Today’s prospective students are surrounded by more information and opinions than ever as they consider colleges. Yet, when it comes down to making a choice, people still matter most. The Eduventures Admitted Student Research™ shows that 86% of college-bound high school students cite at least one individual as influential in their college decision making.
This week’s Wake-Up Call™ looks at the people behind the process—family, friends, counselors, and others—and explores how students perceive their influence. What roles do these individuals play, and how should institutions think about including them in outreach?
Influence and Trust
Eduventures research tracks both the influence and trust students assign to different roles in college search. By pairing insights from our Admitted Student Research (who influenced the college choice) with our Student Sentiment Research™ (trusted college resources), we gain a richer picture of how people shape enrollment decisions.
The result is four key roles, explored in Figure 1:
- Champions: Higher Influence, Higher Trust (Parents, Peers/Friends, Current Students, Alumni)
- Advocates: Higher Trust, Lower Influence (School Counselors, Admissions Counselors)
- Peripheral Players: Lower Influence, Lower Trust (Teachers, Extended Family, Others)
- Anomalies: Higher Influence, Lower Trust
Figure 1 shows how trust and influence don’t always play out the way one might expect.
Parents & Peers/Friends are the clear frontrunners when it comes to influence. This group is also highest when it comes to trust, making them “Champions” of college choice among prospective students. Current Students & Alumni are also in the top right quadrant—notably rivaling admissions counselors in terms of trust.
But there is a clear standout when it comes to trusted sources of college information: School Counselors. Both School Counselors and Admissions Counselors fall within the “Advocates” quadrant, garnering the highest levels of trust among all roles, although less influence than parents, peers, and current students.
“Peripheral Players” also shape student decisions, but their impact varies more widely across groups. Their influence depends on factors like institution type or student background. While not as consistently powerful as parents, peers, or counselors, these roles still matter—and for some students, they can make a decisive difference.
Finally, the “Anomalies” quadrant is noticeably empty. Clearly, anyone who is highly influential in the college search is also highly trusted.
Trust Varies by Background
While Parents and Peers/Friends dominate overall, student access factors (students from low-income households, first-generation college students, students from historically underrepresented racial groups) shift the picture in Figure 2.
When segmenting by student access factors, a different view of influencers comes into focus. Students with no access factors leaned most heavily on parents/guardians, peers/friends and current students and alumni. Students with multiple access factors reported higher influence from teachers, school counselors, and admissions counselors.
This finding underscores an important nuance: While all students value close personal networks, students from historically underrepresented populations are more likely to look more to education professionals for guidance.
What This Means for Institutions
Each role has a unique place in enrollment strategy:
- Parents/Guardians are the most influential voices. With 92% open to direct communication from colleges (according to the Eduventures 2025 Prospective Parent Research™), engaging parents isn’t optional—it’s essential. Well-informed parents amplify institutional messages and boost student confidence.
- Peers/Friends, however, are a more elusive group, since they’re often in the midst of their own college searches. Institutions can leverage student announcements, commitment celebrations, and social sharing to fuel peer-to-peer conversation.
- Current Students & Alumni are storytellers who bring the campus experience to life. Current students are particularly powerful, while alumni connect institutional value to real-world outcomes.
- School & Admissions Counselors are trusted advocates who play an outsized role for students facing systemic barriers. Strengthening counselor relationships can broaden access and trust with diverse student groups.
- Professors have influence when students have access. Creating connections and visibility to professors in ways that meet prospective students where they are allows these important roles to have broader impact.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to choosing a college, students rarely decide alone. Two groups emerge as both highly trusted and highly influential: Parents and Peers/Friends, and Current Students and Alumni. While these roles are important to all, a student’s background may lead them to lean on people differently, with students from underrepresented student populations more frequently finding influence from education professionals.
The most effective enrollment strategies build multi-layered relationships: empowering parents, activating peers, amplifying student and alumni voices, and equipping education professionals with the right tools. In short, influence is shared—outreach should be too.
