The Generation Shaping What’s Next
The last Gen Z class will enter higher education in the fall of 2030. That’s only three more enrollment cycles.
That said, the last members of Gen Z won’t graduate until 2034, so by proxy, colleges and universities will be working with Gen Z students for the better part of the next decade.
That shouldn’t be discounted. In today’s perennially online world—where there’s a high percentage that future Gen A students will first learn about your institution through word-of-mouth social postings from current Gen Z students and alum—colleges and universities must ensure that the experience they’re providing Gen Z is one that they find valuable, and thus, talk and post about positively.
And it does feel like, too often, higher education institutions are still resting on “what worked” in the past and thus missing the mark in giving Gen Z the experiences they actually want. This is where we have to go beyond just marketing strategy and Gen-Z-centric campaigns. Once they’re at your institution, you want to give them the kind of experience that not only makes them want to stick around but also evangelizes your institution’s experience to others.
This piece isn’t meant to stereotype an entire generation. Like every generation, Gen Z is not a monolith, and headlines often generalize generations into the clickbaitiest titles and most water-cooler-esque complaints—remember how it was once Millennials who were lazy and never wanted to work (writes the Millennial finishing up his second blog of the day)?
That said, we have enough information and experience to put together a data-driven plan to reach this generation where they’re at. If institutions want to recruit, retain, and support today’s students more effectively, they need to understand the generation currently powering their campuses.
Our Most Media-Literate Generation
Gen Z is the generation of young adults born between 1996 and 2010. Unlike millennials, who largely experienced the rise of the internet and social media during adolescence, Gen Z grew up fully immersed in it. They’re our first true digital natives (just as Gen A will be our first generation of AI natives). They came of age amid economic instability, political polarization, climate anxiety, and COVID-19-related school disruptions.
The way Gen Z researches schools, communicates with peers, consumes content, and evaluates institutional value is fundamentally different from previous generations. They expect personalized digital experiences, fast access to information, and communication that doesn’t have the corporate sheen their predecessors did.
What Gen Z Values
While we’re assuming that higher education enrollment and admissions teams know how to market to Gen Z, we still felt compelled to include the above portion of this piece because that’s also how they’ll want to be communicated with and marketed to once they’re on campus. It’s not just how they consume information; their emphasis on authenticity—being spoken to rather than marketed to or spoken at—is also part of their generational value system, which we’ll expand on here by exploring the Gen Z values pertinent to the higher-education experience.
Authenticity and Transparency
Authenticity matters deeply to Gen Z.
In a 2023 survey conducted by Vox Media and Horowitz Research, 47% of Gen Z respondents said brands advertising around unrelated causes felt more like a sales ploy than genuine advocacy.
Gen Z respondents also reported stronger trust in organizations with established histories and proven reputations.
Again, this generation has grown up consuming massive amounts of digital content every day. They are highly aware of branding tactics and quick to identify messaging that feels performative.
This is especially important to note as AI-generated content becomes more common in marketing and organizational communication. And there’s a funny juxtaposition here because Gen Z uses AI (and we’re sure you’re seeing them use it for their schoolwork), but also tends to reject messaging from organizations that feels AI-generated, impersonal, or generic.
Education Still Matters
Despite headlines suggesting younger generations are losing faith in higher education, most Gen Z students still see education as important to their future.
More than 80% of Gen Z respondents in the Gallup and Walton Family Foundation American Youth Survey said a college education is either “very important” or “fairly important.” But while Gen Z still values higher education, they are approaching college decisions more pragmatically than previous generations.
They are asking harder questions about cost, outcomes, flexibility, and whether a degree will actually help them build the life they want.
Purpose and Impact
Gen Z is also a highly values-driven generation.
Research shows that many Gen Z students want careers and lifestyles aligned with their personal beliefs. Half of Generation Z students say they want to live sustainably, while many also want to make a positive impact on their local communities or broader global issues.
Students increasingly want to feel like their education connects to something meaningful beyond employment alone.
Financial Stability
This brings us to financial stability. Gen Z has seen debt-ridden Millennials and wants to learn from our missteps.
Only about half of Gen Z students who want a college education believe they can afford it. Many also report feeling uncertain about which educational path will best prepare them for long-term success.
This financial pressure shapes nearly every stage of not only the college/university search process, but also the choices they’ll make about majors and experiences while at your institution.
Independence and Entrepreneurship
Gen Z tends to think differently about career paths than previous generations. They aren’t as beholden to bosses, corporate life, or the 9-5 job.
Social media has made entrepreneurship, freelancing, content creation, and personal branding feel more accessible than ever before—a CNBC report found that 57% of Gen Z respondents expressed interest in becoming influencers.
While that particular stat might make Millennials, Gen Xers, and Boomers want to stand on their lawn and shake their fist, it’s really no different than wanting to be an astronaut or rockstar.
Like those careers, influencing as a viable, full-time job isn’t readily attainable, but it does show something about what they value. While only a small percentage of creators earn substantial income online, the popularity of influencer culture reveals a desire for independence, flexibility, and autonomy.
What They Want Out of the College Experience
This brings us to the question at hand.
What does Gen Z want from their higher ed experience? What kinds of experiences are going to make them feel like their experience at your institution was worthwhile, and turn them into the online ambassadors who’ll influence Gen A?
Here’s what we—through research, our background working with colleges and universities, and experience interviewing Gen Z students—advise:
Career Preparation and ROI
Today’s students are increasingly focused on return on investment.
Gen Z students want clear connections between their education and future career opportunities, and it looks like they aren’t feeling that. According to a survey by Indeed, 51% of Gen Z didn’t feel like their degree was worth it.
What can higher ed institutions do to combat that feeling?
- Have professors emphasize career connections.
- Hold job fairs and professional speaking engagements.
- Work with alums to highlight their career success.
- Set up mentorship programs or mixers.
Institutions that can clearly communicate—and help facilitate—career outcomes may have a significant advantage in current student retention and satisfaction, as well as in future student recruitment.
Flexibility and Accessibility
Gen Z students also expect flexibility in how they learn and engage with institutions.
They are used to personalized digital experiences in nearly every area of life, and they increasingly expect similar flexibility from higher education.
That includes:
- Hybrid learning options.
- Accessible digital platforms.
- Streamlined communication.
- Mobile-friendly experiences.
- Personalized support.
Convenience alone isn’t enough—accessibility and adaptability are paramount.
AI Literacy and Technology
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries, many Gen Z students expect colleges to help prepare them for an AI-driven workforce.
Students are increasingly interested in:
- AI literacy.
- Ethical technology conversations.
- Intentional AI organizational policies.
- Conversations with professionals about how AI is impacting their roles.
- Guidance on how to balance AI use with human-based skills.
Institutions that embrace innovation while still maintaining authentic human connection may be better positioned to meet these expectations. And institutions that take a nuanced approach and work with students to understand this evolving technological revolution will most likely set themselves up for success.
Support and Human Connection
Despite being the most digitally connected generation in history, Gen Z students still deeply value in-person interaction and meaningful relationships.
In a Stanford study exploring Gen Z communication preferences, researchers found that nearly every participant identified “in person” as their preferred form of communication.
That finding is particularly important for higher education leaders. How can you provide a supportive and human experience?
- Holding a robust selection of campus events—a mix of online (chatting via Zoom is still human) and in-person —also checks the adaptable and accessible box.
- Mentorship programs, speakers, or events with alums or local community leaders.
- Encourage in-person office hours for faculty.
- Similarly, encourage dorm activities and team building.
- Foster an everyone-is-enrollment-marketing ethos, where all campus employees are acting as stewards of the institution. This used to be a given, but has fallen off in recent years.
The institutions that succeed with Gen Z will not simply be the ones with the best technology or the trendiest marketing campaigns. They will be the institutions that create environments where students feel supported, understood, and connected.
And Remember to Consult Gen Z
Again, based on our research and experience consulting with higher education institutions (including interviews with Gen Z students), we feel well-qualified to help colleges and universities deliver the experience Gen Z craves.
That said, I’ve already copped to being a Millennial writing about Gen Z, and primary sources are the best sources (especially when it comes to understanding the nuances and idiosyncrasies of your culture and campus). Chat with your Gen Z students. Regularly ask what you’re getting right or wrong. Ask what could be done better. What’s missing? What would make them tell Gen A prospects to enroll at your institution?
Have authentic conversations with students and alums, and take what they say seriously.
The Experience Becomes the Marketing
The last Gen Z students may enter college by 2030, but their influence will extend far beyond that.
As Generation Alpha begins its own college search journey, many of its members will form impressions of institutions through the stories, recommendations, and experiences shared by Gen Z students and alums. Long before they interact with an admissions office, they’ll already have opinions about which colleges are worth considering.
That’s why understanding Gen Z is about more than recruitment strategy. The institutions that succeed will be the ones that create experiences students genuinely value—because those experiences become the stories that influence the next generation.
If Gen Z is shaping how the next generation perceives your institution, then it’s worth asking: what about Gen A? In our next piece, How Higher Ed Should Market to Gen Alpha, we’ll explore the generation of true AI natives that will soon begin entering the enrollment funnel—and what their arrival could mean for higher education marketing, recruitment, and student expectations.
