What Parents Prioritize in the College Search

Parents are increasingly concerned about their students’ job prospects after college, according to a new report from the enrollment management firm EAB about parents and the college search process. The report draws on a survey of 2,515 parents conducted in spring 2026.

Twenty-nine percent of respondents cited post-graduation job prospects as one of their top five concerns when evaluating where their child will attend college, an 81 percent increase from the last time the survey was conducted, in 2024. But the overall price of college remains the most common concern, with 64 percent selecting it as one of their top worries, followed by school fit (50 percent), financial aid (41 percent) and mental wellbeing (40 percent).

Parents at all stages of the college search process said they were most interested in receiving information about cost of attendance and financial aid from the colleges and universities their student is considering. Broadly, the majority of parents (71 percent) said they wanted institutions to communicate with them directly. And while over half of parents said the amount of contact they received from institutions was “just right,” 69 percent said they didn’t feel the information was “very” or “extremely” useful.

Ninety-three percent of parents surveyed said they were “moderately” or “extremely” involved in the college search process. But they said they were more likely to participate in financial decisions—like how much to spend on college or take out in loans—than in which institutions their student should apply to.