2026 college planning report
Where student attention actually lives.
New research on how high schoolers discover, research, and choose what’s next — and why the hallway still beats the feed.
The environment
The genius of the high school environment is that it’s fundamentally built for intentionality. When a student walks through the halls, they’re in “student mode” — mindset naturally oriented toward learning, achievement, and the looming question of “what’s next?”
On a NextGrad digital screen, your institution’s brand becomes a relevant part of their daily landscape. We place your message in the literal path of their progress — where it carries an inherent weight of authority and relevance that a social feed simply can’t replicate.
The Data
said social media didn’t influence their decision to apply or enroll.
looked up a college online after seeing a poster, banner, or screen in their school.
recall seeing a poster, banner, or screen in their high school.
The accessibility
High-impact enrollment marketing shouldn’t be a luxury reserved for the largest budgets. As digital costs climb and organic reach falls, we’ve built a platform that levels the playing field — giving every institution a direct, uncluttered path to the one place student attention is both high-intent and high-recall: the high school hallway.
