How to Reach and Recruit Gen Z Students Through Smarter Campaigns
Higher education marketers have turned the page on 2025 enrollment and are already setting their sights on the class of 2026. But this year’s recruitment cycle brings a set of realities that are impossible to ignore: a smaller pool of college-bound students, growing interest in skilled trades and alternative credentials, and a generation that refuses to be swayed by empty slogans.
Gen Z isn’t just choosing a college; they’re choosing an investment in their future. They want to see the payoff, not the promise. For colleges and universities, that means rethinking how to communicate value, relevance, and belonging across every digital, audio, and video touchpoint.
Below are strategies to help higher education institutions connect with Gen Z students.
Messaging
Let students do the storytelling
Gen Z has a finely tuned radar for anything that feels “produced.” Highly scripted videos and brochure-style imagery don’t reflect the world they live in or the social platforms they use. What they respond to instead are real moments, captured by real students.
Encouraging student creators to share their daily experiences (class projects, campus events, the vibe of a dorm) through online videos transforms marketing into peer-to-peer communication. Universities that build frameworks for student-led content with a light brand touch earn credibility faster than those relying on polished campaigns alone.
Talk about the value
This generation is coming of age amid rising rents, economic uncertainty, and anxiety about debt. They’re pragmatic by necessity. To earn their trust, higher education leaders need to prove that enrollment leads to employability, not just a framed diploma.
That means emphasizing career pathways, internships, job placement rates, and partnerships with employers. When Gen Z sees data and stories that connect degrees to tangible outcomes, the message moves from marketing to something with meaning.
Make belonging visible
Gen Z looks for spaces where they feel represented and supported. They expect their school to take stands on issues that matter and show that diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing are part of campus life.
Highlight student voices from different backgrounds. Show real examples of mental health support, mentoring programs, and community initiatives. Belonging shouldn’t be a campaign theme. It’s a proof point.
Expand your audience lens
Not every potential student fits the “freshman in a dorm” mold. A growing number of learners are pursuing flexible, part-time, or stackable programs that let them build credentials over time. Adult learners and transfer students represent an increasingly important segment that higher ed can’t afford to overlook.
Tailoring campaigns to speak to this wider audience—emphasizing convenience, career advancement, and financial flexibility—creates more opportunities to offset demographic decline in traditional-age students.
Channels
Don’t ignore podcasts
Podcasts are a trusted channel for Gen Z, offering an alternative to the noise of traditional advertising. Many listen weekly, and the short-form podcast clips circulating on social platforms are often the entry point to longer engagement.
Consider leveraging your student ambassadors, alumni, or faculty as podcast guests or even building your own branded series focused on student success and career growth. Advertising within Gen Z–relevant podcasts is also a cost-effective way to reach them in an environment where they’re already paying attention.
Rethink how search works
For Gen Z, discovery starts in the social feed. They’re watching TikToks about campus dining halls and scrolling Reddit for honest opinions long before they ever reach your website. Your digital footprint must meet them there.
That means thinking of social platforms as the new search engines. Coordinating with your digital media team to manage messaging and monitor virality is critical for brand protection. Make sure the first impression they find online matches the reality you want to convey.
The bottom line
Colleges and universities best positioned for 2026 are those willing to adapt their messaging and mindset. Gen Z wants to see proof, feel seen, and believe that a degree leads somewhere concrete. They are skeptical but not cynical; they’re simply demanding clarity in exchange for their investment.
By leading with honesty, demonstrating impact, and engaging beyond the traditional student archetype, colleges can connect with this generation in a way that drives both enrollment and long-term advocacy.
In short: don’t sell a school. Sell a future.
[Editor's note: This is a contributed article from Brkthru. Streaming Media accepts vendor bylines based solely on their value to our readers.]
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