What Higher Ed Marketers Can Learn From Students Who Haven’t Applied Yet

In higher education marketing, most listening happens late in the game. Surveys go out after students enroll. Interviews happen with alumni. Data rolls in once people are already in the pipeline.

But what if the most important insights come before any of that? Before a student even clicks "apply."

For institutions trying to connect with mission-aligned students, there is value in talking to people who are still on the fence. These are individuals with interest, even intent, but they are waiting. And often, they are waiting for something specific-a message that resonates, a sign they belong, a reason to believe the decision will be worth it.

What often emerges in these early conversations are not just questions about logistics or timelines. They are reflections on meaning, purpose, and identity. Will this lead to a career that matters? Will I find a community that understands me? Is this a path I will be proud to have taken?

Those are big questions-and when they surface, they offer an opportunity. Not just to fine-tune messaging, but to reframe how a program presents itself and the experience it promises.

Unfortunately, many institutions treat this kind of listening as a one-time research exercise. Insights like these often end up boxed into a deck, used once in a presentation, then shelved. What should happen instead is a full-scale reexamination of how a program talks about itself and what kind of journey it is inviting students into.

It is not about creating new taglines. It is about aligning every touchpoint-website, campaigns, digital experience, admissions outreach-with the real motivations students carry with them.

Because prospective students are not only assessing logistics and outcomes. They are deciding whether a program reflects who they are and who they want to become.

That means the emotional and existential side of decision-making deserves more weight. Messaging needs to reflect values, not just features. Creative needs to resonate before it informs. And institutions need to treat those early-stage conversations as the start of something, not just data collection.

If you want to increase applications, do not just push more information. Create moments of recognition. Show prospective students that you understand what matters to them before they tell you.

And most importantly, keep listening-not just to validate what you already believe, but to uncover what you have not considered yet.

If you are not sure where to begin, here are a few questions worth asking:

• What doubts or hesitations come up most often in early conversations?

• What values do prospective students talk about that are not showing up in your current messaging?

• What kind of life or career do they hope their education will lead to?

The goal is not to script your messaging around these answers, but to let them shape the way your brand shows up. When students see themselves reflected in your story, applying becomes less of a leap-and more of a natural next step.

That is what makes a place feel worth choosing.