree

? One-thirdareconsideringmorethanonedegree,non-degree,orcertificateprogram

34%areinterestedinpart-timeattendance

LearningPreferences

? Exclusivelyon-campuscoursesarethetopchoiceforone-halfofprospectivestudents,butmanyothers(36%)expressaninterestinhybridcourses

Only19%ofrespondentswanttoattendcollegefullyonline

Decision-DrivingFactors

Whenitcomestochoosingacollege,89%ofstudentsconsidercostveryorextremelyimportant

? Thepriceofattendanceisanimportantfactorforfirst-generationstudents(49%vs.34%)

Futuremonetarybenefits,includingsalarypotential(77%)andresume/jobcredentials(71%)arekeyfactorsinchoosingaprogram

CollegePreparationandOrientation

38%ofprospectivestudentssaytheyareveryorextremelypreparedtocontinuetheir

educationafterhighschool

? 55%worryaboutbalancingschoolworkwithnon-academicresponsibilities

One-thirdofprospectivestudentsworrytheylackadequatelifeandcommunicationskills

Orientationeventsfocusedontours(56%)andsocialactivities(53%)holdthemostinfluence

CommunicationPreferences

Collegewebsites(55%)andsearchengines(53%)remaintopsourcesofinformation

Instagramremainsthetopsocialmediaplatform(80%)forinteractingwithinstitutions

?2022HanoverResearch

5

HEDWP0522

DEGREE

ANDPROGRAMINTERESTS

Today’sprospectivestudentsarelookingformorediversifiededucationalpaths,withflexibleschedulingandabroadmixofcreativeandtechnicalacademicprograms.

?2022HanoverResearch

6

HEDWP0522

DEGREELEARNINGANDPROGRAMPREFERENCESINTERESTS

INTENDEDDEGREETYPE

Abouthalfofallrespondents(46%)planexclusivelytopursueabachelor’sdegree.

Thatnumberhasbeensteadilydroppingoverthepasttwoyears:In2021,55%ofprospectivestudentsplannedtoearnabachelor’sandin2020thatfigurewasashighas61%.Another13%ofrespondentsaremostlikelytoonlypursueanassociate’sdegree.Asmallershareofrespondentsconsidersanundergraduatecertificateornon-degreeprogram—5%and4%,respectively—astheirtopchoice.

WHATISYOURPREFERREDDEGREE?

46% 33% 13%

Bachelor’sDegree Multiple AssociateDegree

Butnotalldecisionsaresetinstone:One-thirdofrespondentsareweighingmultipletypesofdegreeoptions,whichsuggeststhatissuesofcost,caution,andaninstitution’scorecompetenciesaretopofmindformanystudentsseekingtomakeasmartdecisionandinvestment.

5% 4%

UndergraduateCertificate Non-creditProgram

?2022HanoverResearch

7

HEDWP0522

DEGREEANDPROGRAMINTERESTS

INTENDEDPROGRAM

WHATISYOURINTENDEDMAJORORFIELDOFSTUDY?

Artisthemostpopularfieldofstudy(31%),followedbypsychology(29%),healthandexercisescience(28%),business(24%),andmusic(23%).Thosefieldshaveremainedtopcontendersamongprospectivestudentssince2020.Artplacedsecondinthissurveyforthepasttwoyears,whilepsychologytoppedthelistin2020and2021.

THETAKEAWAY

Withone-thirdofpotentialstudentsconsideringmultipledegreetypes,institutionsmusthaveathoroughunderstandingofthepathsenrolleesmaytaketoreceiveadegreeorcertificate—andhowthepandemicandevolvingcareertrendscouldinfluencewhichprogramaprospectiveenrolleewillultimatelychoose.

Doesyourinstitution’sacademicportfolioalignwithtoday’sin?demandcareerpaths?

DownloadTop10DegreesontheRisein2022tofindoutifyou’reofferingthedegreesthatwilltranslateintocareers.

Art

Psychology

Health&ExerciseScienceBusiness

Music

Biology

History

Mathematics

ComputerScience

Other

English

Education

Sociology

Engineering

Chemistry

EnvironmentalSciences

Philosophy&ReligiousStudies

Anthropology

CommunicationStudies

Physics

PoliticalScience

Unsure

31%

29%

28%

24%

23%

21%

15%

14%

14%

14%

14%

13%

13%

13%

12%

10%

9%

9%

8%

8%

7%

5%

?2022HanoverResearch

8

HEDWP0522

LEARNINGPREFERENCES

Prospectivestudentswantvariedcourseformats,schedules,creditloads,anddegreetypes,pressuringcollegesanduniversitiestoofferawidesetoflearningopportunities.

?2022HanoverResearch

9

HEDWP0522

LEARNINGLEARNINGPREFERENCESPREFERENCES

TOPFORMATSFORBACHELOR’SDEGREEPROGRAMS

Anon-campusexperienceisthetopchoiceforhalfofrespondents(49%)seekingabachelor’sdegree.But,thispreferencehasdeclinedinpopularitysincetheonsetofthepandemic.

In2021,anon-campusoptionwassoughtby60%ofrespondents,andthesharewasevengreater(66%)inthe2020survey,whichsurveyedprospectivestudentsinlatefallof2019,priortoCOVID-19.

Still,manyoftoday’sprospectivestudentsremaininterestedinahybridoption(36%),and19%ofbachelor’sdegree-seekingstudentsintendtotaketheircourseworkentirelyonline—ratiosthataren’tvastlydifferentfromthoseof2021and2020surveys.

Meanwhile,11%ofcurrentprospectiveundergraduatestudentsareuncertainoftheirpreferreddeliveryformat.

STUDENTINTERESTINFULLYON-CAMPUS

WHATISYOURPREFERREDDELIVERYFORMAT

COURSESCONTINUESTODECLINE

FORABACHELOR’SDEGREEPROGRAM?

Selectallthatapply

66%

60%

49%

49%

36%

19%

11%

2020

2021

2022

Fullyon-campus

Hybridcourse

Fullyonline

Notsure

course

(withparttaken

courses

onlineandpart

takenon-campus)

?2022HanoverResearch

10

HEDWP0522

LEARNINGPREFERENCES

SCHEDULINGNEEDSFORSTUDENTS

Afull-timecourseloadremainsthepreferredoptionformostprospectivestudents(52%).One-third(34%)ofrespondentswantpart-timeenrollment,while14%aren’tsurewhichoptiontheywant.

Whenitcomestotheclassschedule,onlinestudentsexpressawiderdegreeofflexibility.Studentslookingforanin-personcourseareinterestedinamoretraditionalschedule,with84%interestedinweekdayclasses,whileonly59%ofprospectiveonlinestudentsareinterestedinthisarrangement.

WHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGTIMESWOULD

YOUBEINTERESTEDINANONLINECLASS?

Weekdaysduringtheday

59%

Weeknights

26%

Asynchronous

24%

Weekends

23%

Notsure

2%

WOULDYOUPREFERTOENROLLFULL-ORPART-TIME?

Full-time

52%

Part-time

34%

Notsure

14%

WHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGTIMESWOULDYOUBE

INTERESTEDINANON-CAMPUSCOURSE?

Weekdaysduringtheday

84%

Weeknights 19%

Weekends 16%

Notsure3%

?2022HanoverResearch

11

HEDWP0522

LEARNINGPREFERENCES

LOCATIONANDDISTANCEPREFERENCES

Whenitcomestothetopgeographicareaswhereprospectivestudentswouldliketoattendacollegeoruniversity,urbanandsuburbansettings(48%and41%,respectively)leadtheway.Only19%ofrespondentsexpressedinterestinattendingaprograminaruralarea.

Manyarealsolookingtotravelbeyondtheirimmediatesurroundings,asignthatsomelevelofcomfortisreturningasCOVID-19safetyprecautionsandvaccinationeffortscontinue.Roughlyoneinfiveprospectivestudents(or22%)woulddriveasfarasfourhourstoattendtheirchoseninstitution,aslightuptickfrom2021responses.

INWHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGGEOGRAPHICAREAS

WOULDYOUCONSIDERATTENDINGCOLLEGE?

Urban 48%

Suburban 41%

Rural 19%

Notsure

27%

HOWFARFROMHOMEWOULDYOUBEWILLINGTO

GOTOATTENDYOURPREFERREDINSTITUTION?

Iamonlyinterestedinattendingcollegeinmyhometowncity

Lessthan2hoursfromhome

2to4hoursfromhome

5to7hoursfromhome

8ormorehoursfromhome

Notsure

14%

22%

22%

10%

18%

14%

?2022HanoverResearch

12

HEDWP0522

LEARNINGPREFERENCES

THETAKEAWAY

Interestinhybridandonline-onlyoptionsmeansinstitutionsmustlookbeyondthetraditionalweekdayscheduletocapturethemarketshareofprospectivestudentsseekingflexibility.Likewise,collegeswithvibranturbansurroundingsorsuburbanconveniencesshouldmarkettheirdistinctadvantages.Ruralinstitutionswithstrongcommunitiesmayalsoconsiderthisapproachwhenbroadeningtheiroutreach,especiallyasmorestudentsconsiderprogramsfurtherfromhome.

Isyourinstitution

readytomeetevolving

studentexpectations?

DownloadourwebinarrecordingReshapingRecruitmentAheadoftheEnrollmentClifftoseehow

othersareidentifyingnewtargetmarkets,refreshingrecruitment,and

launchingnewprogramming.

?2022HanoverResearch

13

HEDWP0522

DECISION-DRIVINGFACTORS

Financesareakeydriverofprospectivestudentdecisionsaroundwheretoapplyandwhichcollegeoruniversitytoattend.

?2022HanoverResearch

14

HEDWP0522

DECISIONLEARNING-DRIVINGPREFERENCESFACTORS

GETTINGRETURNONINVESTMENT

TOP10FACTORSWHENDECIDINGWHERETOAPPLY

Itshouldcomeasnosurprisethataninstitution’saffordabilityisthetopfactorforprospectivestudents(39%).It’sanissuethathasshort-andlong-termimplicationsforattendees.Inturn,forward-lookingconcernssuchasgettingagoodjob(34%),tuitionassistance(30%),andcareerservices(19%)wereamongotherkeyfactorsthatinfluencewherestudentsmightapplyforanundergraduateprogram.Asaresult,quality-of-lifebenefitssuchascampusattractiveness,extracurricularandathleticofferings,newtechnologies,andcampusfacilitieswererankedlessprominently.

Affordability

Gettingagoodjob

Tuitionassistance

(financialaid,grants,scholarships)

Flexiblecourseschedule

Location

Helpfulacademicservicesforstudents(academicadvising,tutoringwritingcenter)

Financialaidavailability

Effectivecareerserviceforstudents(careeradvising,internshipplacement)

High-qualityprofessors

Diversestudentbody

39%

34%

30%

30%

26%

21%

21%

19%

18%

18%

?2022HanoverResearch

15

HEDWP0522

DECISION-DRIVINGFACTORS

FACTORSINFLUENCING

ENROLLMENT

TOP10FACTORSTHATINFLUENCE

WHICHPROGRAMTOATTEND

Whenitcomestochoosingaprogram,prospectivestudentscontinuetoplaceheavyemphasisonfinancesandacollege’sabilitytosupportentranceintotheworkforce.Respondentsoverwhelminglyviewaffordability(89%),gettingagoodjob(83%),financialaidavailability(80%),high-qualityprofessors(80%),andeffectivecareerservices(76%)asveryorextremelyimportantfactorswhenmakingtheirfinaldecision.

Affordability

Gettingagoodjob

Financialaidavailability

Tuitionassistance

(financialaid,grants,scholarships)

High-qualityprofessors

Effectivecareerserviceforstudents

(careeradvising,internshipplacement)

Flexiblecourseschedule

Approachableprofessors

Rigorouscourses

Offeringaspecificacademicprogram

89%

83%

80%

80%

80%

76%

72%

71%

71%

70%

?2022HanoverResearch

16

HEDWP0522

DECISION-DRIVINGFACTORS

EDUCATIONALOBJECTIVES

Futureearningsremainakeyfactorforprospectivestudentsfurtheringtheireducation.Highsalarypotential(77%)andenhancedjob/resumecredentials(71%)weredeemedasveryorextremelyimportant.

Butmoneyisn’teverything:Respondentsalsocitedbenefitssuchasexploringacademicinterests(68%),personalfulfillment(71%),andservingasarolemodelfortheirfamilies(57%)asveryorextremelyimportant.

THETAKEAWAY

Thecollegedecisionprocesscanbelongandcomplex,withmanyfactorscompetingforprospectivestudents’attention.Institutionsmustcommunicatebillingandfinancialaidissuestransparentlyandactivelydemonstratehowtheinvestmentcandeliverlong-termcareerandpersonalgains.

HOWIMPORTANTAREEACHOFTHEFOLLOWINGOBJECTIVESTOYOUWHENCONSIDERINGCONTINUINGYOUREDUCATION?

Selectallthatapply

Earnahighsalaryinthefuture

77%

Enhancemyresumejobcredentials

71%

Personalfulfillment

71%

Exploremyacademicinterests

68%

Tobearolemodelformyfamily

57%

Optimizeyourcollegeoruniversitymessagingtoaddressevolvingstudent

needsandexpectations.

CheckoutHigherEdBranding:3TipstoBolsterYourInstitution’sMessaging.

?2022HanoverResearch

17

HEDWP0522

COLLEGE

PREPARATION

ANDORIENTATION

Prospectivestudentsarelessconfidentintheirabilitytomanagethepressuresofcollegelife,suggestingmorereassuranceforfirst-yearsuccessisneeded.

?2022HanoverResearch

18

HEDWP0522

LEARNINGPREFERENCES

PREPARATIONCONCERNS

ForstudentscompletinghighschoolinthemidstoftheCOVID-19pandemic,manyofthemfeellessconfidentabouttheirlevelofpreparednessforcollege.Onlyabout1in3respondents(38%)feelveryorextremelypreparedtoenteracollegeoruniversityprogram.

ORIENTATION

EXPECTATIONS

OVERALL,HOWPREPAREDDOYOUFEELTO

CONTINUEYOUREDUCATIONAFTERHIGHSCHOOL?

6%

18%

38%

21%

17%

Notatall

Slightly

Moderately

Very

Extremely

prepared

prepared

prepared

prepared

prepared

WHATWOULDYOULIKETOPARTICIPATEIN

DURINGYOURPROGRAM’SORIENTATION?

Forincomingcollegestudents,finallysettingfootoncampusafterunevenexperienceswithin-personlearninginhighschoolcanstirupfeelingsofbothreliefandnerves.Onboardingactivitiesandorientationeventscanleaveastrongimpressiononstudentsaboutwhattherestoftheircollegeexperiencewillbelike.Prospectivestudentsvalueup-closecollegeorientationexperiencessuchascampustours(56%),socialmixerswithpotentialpeers(53%),andanoverviewofnon-academicservicessuchasrecreationalfacilitiesandmentalhealthcounseling(47%)tohelptheirjourneysbeginstrong.

Campustour

Socialactivities

(parties,games,icebreakers)

Overviewofnon-academicservices

(recreationalfacilities,mentalhealthcounseling,financialaidoffice)

Overviewofacademicservices/supports

Overviewofacademicexpectations

Overviewofsocialopportunities

Facultymeet-and-greet

On-campusconcert

Noneoftheabove5%

56%

53%

47%

41%

40%

39%

30%

26%

?2022HanoverResearch

19

HEDWP0522

COLLEGEPREPARATIONANDORIENTATION

TOPACADEMICANDPERSONALCHALLENGES

Thecombinationoffeelingunpreparedacademicallycoupledwiththeirfirstforayintoindependentliving,couldposeahurdleformanyprospectivestudents.Amongtheirtopanticipatedchallengesaredisciplineandstudyskills(44%),lifedutiessuchaslaundryandcooking(34%),interpersonalcommunication(33%),writing(26%),andcriticalthinking(25%).

Whenaskedtolookaheadtoatimewhentheyareenrolled,respondents’academicconcernsareheightened.Inthisscenario,morethanhalfciteconcernsabouthavingthemotivationtocompleteschoolwork(55%)andtheirabilitytobalancecollegewithnon-academicresponsibilities(53%).Amajority(60%)remainconcernedaboutbeingabletoaffordtheireducation.

AREYOUCONCERNEDTHATYOUWILLNOTBEADEQUATELY

PREPAREDINANYOFTHEFOLLOWINGAREAS?

THINKINGAHEADTOWHENYOUATTENDCOLLEGE,

AREYOUCONCERNEDABOUTANYOFTHEFOLLOWING?

Discipline/Selfmotivation

44%

Studyskills

44%

Lifeskills(laundry,cooking,managingfinances)

34%

Generalcommunicationskills

33%

Academicpreparation/contentknowledge

29%

Teamworkandcollaboration

28%

Writingskills

26%

Criticalthinkingandproblem-solving

25%

Creativethinking

23%

Abilitytoworkindependently

22%

Abilitytofollowdirections

15%

Comfortwithdiversity

14%

Noneoftheabove

5%

Beingabletopayformyeducation

Havingthemotivationtodomy

schoolwork/study

Balancingmyschoolworkwithmynon-academicresponsibilities

Makingfriends/Fittinginsocially

Successfullybalancingacademicsandsocialactivities

Succeedingacademically

Navigatingadministrativeissues(financialaid,signingupforclasses)

Livingindependently/awayfromhome

Noneoftheabove2%

60%

55%

53%

45%

45%

42%

41%

39%

?2022HanoverResearch

20

HEDWP0522

COLLEGEPREPARATIONANDORIENTATION

THETAKEAWAY

Collegesanduniversitiesmustidentifythepreparationgapsthatputapplicantsatadisadvantageandofferresourcestohelpincomingstudentstacklethem.Similarly,apersonalapproachtoon-campusorientationactivitiescanhelpstudentseasethetransitionandidentifyacademicandpersonalresourcesforsuccess.

Insum,institutionsthatfocusonprovidinginclusivemessaging,robustsupportservices,andstrongorientationandfirst-yearprogrammingwillreassurestudentsthatyourcollegeoruniversityisreadytowalkalongsidethemtowardsuccess.

Buildaninclusive,equitablecampuscommunitywithdata-informedpractices.

Downloadthe2022HigherEducation

Diversity,Equity,andInclusionSurvey.

?2022HanoverResearch

21

HEDWP0522

COMMUNICATIONPREFERENCES

Ingeneral,prospectivestudentshaveconsistentpreferenceswhenitcomestohowtheywanthighereducationinstitutionstoconnectwiththem.

?2022HanoverResearch

22

HEDWP0522

COMMUNICATIONLEARNINGPREFERENCESPREFERENCES

INFORMATIONSOURCES

Onlineresources—includingcollegewebsites(55%),searchengines(53%),andinstitution’ssocialmediaplatforms(33%)—remainamongthetopinformation-gathering

WHENRESEARCHINGHIGHEREDUCATIONINSTITUTIONS,WHATAREYOURPRIMARYSOURCESFORGATHERINGINFORMATION?

Selectallthatapply

sourcesforprospectivestudents.Forcollegesanduniversities,thissuggeststheongoingimportanceofmakingintentionalinvestmentsindigitalmarketing,websitedevelopment,anduserexperiencestrategy.

Prospectivestudentsalsovalueotheroutreachmethods,includingemailssentfrominstitutions(35%)andprintedinformationsentviamail(31%).Inaddition,wordofmouthremainsatrustworthypipeline,with40%ofrespondentscitinginsightsfromfriendsandfamilyasaprimaryresource.

Collegewebsites

Onlinesearchengines(e.g.,Google)

Familymembersorfriends

Informationsentbyemailtoyoufrominstitutions

Collegesocialmediaplatforms

Informationmailedtoyoufrominstitutions

Rankingswebsites

(e.g.,U.S.NewsandWorldReport)

Admissionsrepresentatives

Onlinediscussionforums

Articlesinmagazines,newspapers,orblogs

Regionalornationalcollegefair

Other 1%

55%

53%

40%

35%

33%

31%

30%

24%

23%

21%

19%

?2022HanoverResearch

23

HEDWP0522

COMMUNICATIONPREFERENCES

HOWTOREACHTHEM

Despitesomerecentstudiesshowingthatyoungpeoplehavealowpreferenceforusingemail,63%ofprospectivestudentssaytheypreferitforreceivingcommunicationsfromhighereducationinstitutions.Anddespitetheprevalenceofsocialmediause,itranks

INWHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGWAYSWOULDYOUPREFERTORECEIVECOMMUNICATIONFROMHIGHEREDUCATIONINSTITUTIONS?

belowtextmessage(50%)andpostalmail(31%);only30%ofrespondentswanttobecontactedbyacollegeoruniversityviaasocialmediaplatform.

Email

Textmessage

Postalmail

Socialmedia

Telephonecall

Onlinenewsletters

Idonotwishtobecontactedbyhighereducationinstitutions

16%

5%

63%

50%

31%

30%

28%

?2022HanoverResearch

24

HEDWP0522

COMMUNICATIONPREFERENCES

SOCIALMEDIA

Asimpleimageorvideocandeliveranimpactfulmessage.Thatconnectionisunderscoredbythefactthat80%ofprospectivestudentsviewInstagramastheirtopsocialmediaplatformforreceivingcommunicationsfromhighereducationinstitutions.Other—butfarlesspopular—sourcesincludeSnapchat(45%),Facebook(30%),Twitter(28%),andLinkedIn(13%).

THETAKEAWAY

Toeffectivelyreachapplicantsintheirpreferreddigitalchannels,institutionsmuststrategicallycuratetheiroutreachtoincludearobustwebsite,strongsearch-engineoptimization,highlyvisualsocialmediaposts,andpersonalizedtargetingviaemailandprintedmaterials.

PLEASESELECTTHESOCIALMEDIAPLATFORMSTHROUGHWHICHYOUPREFERTORECEIVECOMMUNICATIONSFROMHIGHEREDUCATIONINSTITUTIONS

Instagram

80%

Snapchat 45%

Facebook 30%

Twitter 28%

LinkedIn13%

Other5%

Createcohesiveandeffectivemessagingforprospectivestudentswhileavoiding

internalroadblocks.

WatchourwebinaronBuildingaCohesiveBrandIdentityAcrosstheUniversityto

workbettertogether.

?2022HanoverResearch

25

HEDWP0522

CONCLUSION

?2022HanoverResearch

26

HEDWP0522

CONCLUSION

MEETSTUDENTSWHERETHEYARE

Elementsofnormalcyarereturningtothecollegeexperience,andmostprospectivestudentsstillwanttoearnafour-yearbachelor’sdegreeoncampus.Butpandemic-relatedshiftsexposedstudentstoremoteandhybridlearning,ultimatelyboostingtheircomfortandconfidenceindigitaltoolsalongwithagrowinginterestinflexibleschedulinganddegreetypes.

Meanwhile,thechallengesofrecentyearshavealsoleftmanyenrolleesfeelingunpreparedtofacetheacademicandpersonaldemandsofcollegelife.Institutionsmustunderstandtheseevolvingissuestoensurecontinuedenrollmentsandlong-termsuccessfortheindividualswhochoosetoattend.

STUDENTSWANTLONG-TERMRETURNSONTHEIRINVESTMENT

Affordabilitycontinuestorankasthetopconcernforprospectivestudents,withotherkeyneedsrelatedtoaninstitution’sabilitytoimprovetheiremployabilityandhighearningpotential.Financialconcernsaren’tonlypresentaftergraduation:Thestudyfoundthat60%ofrespondentsworryaboutbeingabletoaffordtheireducationduringtheirenrollment,whichmeansacademicprogramsmustclearlycommunicatepricingandfinancialaidoptionsthroughouttheentireprocess.Thisapproachisalsokeyforfirst-generationstudents,whoaresignificantlymorelikelytoviewaffordabilityasadecidingfactorintheirsearch.

SUPPORTSER