9 Institutional Personas That Reveal How Students Select Colleges
Welcome to your comprehensive guide to understanding how students choose colleges. Based on insights from EAB’s unique-in-kind insight paper, Why Students Pick the Schools That They Do, this hub dives deep into the 9 institutional personas that influence student decision-making. Each persona highlights the unique characteristics, strengths, and opportunities for institutions to better align with student preferences and stand out in a competitive market.
Explore detailed profiles for each persona, compare benchmarks to identify your institution’s strengths and weaknesses, and uncover actionable strategies to boost your appeal to prospective students. Whether you’re looking to enhance recruitment strategies or better understand what drives student choices, this resource hub equips you with the tools and data you need to position your institution for success.
Download the Full Insight Paper
Our latest blog covers key findings across all institutional personas. Read it here: Why do students pick the schools that they do? or check out our webinar that walks you through how to apply this research.
The Accessible Education Anchor
Typically rooted in rural areas, these very small and typically private schools serve as vital resources for local and nontraditional students.
The Mission-Driven Learning Community
These small colleges emphasize access and personalized attention, fostering supportive academic and social environments for a well-rounded education.
The Boutique Elite Institution
Private colleges that provide a rigorous academic environment, distinguished career outcomes, and close faculty-student connections in smaller settings.
The Inclusive Path to Opportunity
Focused on accessibility, these community-centered institutions provide affordable education, particularly to low-income and first-generation students.
The Quintessential and Accessible College
“Jack of all trades” schools in suburban areas that offer a balanced, traditional college experience, blending accessibility with a strong sense of community.
The Selective Academic Enclave
Prestigious small-to-midsize institutions that combine academic rigor, personalized support, and exceptional career outcomes in large and diverse locales.
The Well-Rounded Education Hub
Midsize public schools that excel in offering a variety of academic options and a dynamic campus life to students living in the region.
The Outstanding Opportunity Engine
Large, urban schools with strong ties to their state that offer both deep affordability and extensive academic options to a wide range of students.
The Rigorous Academic Giant
Very large, urban universities that combine selective admissions, extensive academic opportunities, and dynamic campus cultures to attract high-achieving students from across the nation.
Discover what makes your institution stand out in four steps
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Identify Your Institutional Persona
What to Do: Determine which persona best represents your institution by analyzing key traits like location, size, programs, affordability, and culture.
Why it Matters: This helps clarify how students perceive your institution and positions you within a cohort of similar schools they may consider.
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Benchmark Against Persona Peers
What to Do: Compare your institution’s performance on key attractors (e.g., affordability, outcomes, campus life) with other schools in the same persona.
Why it Matters: Understanding your strengths and weaknesses among peers allows you to refine your approach and highlight what makes you stand out.
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Assess Regional Risks and Opportunities
What to Do: Evaluate how your persona differs across geographic regions, resulting from local factors such as economic trends, demographics, and job markets.
Why it Matters: These insights uncover regional advantages and disadvantages, and aid in considering how those variations can shape opportunities with prospects in different geographic areas.
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Explore Adjacent Personas
What to Do: Compare your institution with nearby persona types to find overlapping traits or growth areas.
Why it Matters: Adapting traits from adjacent personas can reveal untapped markets and innovative ways to differentiate your institution.
Related Resources
Why do students pick the schools that they do?
The school personas shaping students’ college choices
