The College Search Doesn’t Look Like a Funnel Anymore

Awareness to Inquiry to Visit to Application to Enrollment.

Sigh. The good ol’ days. We didn’t know how good we had it! What’s not to love about simple, predictable and easy to put on your board slide deck?

Today’s students move through the college search process very differently. They may discover a college on Instagram, search for it on Google, ask ChatGPT to compare it to three competitors, watch a student vlog on TikTok, read Reddit threads about the dining hall, visit the college’s website, and then discuss it with their parents over dinner. Likely before ever filling out an inquiry form (the truth is they may never do so!).

The journey has become far more interconnected than many of the models we still use to describe it. And some of the most influential parts of the college search happen in places institutions cannot see.

The Search Process Has Become More Complex

A dangerous assumption to make would be that students have abandoned one channel in favor of another.

Students haven’t stopped using Google because they use TikTok.

They haven’t stopped visiting college websites because they use ChatGPT.

They haven’t stopped talking to parents because they found information online.

Instead, students have added more sources to the decision-making process.

Research consistently shows that prospective students cross-check information across multiple channels. They use different platforms for different purposes. A student may discover a college through social media, compare options using AI, validate information through peer conversations, and confirm details on the institution’s website.

The result is a process that looks much less like a funnel and much more like a network.

The Most Important Influences Often Aren’t Digital

As enrollment marketers, we spend a great deal of time measuring what happens online.

We monitor website traffic, social media engagement, search rankings, click-through rates, and conversion metrics. Those data points matter. But they only tell part of the story.

A student may spend five minutes reading a program page and then spend an hour discussing college options with their parents that evening.

A counselor’s recommendation may carry more weight than an email campaign.

A trusted friend may influence perceptions more than a carefully crafted marketing message.

Some of the most powerful forces shaping enrollment decisions never appear in a dashboard.

Students Build Confidence Through Validation

When we focus too heavily on channels, we risk missing what students are actually trying to accomplish.

The student’s goal is to make a decision they feel sure about.

That helps explain why prospective students move back and forth between so many sources. They’re not necessarily looking for new information every time. They’re looking for confirmation that the information aligns.

They want to know that the internship opportunities mentioned on the website match what students describe on social media. They want to know that the outcomes highlighted in marketing materials align with what alumni say. They want to know that the experience promised by the institution reflects reality.

Every source plays a role in helping students answer a simple question: “Can I trust this college to help me achieve what I want?”

What This Means for Enrollment Leaders

I don’t have a perfect answer or solution to this much more complicated era. I do know that we need to find ways to think beyond communication flows and funnels or we risk overlooking how students actually navigate the search process.

We will need to look beyond channels and examine the broader ecosystem of influences shaping student behavior. This requires paying attention not only to websites, search engines, social media platforms, and AI tools, but also to parents, peers, counselors, teachers, and the countless conversations that happen outside institutional control.

Those of us that recognize the college search no longer follows a straight line and understand how students build confidence in a decision will have an advantage over the colleges that simply focus on generating the next click.