Social media is transforming the college admissions and recruitment process, especially for underrepresented students.
According to a new EAB report, nearly 30 percent of students have used a school’s social media site as a gateway to that school’s website and more than 85 percent believe that every institution should have a social media presence.
The report, “Recruiting the Digital Native,” focused on the social media usage of potential students and their engagement with colleges and universities across the nation.
“We know from our conversations with partner institutions that everyone is looking for the latest insight into how to best communicate with prospective students,” said Dr. Pam Kiecker Royall, head of research and enrollment services at EAB. “And knowing with the new media in particular, over the last decade plus, that this was a moving target and we’ve tried keeping our finger on the pulse.”
EAB, an educational research organization, used responses from 9,476 college-bound high school students. The 2019 report is an outgrowth of similar research done in 2017.
One of the biggest findings from the survey was that social media has become an important tool for colleges to engage with underrepresented students.
For example, First generation students are 60 percent more likely to discover a college by social media compared to their peers. Additionally, students from lower-income households and students of color spend more time online than higher-income and White students, the report states.
