Marketplace Tech AI meets the search for a BA
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Feb 25, 2026 Teenagers are increasingly using AI to search for colleges and assess campus vibe. Students prompt tools for programs, sports, and social scene details. Colleges are spending big to shape AI discoverability and add career-focused FAQs. AI often recycles top-ranked schools, pushing institutions to signal unique fits.
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Half Of College-Bound Teens Use AI
- About half of high schoolers planning to attend college now use AI tools to research schools, nearly double since last spring.
- EAB co-author Michael Koppenheffer says students ask AI targeted queries like program fit and campus vibe to simplify the exhausting search.
College Consultant Sees Students Lean On AI
- Jennifer Jesse notes students ask AI for tailored college lists, e.g., specific engineering programs or good football teams.
- She and Koppenheffer report teens feed preferences into AI and get lists or pro-con comparisons of their admit/scholarship options.
Teens Ask AI To Scout Campus Vibe
- Students use AI for nuanced questions like campus vibe by asking it to survey Reddit and Instagram.
- Michael Koppenheffer highlights teens' use of social media-savvy prompts to assess campus culture beyond rankings.