What are the university aspirations, decision-making & influencers amongst Gen Z & A and how can you engage and support them effectively?
For the past 8 years, Alterline has been providing invaluable decision-making insight and evidence to support university marketing, recruitment and outreach teams effectively engage with prospective students.
With a whole host of changes in prospects’ decision making since our last collaboration on this topic, including the needs of upcoming Gen A, the rise of commuting, continuing cost of living pressures and ever-present opportunities and challenges of AI, in early 2026 we will be generating fresh intelligence about the needs of the next generations of prospective students to help you get ahead with recruitment and marketing planning.
Why join this project?
- Secure robust evidence to support your university’s immediate and long-term recruitment, outreach and marketing strategies
- Gain practical insights to inform your communications with prospective undergraduate students from Gen A as well as Gen Z
- Understand impact on generational decision-making from key market changes and trends and their practical implications for your future recruitment
- Understand differences in decision-making through demographic lenses, including age groups and widening access groups
What will the project explore?
The quantitative and qualitative research materials will be shaped in conjunction with the universities who choose to participate in this research project, based around the following crucial questions:
How does is work and what are the costs?
The strategic national collaborative insight costs £3,950 + VAT to participate in and includes:
- Fresh, quantitative evidence will be captured through a survey with 1,000 Year 9-13s (15 to 18-year-olds) from across the UK and a desk review of current data which will have a particular focus on Gen A.
- Fresh qualitative evidence will be generated through an online qualitative community with 25 prospect 15-18 year-olds, exploring the themes which arise from the quantitative data in more depth.
- A smart, succinct, highly visual report with practical recommendations to help you better engage with and support Gen A and Gen Z young people in their decision-making.
- We’ll bring together participating institutions in online events to shape the project and to discuss the findings and ideas for action
- Choose to add on a range of bespoke options to tailor the research further to your institution’s needs.
The project commences in February 2026 and will complete by May 2026, so please get in touch now to arrange to talk if you’re interested to hear more about how you can join us, and the 5 universities who are already confirmed to participate.
For more information about how to join click here to email Sharon Steele, Marketing and Client Communities Director, at sharon.steele@alterline.co.uk.