In December we sent our annual customer satisfaction survey to more than 200,000 parents across two dozen colleges and universities. With thousands of responses from parents of college students at institutions of all shapes and sizes, we heard what families find helpful, and what information they need more of at all stages of the student lifecycle. These are our key takeaways.

71% of parents are better able to support their student

Parents told us that being informed about resources on campus helps them guide their student through difficult times and provide useful advice. Knowing about upcoming events and deadlines helps them check in at critical moments and make sure requirements are met. (That’s why student persistence is up to 15% higher for parents who are connected to their student in CampusESP!)

“We have talked about study habits and tips, financial matters, and important dates with our daughter, thanks to the UTM Parent and Family Experience.”

- The University of Tennessee at Martin Parent

First-generation families get even more value from engagement

Across the board, we found that parents of first-generation students reported the highest levels of satisfaction with our platform.

With an email open rate of 64%, parents of first-gen college students are one of the most engaged demographics. Our partner institutions are able to send targeted content directly to first-gen parents, check which content is getting the most clicks, and refine their content strategy to send first-gen parents the information that’s most helpful to them.

“Being a person who never attended college, this site has brought peace of mind and answered questions I never even thought to ask.”

- Temple University Parent

What else are parents saying?

“You actually coach parents on how to be in the know of what’s happening, and yet not come across as a ‘helicopter parent’. Keep it up please!”
- Penn State Parent

“Sometimes I find out about things happening even BEFORE my students!”
- UNC Parent

“I’m able to see what’s happening at Baylor even though I am 600 miles away, and if I see something that my student may have missed, I forward it to her.”
- Baylor parent

“This platform has opened up conversation and avenues of encouragement for our student that were sometimes not on our radar -- It’s very helpful.”
- Samford Parent