What 21,860 college parents told us about their growing communication expectations
We partnered with Ruffalo Noel Levitz again this year to better understand parents of today’s college students. The study included 21,860 responses from 35 institutions. Questions covered topics like communication preferences from their student’s college, family satisfaction in various areas, and involvement in their student’s college experience.
One thing that’s clear from this year’s survey – families are more involved and expect more than ever before. The data helps confirm why schools should be thinking about their family engagement strategy as a need-to-have.
Here were a few of the findings we found most important:
1. Parents want to hear from their student’s college weekly.
85% of current families want weekly communication from their student’s college or university. When prospective families were asked the same question, 85% also reported a preference for weekly communication. This desire for constant communication has grown steadily year over year, with 72% of families looking for weekly communication last year and 65% of families in 2020.
The best place to start? Email. Nearly all families prefer email communication. Text messaging can also be a great way to reach Black, Hispanic, first-gen, and lower income families.
2. Families are in touch with their students on a daily basis.
41% of students communicate with their families daily. Most of them are communicating through SMS/text messages (95%) and phone calls (85%).
The high level of engagement between student and family further supports that parents can be partners in their student’s college journey – if they are properly informed. By updating families on events, deadlines, and reminders, institutions can bridge the information gap and play a part in helping more students succeed and stay on track.
3. Parents want to be more involved with their student’s college or university.
40% of families want to be more involved in their student’s experience at their institution. Some examples of where parents want to get more involved include joining a parent board, volunteering for events and activities, and meeting prospective parents at local high schools.
With families raising their hands to support campus events and even recruiting initiatives, leveraging parent involvement can help save time and contribute to student success.
To sum it up – parents want to hear more, are in touch more, and expect more. More is more when it comes to thinking about current college student families.
Want to learn (more) about today’s families of current college students?