Skip navigation
Infographic

9 ways enrollment leaders can court the cost-conscious student

Concerns about the affordability of college have always been with us. But a growing gap between the financial circumstances of college-bound students and the cost of higher education has given those concerns a new urgency.

The corresponding problem for enrollment leaders is not merely hypothetical; recent research suggests that families’ growing price sensitivity is actually causing many institutions to lose students.

One crucial means of addressing this problem is improved communication with college-bound students and their parents. The daunting complexity of the college search process and families’ understandable desire to limit their spend can cause students to choose schools that are a poor fit with their needs and goals.

Recruitment marketing, more often understood as a tool for persuasion, is also the most powerful means you have of helping families make informed decisions. This infographic explains how enrollment leaders can ensure that their communications with students and parents are furthering both aims.

The full 48-page insight paper on which this infographic is based offers detailed descriptions of nine concrete steps you can take to address questions that matter most to families. Included in the piece are explanations of the market factors increasing families’ price sensitivity, discussion of related implications for enrollment outcomes, data from national surveys regarding considerations that most powerfully influence students’ choice of school, examples of the nine steps in action, and guidance on their implementation.

Download the Infographic

More Resources

Insight Paper

A Report on EAB’s 2026 AI Pulse Survey

See how 11,000+ students view and use AI and how it shapes college decisions, majors, and careers.
Enroll360
Tool

Is Your Student Search Strategy Keeping Pace?

Improve your student search strategy with insights from 7 million student journeys to find gaps and drive enrollment…
Appily
Insight Paper

The AI Search Readiness Scorecard for Higher Ed

Use EAB’s AI Search Readiness Scorecard to assess your institution and prioritize ways to strengthen student discovery and…
Web & Digital Solutions