With 2025 matriculation in the rearview mirror and the 2026-27 FAFSA now open, higher education marketers are setting their sights on 2026 enrollment campaigns. But with RFPs on the horizon, many are struggling with exactly how to reach their Gen Z target audience.

The combination of fewer students in the pipeline due to declining birth rates, a shift toward skilled trades, and the rising tuition cost/student debt barrier means competition for students is fierce.

Coupled with Gen Z’s pragmatism and access to infinite information, that means higher ed marketers need to reach their audience with fluff-free strategies that sell career-readiness, not a school.

Here are nine tips for creating winning digital campaigns that engage Gen Z with relevant, consistent content.

Messaging and media focus

• Prioritize student-created content. Higher ed marketing has traditionally been slick, polished and heavily produced, but today’s Gen Z wants content that’s more authentic, relatable and snackable. They’re drawn to unpolished, peer-created, day-in-the-life content that shows what campus life is really like. Smart institutions are leveraging student creator programs that showcase their offering from a student’s point of view (with guardrails, of course).
• Emphasize ROI. Gen Z is very attuned to rising inflation, cost of living, housing and other economic factors. They need to know that the school won’t just sell them a diploma; they’ll walk away with an employable skillset. Content should lead with proof of outcomes, including job placement stats, career services, alumni data, employer partnerships, internships and the applicable skills employers are looking for.
• Highlight inclusion and support. Gen Z consumers prioritize brands that align with their values, including higher ed brands. They’re seeking institutions that are issues-oriented and action-driven and showcase diverse student voices. Mental health is also a top priority, so focus some content on support resources and first-year experience courses to ease the transition from home.
• Search is social and social is search. Gen Z isn’t Googling your institution; they’re watching TikTok for first-hand “infotainment” style content from current students. These first impressions serve as a springboard or gateway to additional content on other platforms such as YouTube, Reddit, Discord and your website. With roughly three out of five of Gen Zers turning to social media at least once weekly for news, that also means working with the media affairs office is essential to manage messaging and headlines to safeguard against undesired virality.
• Podcasts are hot. Nearly half of Gen Zers say they’ve listened to or watched a podcast in the past month, and 75% of those are weekly listeners. Podcast clips on social platforms become a springboard for deeper engagement: almost three out of four Gen Z listeners who have listened to a podcast clip on social media go on to listen or watch more on another platform. Whether it’s the audio format, listener involvement or simply the authentic conversation, podcasts strike the right vibe for Gen Z, making them a prime target for both your ambassadors as guests and digital ad placement.

Targeting and outreach tactics

• Don’t overlook nontraditional students. More students are foregoing the traditional residential college experience and instead looking for hybrid learning, transfer opportunities and “stackable” credentials (gaining a certificate, followed by a degree). Expand your target audience beyond teens to adult learners and transfer students.
• Dust off the CRM. Shifting toward social engagement doesn’t mean conventional CRM practices go out the window. The traditional lead funnel approach still applies. Many institutions find that students are applying to more schools through the Common App, but application starts aren’t translating to enrollment—it’s the classic marketing problem of losing leads in the funnel. Instead focus on yield campaigns that leverage CRM outreach to accepted students, targeting them with lead-nurture tactics to move them from application to enrollment.
• Optimize for generative AI. For Gen Z (and many other demographics) AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot and Claude have become critical pathways to search for information. Higher ed institutions must optimize content to be compatible with natural language search to stay relevant and visible. Adopt best practices for website structure and content, including ample use of Q&A formats that genAI seems to favor. Work hand-in-hand with the public affairs/media outreach teams to amplify third-party news coverage, which is a primary source of GenAI search results.

Considering Gen Z’s pragmatism, the schools that will win are those that lead with authentic, career-focused content and meet prospects where they are. Targeting students beyond the traditional teen audience can broaden the landscape of prospects and help insulate institutions from some of the challenges inherent with current macro-economic trends.

Ironically, Gen Z is plagued by some of those same trends, which is why relevance, skill building and ROI are the key value props for this digital-native generation and far more important than legacy and prestige.