Satisfaction is a Signal
“How much do reviews and online chatter matter in students’ college decisions?” I get asked a version of this question 3-4x a year, often by boards and leadership nervous about what people are saying about their institutions online.
It’s a difficult question to answer with certainty. Prospective students aren’t always aware of the full set of influences guiding their decisions. But social science research—and common sense—tells us we like hearing about others’ experiences before making our own choices.
For Gen Z students, who spend more of their lives online than any generation before, peer opinions carry even more weight. Nearly 40% consult an influencer before making a purchase. Research suggests they view influencers not as distant celebrities, but as trusted peers – often on par with their actual friends.
For colleges and universities, this means the locus of persuasive marketing is shifting from the institution to your customers. Current students, parents, and alumni are powerful voices in shaping the next generation of students’ opinions.
When we ask prospective students about top indicators of a college’s quality, two of the top responses are:
Student and alumni satisfaction with the college
Percentage of students that would recommend the college to someone else
In response, institutions must be able to prove that their students and alumni are satisfied with their experience. Satisfaction has traditionally been something shared in an indirect or informal way by promoting alumni testimonials or facilitating conversations with current students.
This will increasingly will move from the background to the foreground. Some savvy institutions like Harvard Extension School have already started showcasing student satisfaction in a more deliberate and visible way:
Fact sheet for master’s program offered by Harvard Extension School.
They are a rare exception in an industry still relying on traditional metrics to prove quality.
Prospective students are looking for this information. In a recent study we’re conducting on what students want from university websites, we found something surprising. When researching academic programs, the second-most common thing students look for is student satisfaction with their program. (full results coming soon)
This taps into a core marketing principle popularized by Seth Godin: great marketing convinces your audience that ‘people like me do things like this.’ Student satisfaction goes one step further: ‘people like me do things like this and like it.’
Prospective students want to feel like they’re making the right choice. Student satisfaction is powerful reassurance. It makes the decision feel less risky, more right.
How should institutions respond?
First, recognize that student satisfaction isn’t just an outcome metric – it’s a recruitment tool.
Second, don’t hide it in long reports or buried quotes. Elevate it.
Third, collect it meaningfully and consistently, across programs and student groups.
When students are pleased with the value of their experience, they talk. And when they talk, prospective students listen.