If you have a college-bound child, you may already have thought about the schools your teen would aim for and the qualities they value.
Teens may be considering colleges that offer majors in their preferred field, have excellent athletic programs, or have vibrant and thriving student life. Parents, too, have a lot of priorities for college preference, including safety, academics, and even political alignment.
The top issue that 95% of parents agreed on as a decision factor, though? The cost.
Here’s How Much The Cost Of College Matters
Fully 95% of parents described the cost of college as either “extremely important” or “important” in choosing where to submit applications. Their kids agreed that the cost was a significant factor, with 64% saying that fee waivers had influenced their application decisions.
It’s not too surprising, considering that US News & World Report’s statistics show that college costs have more than doubled in the past two decades, increasing by about 112% for private institutions and about 107% for public ones. Even adjusting for inflation, the cost has increased by about a third or more.
Speaking of inflation, that’s clearly a factor. Everyone’s budget is stretching these days — according to Parents, the same survey found that only 77% of parental responses listed costs as a top factor in school choice just last year.
Still, Costs Aren’t The Sole Factor
Despite ranking cost as a top factor, 59% of parents surveyed said that their child ended up at a school that “was not the most affordable option.”
Balance is good, though, and it’s great for kids to have a wide array of choices. Another interesting finding from the survey was that 45% of students applied to ten or more schools, representing a significant increase from 39% in 2023.
Once applications were in, students’ final decisions could still be swayed. More than two in five students said they didn’t make their decision until they had visited multiple campuses to compare.
While 98% said they’d prefer email communications from their chosen schools, 41% also admit to missing an email because they didn’t recognize the sender as the college to which they had applied. About 55% of parents said they’d rather their child be notified by paper mail, since it’s more memorable.
Other major factors that emerged included campus safety and academic quality. Notably, approximately 78% of parents cited the college’s perceived political leanings as a factor in their decision.
Another Big Change: How Kids & Parents Research Schools
Costs are rising, but the way information travels is also changing rapidly in a tech-based world.
Most parents (87%) report that they sought information about a specific school through the institution’s website. Almost as many of their kids did the same — 80%.
However, teens also report using TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube in their decision-making, and about one in three also used an AI chatbot. Carnegie found similar numbers earlier this year, although their survey separated seniors and juniors, and compared to previous years:
“In 2023, just 4% of seniors reported using AI tools like ChatGPT to explore colleges. That figure climbed to 10% in 2024 and now stands at 23% in 2025. Other audience groups included in the study show similarly high adoption rates: 25% of rising students report using AI in the college search.”
The use of social media to consider schools appears to be shifting as well. In 2022, Niche reported that only about 20% of students were viewing colleges on TikTok, and about 25% on YouTube — and about a quarter didn’t check any college accounts on social media at all!