Freshmen Survey
White Paper

Gen Z’s Evolving Enrollment Journey

Lessons from EAB’s 2022 New College Freshman Survey and Behavioral Data Sets

Change has been one of the few constants of Gen Z’s journey to college. At the same time, competition for students has continued to grow, meaning that it’s critically important—and extremely difficult—for enrollment leaders to adopt student-savvy and nimble practices to meet the needs of today’s students.

To help enrollment leaders navigate this complex terrain, EAB conducts ongoing research into Gen Z’s behaviors and preferences. This report shares five lessons on Gen Z’s evolving journey based on our 2022 New College Freshman Survey and data from the 1.5B+ student interactions that we analyze annually.

In this white paper, you'll learn about:

  • The ways communication preferences changed during the pandemic—and what that means for your strategy in 2022 and beyond
  • Variations in parent influence across different demographic groups
  • The top reasons high schoolers chose not to attend any college
  • Key trends in FAFSA filing and perceptions of affordability

Download the white paper