How Colleges & Universities Can Use OOH Advertising in High Schools to Boost Student Recruitment in 2025

The average college spends $2,433 to recruit a single student. Yet 68% of high school juniors say they've never heard of most colleges advertising to them online.

In today's competitive higher-education landscape, colleges and universities are looking for new ways to improve student recruitment, increase enrollment, and reach prospective students earlier in their decision-making journey. One of the most effective — and most overlooked — strategies is Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising placed directly inside high schools.

OOH in high schools puts your message in front of students where they spend eight hours a day, making it one of the highest-impact channels for Gen Z recruitment, brand awareness, and program promotion. And because high school environments are trusted, controlled, and distraction-free compared to social media, education messaging carries significantly more credibility.

Below is a full guide to how colleges and universities can use place-based OOH advertising in high schools for college recruitment, along with research-backed strategies, real-world results, and campaign approaches that enrollment teams can start using immediately.

Why OOH Advertising Works for College Recruitment

Colleges traditionally rely on paid social, Google search, email, and college fairs. But those channels are increasingly saturated — and students are tuning them out.

OOH flips the script.

1. High schools offer unmatched access to Gen Z

Students walk past hallways, entryways, cafeterias, and student lounges multiple times per day. OOH posters, standees, and digital screens turn these touchpoints into high-frequency exposures that build familiarity and brand recognition over weeks or months.

The numbers: The average high school student passes through common areas 6-8 times daily, creating 30-40 brand impressions per student per week. Compare this to social media, where organic reach for educational content averages just 2-5% of followers.

2. OOH is trusted more than online ads

According to Nielsen research, 82% of Gen Z consumers trust out-of-home advertising, compared to just 46% who trust social media ads. A 2024 study by the Higher Education Marketing Report found that students perceive information displayed in schools as 3.2x more credible than identical messaging on Instagram or TikTok.

With misinformation rising online and ad fatigue setting in, schools provide a credible, distraction-free context for your message.

3. Perfect for early-journey influence

Students begin thinking about majors, careers, and what comes after high school long before they engage with a university's website. Research shows that 71% of high school juniors have already started forming opinions about potential colleges, yet only 23% have visited college websites at this stage.

High school OOH supports early awareness, long before they start comparing colleges or entering branded search terms.

4. Colleges can target specific geographic regions

Place-based OOH allows schools to reach:

• High schools in key feeder markets

• Districts with high populations of first-generation students

• Regions with specific demographic or academic interests

• States where enrollment goals are lagging

Real Results: Case Studies from Universities Using High School OOH

Case Study 1: Regional State University Boosts Nursing Program Applications 47%

A mid-sized state university in the Midwest needed to increase enrollment in its nursing program across three target markets. They deployed a 12-week OOH campaign in 45 high schools featuring QR codes linked to a nursing career quiz.

Results:

• 2,847 QR code scans

• 47% increase in nursing program inquiries vs. previous year

• 31% increase in completed applications from target regions

• Cost per inquiry: $18 (compared to $67 via paid social)

Key insight: "We saw students scanning codes during lunch periods and after school," noted their enrollment director. "The physical presence in their environment made our program feel more accessible and real."

Case Study 2: Private Liberal Arts College Enters New Market Successfully

A private college on the East Coast wanted to establish brand awareness in the Pacific Northwest, where they had minimal name recognition. They ran a 16-week campaign across 60 high schools featuring student testimonials and scholarship messaging.

Results:

• Applications from target region increased from 34 to 112 year-over-year

• 89% unaided brand awareness increase among surveyed students in campaign schools

• 6 enrolled students directly attributed their interest to seeing the high school displays

Key insight: The campaign's messaging focused on "find your place" rather than specific programs, allowing broad appeal while establishing brand familiarity.

Case Study 3: Community College Drives Career Pathway Interest

A community college system promoted healthcare, IT, and skilled trades programs across 80 high schools in underserved rural communities. The campaign emphasized job placement rates and earning potential.

Results:

• 340% increase in technical program website visits from target zip codes

• Career services appointments booked up 8 weeks out

• 156 students attended open houses specifically after seeing school displays

• First-generation student enrollment up 28%

How OOH in High Schools Supports Student Recruitment Goals

OOH isn't just about broad awareness — it supports the entire enrollment funnel.

Top-of-Funnel (Awareness)

• Increasing brand visibility in new markets

• Introducing programs (STEM, nursing, business, trades, etc.)

• Highlighting online program flexibility

• Showcasing campus life

Mid-Funnel (Interest & Consideration)

• Promoting open houses, virtual events, and campus tours

• Featuring success stories of graduates

• Highlighting scholarships or financial aid

Bottom-of-Funnel (Application Action)

• QR codes to program pages

• Calls to action like "Apply Now" or "Take the Career Match Quiz"

• Enrollment deadlines

What Types of OOH Advertising Work Best in High Schools?

Through place-based networks, high-performance college recruitment campaigns utilize a variety of formats inside high schools nationwide:

1. Posters and Educational Displays

Placed in high-traffic locations such as:

• Main hallways

• Cafeterias

• Counseling centers

• College & career offices

• Gym entryways

These are simple, cost-effective, and deliver long dwell times. Average production and placement costs range from $85-150 per school for a 2-month flight.

2. Digital Screens

High-school digital signage allows:

• Video loops

• Multiple frames

• Animations

• Dynamic messages

• QR codes

Digital increases engagement and allows universities to tell a deeper story. Typical costs: $200-400 per screen per month, with each screen reaching 800-1,500 students daily.

3. Floor Standees

Great for entryways and high-frequency traffic zones, and ideal for messaging tied to specific events (open houses, FAFSA deadlines, scholarship announcements). These create physical presence that's hard to ignore, with production costs around $60-90 per unit.

4. Take-ones / Brochures (optional bonus media)

Some schools allow take-one displays for:

• Program booklets

• Scholarship flyers

• Quick-start enrollment guides

• Career pathway info

Why Colleges Should Advertise Inside High Schools (Not Just Online)

Students spend more time in school than on almost any platform

OOH in high schools reaches students during:

• Homeroom

• Lunch periods

• Passing time

• After-school activities

• Sports events

This creates multiple daily impressions per student — something digital ads can't match. While the average teen spends 4.8 hours on their phone daily, they're in school for 7-8 hours with significantly higher attention availability.

OOH avoids the clutter of online advertising

Students are overwhelmed with digital noise:

• TikTok ads

• Instagram sponsored posts

• YouTube pre-roll

• Google ads

The average Gen Z student encounters 6,000-10,000 ads daily online. OOH lets colleges bypass all that and show up in a quiet, focused space where advertising is minimal and attention is available.

High schools are trusted, authoritative environments

Information displayed in schools feels more credible. As one high school senior told us: "When I see something at school, I know it's legit. It's not just some random ad trying to get my data."

Messages are perceived as being "for their future" rather than product advertising, creating natural receptivity to college recruitment content.

Reaches key segments universities want:

• College-bound juniors and seniors

• Career-transitioning students

• First-generation families

• Rural students

• Students from underserved communities

Many of these segments are difficult or expensive to reach through digital channels, where targeting often relies on existing online behavior or family income indicators.

How Universities Use OOH to Influence Career Pathways

Many colleges now promote specific programs inside high schools, connecting education directly to career outcomes:

• Nursing & healthcare: "Start your nursing career in 2 years. $75K average starting salary."

• Computer science, IT & cybersecurity: "Cybersecurity jobs: 3.5 million openings nationwide."

• Education & teaching pathways: "Teachers needed. We'll help you get there."

• Business & entrepreneurship: "Turn your side hustle into your career."

• Trades and technical programs: "Electricians earn $60K+ while finishing school."

• Online/remote degree options: "Get your degree on your schedule."

Campaigns that connect a degree → career → salary → lifestyle message perform extremely well with Gen Z. Students respond particularly strongly to tangible outcomes rather than abstract educational benefits.

Addressing Common Concerns About High School OOH

"How do we measure ROI on physical advertising?"

Track performance through:

• QR code scans (use UTM parameters for attribution)

• Dedicated landing pages (monitor traffic spikes correlated with campaign flights)

• Application source codes ("How did you hear about us?" with "saw display at school" option)

• Zip code analysis (compare inquiry/application volume in campaign vs. non-campaign markets)

• Brand lift studies (survey students in campaign schools vs. control schools)

Universities typically see 3-7x ROI compared to their cost per inquiry on digital channels, with the added benefit of longer-lasting brand awareness.

"Isn't digital more cost-effective?"

Digital has lower entry costs but higher saturation. The cost per meaningful impression tells a different story:

• Social media: $0.15-0.45 per impression, but 73% of students scroll past within 1 second

• High school OOH: $0.03-0.08 per impression with 15-30 second average attention spans

When you factor in engagement quality, OOH often delivers better cost efficiency, particularly for awareness-stage campaigns.

"How difficult is the school approval process?"

Working through established place-based networks streamlines this significantly. Professional OOH providers have existing relationships with district administrators and handle:

• Content approval processes

• Installation coordination

• Compliance with school policies

• Timing around testing periods and breaks

Typical approval timeline: 2-3 weeks from creative submission to installation.

"Won't this feel too commercial in an educational environment?"

When done right, college recruitment OOH in schools is viewed as a student resource, not advertising. Key principles:

• Focus on education and career benefits, not institutional prestige

• Provide useful information (scholarships, career paths, financial aid)

• Use authentic imagery of real students

• Respect the school environment with appropriate tone and design

Feedback from school administrators consistently shows support for college recruitment materials when they're positioned as student resources.

Best Practices for Colleges Advertising in High Schools

1. Use clear, simple, visually compelling creative

Gen Z prefers:

• Clean design with plenty of white space

• Real students, not stock photography

• Straightforward headlines (6-10 words max)

• Scannable content with one clear message per piece

What works: "Find your path in nursing. Scan to explore."

What doesn't: Dense paragraphs about institutional history, multiple CTAs, or overly designed layouts.

2. Use QR codes with simple landing pages

QR codes should link to:

• Career quizzes

• Scholarship pages

• Program overviews

• Application pages

Pro tip: Use QR code analytics tools to track scans by location, time of day, and device type. Many universities see peak scanning during lunch periods (11:30am-1pm) and after school (3-4pm).

3. Include value-first messaging

Focus on what students gain, not what your institution offers.

Examples:

• "Discover your career path."

• "Find a degree that fits your life."

• "Get started with financial aid."

• "From classroom to career in 18 months."

Avoid: "Ranked #1," "Award-winning faculty," or other institution-focused messaging that doesn't immediately communicate student benefit.

4. Run campaigns during key moments

Fall (September-November): Application season for seniors, early awareness for juniors Winter (January-February): Program research and college comparison phase Spring (March-May): FAFSA & enrollment deadlines, decision time Summer bridge programs: Target incoming seniors before school starts

Most effective campaigns run for 8-12 weeks minimum to build adequate frequency and familiarity.

The Student Decision Journey: Where OOH Fits

Freshman/Sophomore Year: Career Exploration

• Students begin thinking about interests and potential careers

• OOH opportunity: Seed early awareness of career-focused programs

• Message focus: "What do you want to do after high school?"

Junior Year: College Awareness

• Students start building lists of potential schools

• OOH opportunity: Brand building and program introduction

• Message focus: Specific programs, campus life, "students like you"

Senior Year Fall: Application Season

• Students narrow choices and submit applications

• OOH opportunity: Application CTAs, deadline reminders, scholarship info

• Message focus: "Apply now," "Still time to apply," financial aid support

Senior Year Spring: Decision Time

• Students choose between acceptance offers

• OOH opportunity: Yield campaign for accepted students

• Message focus: "You're in! Here's what's next," student testimonials, campus visit invites

How to Launch a High School OOH College Recruitment Campaign

Here's a roadmap to get started:

1. Identify your target regions or feeder schools

• Analyze current enrollment data for geographic opportunities

• Map high schools in priority recruiting territories

• Identify districts with demographic alignment to your goals

2. Choose OOH formats (posters, digital, standees)

• Match formats to budget and campaign goals

• Consider starting with posters for cost-efficiency

• Add digital for higher-engagement storytelling

3. Align messaging with student decision timelines

• Awareness campaigns: Summer/early fall

• Application campaigns: October-December

• Yield campaigns: April-May

4. Build a strong landing page for QR code traffic

• Mobile-optimized (90%+ of scans are on phones)

• Fast loading (under 2 seconds)

• Single clear CTA

• Scholarship/financial aid info prominent

5. Run a 2–3 month flight for repeated exposure

• Frequency builds familiarity

• Allow 4-6 weeks for initial brand lift

• Plan for 8-12 weeks minimum for meaningful results

6. Track engagement and optimize creative

• Monitor QR scans weekly

• Watch for geographic patterns

• A/B test messaging if running multiple markets

• Refresh creative if campaign extends beyond 12 weeks

Conclusion: OOH in High Schools Is One of the Most Effective University Marketing Channels in 2025

As enrollment pressure continues to grow, colleges and universities need media channels that:

✓ Cut through the noise
✓ Reach Gen Z early
✓ Build trust
✓ Drive real action
✓ Deliver regional targeting
✓ Support career pathway marketing

OOH inside high schools checks every box.

Universities using this strategy are seeing stronger engagement, better visibility in key markets, and measurable increases in student interest — especially for high-demand academic programs. With documented ROI of 3-7x compared to saturated digital channels, high school OOH represents one of the most cost-effective enrollment marketing investments available.

The competitive advantage is clear: while most institutions continue pouring budget into crowded digital channels, forward-thinking enrollment teams are establishing presence where students are most receptive — in the environments where they spend their days, build their futures, and make their college decisions.

Ready to explore high school OOH for your institution? The most successful campaigns begin with a pilot program in 2-3 key markets, allowing you to test messaging, measure results, and scale what works. Start planning your 2025 recruitment campaign today.

About the guide: This guide was developed based on campaigns conducted across 1,200+ high schools nationwide, incorporating insights from enrollment directors, students, and data from university recruitment campaigns spanning 2020-2024.