Parents as influencers of university decision making in 2025

Parents as influencers of university decision making in 2025

How the ‘Parents as Influencers in 2025’ report will help you:

  • Inform strategies to communicate and engage with parents of prospective Home students
  • Identify opportunities for new programmes or initiatives that could support parents in the UK
  • Identify key information needs and challenges associated with engaging with parents in the UK
  • Provide an evidence base to secure the necessary funding for new work/initiatives to engage parents of Home students

 

Buy now
Contact sharon.steele@alterline.co.uk to purchase a full copy of this report package for £3,450+VAT.
Complimentary taster summary
Coming soon – you can download a free summary version of the report as a taster of the full report

More about the ‘Parents as Influencers of University decision-making’ project

This research project brought together Alterline and 9 Universities from around the UK to build upon evidence collected in our 2018 and 2021 projects to help university recruitment, outreach and marketing teams navigate the changing landscape of parental influence and take action to enhance engagement.

An online survey of 1,012 parents, followed by in-depth qualitative research with 32 parents of young people in further education from the UK, who were considering applying/had applied to university in 2025/26 or 2026/27 provided an evidence base. This evidence base was designed to help Alterline’s clients inform their undergraduate recruitment strategy and enhance the effectiveness of their marketing, communications, and engagement with prospective students’ parents.

The full visual research report includes an executive summary and practical recommendations.

 

Report contents include:

  • What role parents play in decision making, what they help with and when during the process
  • How confident parents feel when advising their child about university
  • What information needs parents have and how universities can best deliver this information to them
  • What factors parents consider to be important when advising their child about their options after college/sixth form
  • What perceptions parents hold about university and its value for their child
  • A wide range of demographics (about parent and child), including widening access groups

Project partners

This project was developed in partnership with 9 universities who helped to shape the research design through our collaborative University Futures model. With thanks to:

  • Birmingham City University
  • City St George’s University
  • Newcastle University
  • University College Birmingham
  • University College London (UCL)
  • University of Birmingham
  • University of Cumbria
  • University of Hertfordshire
  • University of York