The 2026 .edu accessibility mandate is coming—is your site content ready?

As your hardest working marketing tool, your website should engage as many relevant users as possible. And to do that, it’s critical that your website is accessible.

Accessibility isn’t just important from a mission and enrollment perspective; it’s also the law. The 2024 update to the ADA mandates that most schools must meet specific digital content standards by April 2026. But only 5% of all websites meet these guidelines.

Here’s what you need to know about the ADA requirements, what they mean for your .edu, and how you can ensure your website complies.

Watch On-Demand: Steps to Prepare Your Team for Compliance

More than just a legal requirement, accessibility is a key component of user experience

On your website, inaccessibility can manifest itself in many ways, including through design elements, visuals, and copy. Some of the most common examples include missing alt text for images, insufficient color contrast, and non-descriptive calls to action that prevent users from knowing where they’re clicking. These flaws create friction on your site, which prevents users from easily exploring and engaging with content, ultimately lowering the chance of conversion. Our surveys of prospective undergraduate and graduate students show that more than two-thirds of students will abandon a website if they experienced friction, making accessibility a major concern for web effectiveness.

Make sure your site is easy to understand

The new WCAG 2.1 AA Standards evaluate accessibility using four core principles. They state that to be accessible, web content must be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. We’ll focus on some of the things you can do to make your content more understandable, and why it matters for turning your site into a stronger enrollment tool.

As always, it’s important to consider your user. Prospective students come to your site with a range of life circumstances and experiences—including learning disabilities, language barriers, and generational differences— that will impact how they absorb written content. Writing in a simple and straightforward way will help ensure as many users as possible understand your content.

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Consider SEO implications

Not only is simple writing easier on users, but it’s also more digestible for search engines. When your content is presented in a straightforward way, search engines are better able to understand the context of the information presented. This can improve your page rankings for relevant search queries, as search engines (and now, AI snippets) will present users with related content that will help drive visibility to your site.

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In addition, when you write content that’s student-centered, users are more likely to engage with your site. This results in longer page visits, lower bounce rates, and higher click-through rates. Search engines view these engagement indicators as positive and will in turn prioritize your site in search rankings.

Tips for making .edu content more accessible

So how can you make your site more accessible to users? Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Use plain language: Present information in a clear and simple way on your site, avoiding expressions, institutional terms, or higher-ed specific jargon (think experiential learning, or FAFSA) that not all users will understand. This kind of language can be confusing for non-native speakers, or younger readers who may not have the same reference points as higher ed professionals.
• Don’t overlook information architecture: Your site should be organized in a way that clearly mirrors prospective students’ interests and priorities. Ensure the most important content on your site is never more than three clicks away. Calls to action, such as “request info” or “apply,” should be featured prominently across your site so users can easily take the next step in their enrollment journey.
• Embed accessibility into your content strategy: Think about accessibility as a fundamental on-page goal. From the images and CTAs on your site to the keywords and flow of content, baking accessibility into every aspect of your site will ensure it’s a core element of your larger content strategy.

Everyone deserves access to digital content. Failure to meet accessibility standards not only limits your institution’s reach but also exposes you to fines or legal challenges after the deadline. Optimizing your institution’s website for accessibility creates a more seamless user experience that benefits all. Connect with EAB’s Digital Agency team to learn how we support your institution’s accessibility needs as part of a targeted, enrollment-focused web content strategy.