New Research Pinpoints Unique Preferences and Behaviors of Today's New Generation of High School Students and the Most Effective Strategies to Recruit and Engage Them
BOSTON, Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Encoura, an industry-leading educational technology and research organization, announced today the publication of the Eduventures 2024 Student Sentiment Trend Report. The annual report provides firsthand insights on student perceptions about college and university marketing and communication – as well as students' college search behaviors – to empower higher education enrollment and marketing officers with more effective engagement strategies. This year's release highlights a new student focus: Generation Alpha (Gen Alpha).
As students born in 2010 have now entered high school, colleges and universities must prepare to recruit this emerging generation to not fall behind, especially in the wake of the demographic cliff. How should institutions needing to adapt to recruiting and engaging multiple generations strategically use their time and resources? Which channels and content effectively appeal to students from this next generation?
This year's Eduventures Student Sentiment Trend Report highlights key differences between Generation Z and Generation Alpha, and foreshadows how the shift to Gen Alpha entering the college search process will impact recruitment efforts over the foreseeable future. It also outlines specific strategies institutions can take to adapt to changing student search behaviors and ensure continued engagement in a highly competitive market based on key insights about today's new high school students.
Key research insights for recruiting Gen Alpha include:
1. Ease of access to information is critical amid declining student patience.
2. Digital search is becoming more interactive.
3. Social platforms are no longer a supplemental recruitment channel.
4. It is time to rethink the top-of-funnel channel strategy to reach a broader market.
5. Relevant content matters more than the right cadence.
"With Gen Alpha now in high school, coinciding with significant changes in the enrollment landscape, it's essential for colleges and universities to pivot their recruitment approaches for these students. This year's Student Sentiment Research™ empowers enrollment and marketing leaders with specific steps they can take to most successfully connect with Gen Alpha," said Johanna Trovato, Eduventures Principal Analyst and primary author of this study.
Gen Alpha has officially started high school, opening up the two-way conversation that is today's college search. It's a crucial time for colleges and universities to get to know what makes these students unique and how to best support them from search through enrollment. Continuing with the same recruitment tactics that have been used for Gen Z is sure to weaken institutions' effectiveness. This report provides insight into the future of higher education recruitment to equip institutions with the strategies needed to achieve their enrollment goals with a new generation.
About Encoura, LLC
Encoura® is an educational data science and research organization serving over 2,000 member institutions comprising public and private colleges and universities across the nation. Since 1972, Encoura has been a leading provider of data science, technology, and programs serving students, high school educators, colleges, and universities with offices in Austin, TX and Boston, MA. These solutions represent the link between students making important life decisions and those providing the resources and information students need to succeed in their postsecondary educations and careers. For more information, visit https://encoura.org.
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 [email protected].
Media Contact
Todd Boullion, Encoura, 512-750-2634, [email protected], encoura.org
Brittany Leiva, Encoura, 512-766-2899, [email protected], encoura.org
SOURCE Encoura
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