A recent study found that online information helps
students decide on the institution they want to attend. Digital Search for Education surveyed more than 1,500 full- and part-time students in the United States to
learn how they interact with colleges before enrolling.
According to the report,
58% of the students said online reviews were highly important to the school-selection
process, while 20% said online reviews had the most influence on their choice.
The school’s website was the most important factor in the selection process,
with 56% of students saying that was their primary source for information about
programs of interest.
More than half of the students said they used search
engines to research the schools they were interested in attending and 43%
reported being most influenced to click on search results that had information
that was relevant to them. However, 32% also said they would leave a school’s
site if it had poor navigation tools.
The study reported that 32% of students follow the schools
in which they are interested on social media, with 62% using Facebook. At the
same time, 41% said they contact the school through email directly and 75%
added they preferred schools to contact them by email, phone, or text message.
Despite the emphasis on digital communication in the
selection process, 31% of the students also cited an on-campus visit as the
primary reason for enrolling in a particular institution.
