How Are You Reaching Potential Undergraduate Students?

Today's prospective students are digital natives. They research, compare, and apply to colleges with the same fluency they use to find a new favorite brand, influencer, or playlist. If your institution isn't showing up where and how they're looking, you may be missing your most important recruitment window. 

Right now, your audience is Gen Z—curious, pragmatic, values-driven, and highly connected. But Gen Alpha is right behind them, and their digital expectations will be even more fluid, personalized, and mobile-first. 

Whether your next class is browsing on TikTok or chatting with their parents about how to fill out a FAFSA, let alone figuring out what it even is, your communication strategy needs to meet the moment—and set the stage for what's next. 

Use this checklist to evaluate your current outreach and build a digital recruitment experience that resonates now and adapts for the future.

1. Are you present on the platforms students currently use? 

Many institutions still view their website as the first point of contact, but students often discover you elsewhere—through TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, or Google. Social search is second nature to Gen Z, and if your brand isn’t showing up with relevant, authentic content, you’re missing out on key discovery moments that influence their early impressions. 

Meeting students where they are means choosing the platforms that align with your message and using them consistently to deliver content that adds value. Today’s students are savvy, selective, and diverse in age and expectations. Connect authentically and seamlessly, both online and offline, to attract and engage learners in the ways they expect. 

2. Do you understand what today's students care about?

Your website and marketing materials might highlight rankings, traditions, or facilities—but Gen Z is looking for something else: 

• Belonging: "Will I feel like I fit in here?"
• Support: "Will I have mental health resources and academic help?"
• Outcomes: "Will I graduate with a clear path to a career or further study?"
• Affordability: "Is this going to be worth the high cost?" 

Messaging that speaks to these priorities builds trust. Institutions that ignore them risk sounding out of touch. 

3. Are you guiding students toward meaningful next steps? 

What happens next if a student lands on your site or social profile? 

Every touchpoint should offer a clear and easy action: request more info, join a mailing list, sign up for a virtual event, or start an application. Avoid passive pages that offer information without a call to action. 

Think of your digital experience as a choose-your-own-adventure, with logical paths for students at every stage—from curious browsers to ready-to-apply.

4. Is your website designed with Gen Z in mind?

You only have a few seconds to make an impression.

Gen Z expects:

• Fast-loading pages
• Mobile-first design
• Content that's scannable and visually engaging
• Straightforward answers to bog questions (How much does it cost? What's the student experience like? What makes your school different?)

Keep your navigation simple and your content clear. Long, institutional copy might impress internal teams, but students won’t stick around to decode it. With students constantly on the go and scrolling quickly, you need to repeat key messages—make sure they’re easy to understand and impossible to miss.

5. Are you using personalization tools to tailor the experience?

From emails to website content, personalization builds connection. CRM systems and marketing platforms can help deliver tailored messages based on students' interests, location, or behavior, without overstepping privacy boundaries. 

Small touches—like addressing a student by name or recommending a program based on a previous click—can make your communication feel more human and relevant. 

6. Have you asked students what's working?

Student feedback is one of your most valuable tools. Whether through focus groups, surveys, ambassador insights, or social media listening, understand how your institution is perceived and what students wish you were doing differently. 

The answers might surprise you; but they'll sharpen your strategy. 

7. Are you communicating with parents and supporters, too?

While students drive the decision-making process, they often rely on trusted adults for advice—especially regarding financial aid, safety, and what a return on their investment – i.e. attending your college or university - looks like. 

Create a parallel communication track for families. Offer email updates, guides, and events that speak to their concerns and provide transparency.

Make your institution's value impossible to ignore. Families and working professionals are increasingly skeptical about higher ed’s ROI. Showcase real-world outcomes, career readiness, and success stories that clearly demonstrate the impact and value of what your institution offers.

8. Do your emails and texts respect students' time and attention?

It's not just what you send - it's when and how:

• Are your emails landing in spam folders?
• Are your texts clear and appropriately timed?
• Are your messages spaced out to avoid fatigue? 

Use metrics to track what's working and will be willing to adjust. Less noise, more signal.

9. Are student voices part of your story?

Gen Z trusts authenticity. That means real student quotes, honest stories, and visual content that reflects lived experiences—not overly produced or generic messaging. 

Student takeovers, blog posts, and short videos can go a long way in helping prospective students imagine themselves on your campus.

10. Are you building a strategy that evolves with your audience?

Gen Alpha is coming—and they will raise the bar even higher. They'll expect seamless digital experiences, conversational AI, on-demand answers, and even greater levels of personalization and inclusion.

Building a flexible, student-centered strategy now puts you ahead of the curve. It also signals that your institution is future-focused and ready to meet students where they are. 

Students aren't waiting for your message. They're already sizing you up.

Students are forming opinions about your institution long before they click "apply." That first impression could come from a TikTok trend, a parent's Facebook feed, or your mobile homepage. And with Gen Alpha on the horizon, they’ll expect even more clarity, personalization, and relevance in how they engage with your institution. 

Reaching today’s students isn’t about overhauling everything—it’s about breaking down silos and aligning your recruitment, marketing, and admissions efforts into a cohesive strategy. Institutional inertia and fragmented approaches won't meet today’s enrollment demands. By being intentional about what you say, where you say it, and how it feels when someone sees it, your institution will be empowered to adapt, align, and thrive.

Curious what that looks like in action? 

Here's how we helped Columbia College reintroduce itself to the next generation of students. 

When you're ready to rethink your outreach, we're prepared to help.