CTV Advertising for Higher Education: How Streaming Ads Drive Student Enrollment
92% of prospective students watch ad-supported streaming. The enrollment marketing playbook has changed. Here’s what the data says about reaching Gen Z where they actually are.
The audience shift every enrollment marketer needs to understand
Here’s a number that should reshape how you think about enrollment marketing: 65% of Gen Z has never paid for a cable subscription. Not “canceled cable.” Never had it in the first place.
This isn’t a trend. It’s a generational shift. And for institutions still allocating significant budget to traditional TV, it’s a wake-up call.
Gen Z spends three times more time streaming than watching linear TV. We’re talking 1 hour and 51 minutes daily on streaming platforms versus 38 minutes on traditional television.
The implications for higher education marketing are straightforward. If your prospective students spend three times more time in one place than another, that’s where your message needs to be. The math isn’t complicated.
Why streaming ads work for student recruitment
Research shows that 90% of education intenders, meaning people actively considering higher education, watch ad-supported streaming. They’re on YouTube, Hulu, Peacock, and the growing ecosystem of free ad-supported platforms. They’re reachable. Just not through cable.
More critically, 57% of prospective students cannot be reached via traditional cable or satellite television at all. For enrollment marketers, this means a significant portion of your target audience is invisible to traditional TV campaigns.
Connected TV advertising for universities solves this reach problem while delivering additional benefits:
Household-level targeting allows you to reach specific zip codes, demographics, and behavioral segments. Unlike broadcast TV’s broad reach, CTV lets you focus on households with college-age students in your recruitment territories.
Non-skippable, full-screen video ensures your message gets watched. CTV completion rates exceed 90%, compared to 30% or less on skippable social video.
Cross-device attribution connects streaming ad exposure to website visits, information requests, and applications, giving enrollment teams visibility into what’s working.
How to reach Gen Z students with CTV advertising
Understanding Gen Z media consumption is essential for effective higher ed digital marketing. This generation grew up with streaming as the default. They expect on-demand content and have little patience for interruptive advertising, unless it’s relevant and well-placed.
CTV advertising for colleges succeeds because it respects this context. Ads appear in premium, brand-safe environments during content viewers have actively chosen to watch. The lean-back viewing experience creates receptivity that social media’s scroll-past environment cannot match.
Targeting strategies for Gen Z student recruitment on CTV include:
Age and household composition: Reach households with 16-24 year olds, or target parents of high school juniors and seniors.
Geographic targeting: Focus on feeder markets, specific high schools, or regions where you want to grow enrollment.
Interest and behavioral targeting: Reach viewers who have shown interest in college planning, test prep, career exploration, or specific academic subjects.
Retargeting: Serve CTV ads to households that have visited your website but haven’t converted, keeping your institution top of mind.
The role of parents in enrollment marketing
Higher education marketing often focuses exclusively on students, but parents play a decisive role. Research shows that 76% of students say parents influenced their enrollment decision.
CTV advertising for higher education naturally reaches family viewing environments. When a streaming ad plays in the living room, both students and parents see it. This dual-audience exposure is particularly valuable during the consideration phase when families research options together.
Targeting strategies can be adjusted to reach parent demographics directly. Households with high school students, parents who have searched college-related terms, or viewers of content that indexes high with parents of teens all represent viable CTV targeting approaches.
Measuring CTV advertising ROI for enrollment
University marketing strategies require measurable outcomes. The good news: connected TV advertising provides clearer attribution than traditional television ever could.
Key metrics for higher education CTV campaigns include:
Website visitation lift: Measure the increase in site visits from households exposed to your CTV ads versus a control group.
Information request attribution: Track how many RFIs, campus visit sign-ups, or application starts can be attributed to CTV exposure.
Brand lift studies: Survey-based measurement captures changes in awareness, consideration, and intent among exposed audiences.
Enrollment attribution: With proper tracking, you can follow the path from CTV impression to enrolled student, though this requires longer attribution windows given higher ed’s extended decision cycle.
One major state university attributed 35% of all new applications to their CTV campaign, with a 78% conversion rate from admitted students to enrolled students. That’s enrollment ROI, not just brand lift.
CTV vs. traditional TV for university advertising
For enrollment marketers evaluating streaming ads for college enrollment against traditional broadcast, the comparison favors CTV across most dimensions:
| Factor | Traditional TV | CTV/Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Reach to Gen Z | Limited (65% cord-never) | High (90% watch ad-supported streaming) |
| Targeting precision | Broad demographics | Household-level |
| Completion rates | Variable (DVR, channel switching) | 90%+ |
| Attribution | Limited | Cross-device, household-level |
| Minimum investment | High | Flexible |
The one area where traditional TV may still have a role: broad reach among older demographics, particularly parents and grandparents who influence certain student segments.
Building a full-funnel enrollment marketing strategy
CTV advertising for universities works best as part of an integrated approach. Streaming ads build awareness and recognition at the top of funnel. Display retargeting maintains presence as students research options. Search captures high-intent traffic when students are ready to take action.
The data supports this full-funnel approach. Research shows that 95% of Gen Z uses another device while watching TV. This creates a natural bridge from CTV awareness to mobile and web engagement. They see your ad, pick up their phone, and search your name. The funnel connects.
For enrollment marketing best practices, consider this sequencing:
- Awareness phase: CTV builds recognition among prospective students and parents in target markets.
- Consideration phase: Display and video retargeting keeps your institution visible as families research options.
- Decision phase: Search, email, and direct outreach convert interested prospects into applicants.
- Yield phase: Targeted CTV and display to admitted students reinforces their choice and encourages deposits.
The competitive landscape for higher education marketing
Here’s the context that makes streaming TV advertising for student recruitment urgent: competition for students is intensifying. High school graduate numbers peak in 2025 before a projected decline. 38 states will see enrollment drops over the next 15 years.
Meanwhile, 51% of universities still lack an established SEO strategy. Many remain over-indexed on traditional marketing channels that can’t reach Gen Z.
The institutions that adopt CTV advertising for higher education now, while the channel is still underutilized by competitors, will build awareness advantages that compound over time. Those waiting for the enrollment cliff to arrive before adapting may find they’ve waited too long.
Moving forward with higher ed CTV advertising
If your current media mix is heavily weighted toward channels that can’t reach Gen Z, the data suggests a rebalancing is warranted.
This doesn’t mean abandoning what works. Search, social, and other performance channels still have their place. But if 65% of your prospective students never see your traditional TV ads, that budget might work harder on connected TV.
The audience is streaming. The attention is available. The measurement exists to prove what’s working. The question is whether your enrollment marketing strategy reflects this reality.
Want to see how CTV and cross-channel advertising performs for enrollment marketing? [Explore the full data and strategies →]