Each generation brings new joys and challenges in higher education, and Generation Z (Gen Z) is at the forefront of new traditional student recruitment.. Born between 1997 and 2012, this tech-savvy and socially conscious generation brings new expectations to higher education. Institutions must adapt their recruitment strategies to meet these expectations and attract the next wave of students.
What Makes Gen Z Different?
Gen Z has grown up in a digital-first world where smartphones and instant connectivity are the norm. They value authenticity, diversity, and efficiency in all aspects of their lives, including education. They prioritize seamless, technology-driven experiences over traditional methods.
For higher education institutions, this means going beyond the basics of email campaigns or static websites. Gen Z expects a personalized and interactive approach throughout their admissions journey.
If you’ve seen the memes about the newer generation’s experience with old technology, then you may have guessed why we put the picture above in the middle of this blog. It represents exactly how paper-based or non-automated admissions make Gen Z feel: they don’t have to go in circles to dial a 9+ digit number anymore, so why would they wait in lines and submit printed documents?
What do Gen Z expect of the admissions journey?
Personalized communication is non-negotiable for this generation. They expect instant responses and clear guidance at every step. Features like DreamApply’s two-way messaging empower institutions to create dynamic conversations, allowing applicants to ask questions and receive support in real-time. This fosters trust and ensures no applicant feels left behind.
DreamApply also enables personalized workflows, ensuring each applicant’s experience feels tailored to their unique journey. Not only do the automated workflows reduce application processing time by 40%, but when they’re personalized, they also resonate deeply with Gen Z’s demand for efficiency.
How digital tools shape Gen Z’s perception of institutions?
A modern, tech-friendly application system signals to Gen Z that your institution values innovation. Tools like user-friendly application portals, integrated video interviews, and personalized dashboards make the application process smoother and more appealing.
Higher education is about progress; a digitized admissions process signals to Gen Z that they can advance with you.
Landing on an admissions page that is appealing, modern, stylized, where the process is quick, and communication more instant, it resembles the daily experience they have with the tools they use to go about their daily needs such as communicating with peers, family, and engaging on social media.
What is the role of social media in recruiting Gen Z?
Gen Z heavily relies on social media and peer recommendations when making decisions. They trust real experiences shared by other students more than glossy brochures, which despite rapidly changing trends, quickly start to resemble each other across institutions and regions.
Institutions use social media more often to create appealing ads and campaigns, and once they are comfortable enough, encourage social takeovers conducted by their students who are often office student employees or student government members. These social takeovers allow students to represent the university, a specific program, or activity from their own perspective, which appeals more to their peers.
One way DreamApply assists institutions in maximizing their ROI through social media is by offering ways to centralize the information about different social campaigns and activities as the sources of new applicants. Using this data to better coordinate social engagements will save money, increase personalization, and impact enrollment. University of Padua’s Alberto Lazzari, their Global Engagement Officer, shares the impact of flags and trackers on their enrollment on EdTech and Pancakes podcast: How to use flags and trackers in DreamApply to personalize student recruitment
To attract and retain Gen Z students, institutions must adopt hybrid strategies that combine cutting-edge technology with a personal touch. This means leveraging tools like DreamApply to streamline processes, offer personalized support, and create a seamless applicant experience.
Since generation Z is reshaping student recruitment with their expectations for efficiency, authenticity, and transparency,institutions can exceed these expectations by acting now, and adopting modern tools that work with and for educational institutions.
Gen Z meets social media meets personalization
The age of social media is all about personalization, and this goes hand-in-hand with the expectations of Gen Z. The more relatable and tailored something is, the better. We dive deep into this topic in our blog, Is personalization the missing link in student recruitment? Find out science-based strategies. • DreamApply, but let’s tie it now to social media as well.
Institutions often forget that their target audience are their users’ peers; this means that they could easily leverage the relatability of their students, ambassadors, student employees or athletes, any individual who is actively engaged in and outside the classroom. Taking this relatability to social media through highlights or social takeovers could further enhance their reputation in front of the Gen Z.
Learn how DreamApply can help transform your admissions process and make your institution the top choice for the current and next generation of students.
About DreamApply
Founded in 2011 in Estonia, DreamApply is an innovation-driven EdTech organization that improves access to education around the globe. DreamApply’s admissions software helps more than 300 educational institutions across 40 countries improve admissions, marketing, financial and other internal processes.
DreamApply’s easy-to-use and customizable software increases student enrollment by 30% and reduces application processing time by 40%. With features designed with and for educational institutions, and integrations with commonly used systems, DreamApply empowers teams to get more done with less effort.
Request a live walk-through of DreamApply with an expert.