A generation on pace to be the largest in history is set to enter higher education spaces in the next four years.
Gen Alpha, born between 2010 and 2025, is the first generation to be entirely born with the iPhone in play. They’re the on-demand generation, having only known a world that allows immediate access to information, from anywhere. They’re social media pros immersed in a landscape dominated by AI and data — and, according to research from Mark McCrindle, the social researcher who first coined the term “Generation Alpha,” they’re set to number over 2 billion by 2025.
So, what does this generational shift mean for educators and their institutions?
A greater focus on technology — which, for technologists like myself, means that Gen Alpha's upcoming entry into higher education offers exciting innovation opportunities to more fully integrate digital solutions into all aspects of the higher education experience.
It also requires a new mindset and openness on the part of the industry higher education itself. Gen Alpha’s technological fluency and global connectedness will require a fundamental overhaul of not only how educational content is delivered and consumed, but also how higher education institutions engage students beyond the classroom. This includes a massive revision in how institutions operationalize the processes that attract and enroll students in higher education experiences.
How is Gen Alpha poised to transform higher education?
In the next few years, as Gen Alpha starts to research and attend college, this savvy generation will base their decisions on more than a school’s brand or where their parents enrolled. They’ll prioritize flexible, interconnected, and personalized digital touchpoints that make their higher education journey more convenient and comfortable. The generation that comes after, Generation Beta, will only continue to push this trend forward.
Educational institutions will be in no position to play catch up. With a few years left before Gen Alpha packs their backs for college, now is the right time for leaders to pursue the technology innovations required to support this generation throughout higher ed.
Many higher education institutions are already taking the steps to prepare. What’s on their radars, and how can you follow the industry leaders? Here are four focus areas.
1. Redefining Learning
Much of Gen Alpha will have grown up watching TikTok videos and other micro-sized digital content about how to cook or solve math problems. They’re used to digesting bite-sized information in 2- to 4-minute bursts.
This preference pushes schools to adopt micro and virtual learning experiences — shifting from structured, auditory learning to interactive, visually engaging, and multimodal learning environments. Virtual reality technologies that support learning scenarios where students can jump from dissecting a frog to exploring a volcano in a matter of seconds already exist, and now it’s a matter of higher education institutions investing in these resources.
Likewise, schools will need to provide even more personalized, targeted learning to meet the individualized needs and learning styles of a generation accustomed to instant and tailored resources. Institutions may increasingly leverage AI and other adaptive learning technologies capable of adjusting curriculum in real time to the abilities and interests of each student.
2. Globalizing Classrooms
Gen Alpha is not only the most diverse educational cohort to date, but the most globally connected as well.
Born into an era when digital connections, diverse experiences, and cross-cultural interactions are the norm, Gen Alpha will expect their higher education experiences to mirror their inherent global perspective.
Schools will need to embrace international and cross-cultural engagements in the classroom. Educators may also look to expand virtual and in-person exchange programs and global collaborative projects that enable students to communicate and connect with peers worldwide.
These efforts necessitate the right support and digital processes for students to seamlessly navigate the global landscape without having to worry about complicated administrative tasks like making payments.
Attracting and supporting students globally will be even more important amid the impending enrollment cliff. International college applications have increased at three times the rate of domestic ones since the 2019-2020 academic year, a trend that will likely continue. India, China, and Indonesia will be home to the most Gen Alphas out of all countries worldwide. U.S. educational experiences must rise to the task of welcoming a globalized student body and ensuring flexible, streamlined processes that ease transitions.
3. Educating beyond a degree
The reality is two-thirds of Gen Alphas will work in jobs that don’t exist today. Higher education must be prepared to support learners through this workforce transition.
As skepticism about the value of higher education grows, many Gen Alphas may move away from traditional degree programs to focus on developing skills that align directly with emerging job markets. This trend is already underway among current high school and college-age people, 75% of whom are now interested in vocational schools offering paid, on-the-job training. Gen Alpha students will only reinforce this educational shift.
Colleges and universities will need to offer options beyond a traditional four-year degree, which may include micro-credentialing programs and interdisciplinary curriculums that combine subjects to foster creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, and other skills that can’t be performed by technology. Schools will also need to ensure their offerings remain relevant and adaptable to a rapidly changing world.
4. Supporting global, digital, and efficient experiences
Gen Alpha has grown up in a world marked by global, digital, and efficient experiences — and they will expect the same from the higher education institutions they attend. If schools want to attract and engage Gen Alpha students, they must overhaul their technology systems and embed digitally native traits into experiences everywhere.
Billing and payments is a key area in which many institutions have work to do. For Gen Alpha, the following scenarios will be the norm:
- A student paying a bill or checking their account should receive a clear and concise account statement, which shows what they owe and allows them to learn more.
- An international student may want to use alternative payment methods from their home country such as ApplePay, Venmo, Alipay, and WeChatPay.
- A student playing Fortnite in their dorm may choose to use mobile and device-friendly payment services that enable them to make a payment directly from their PS5 or Xbox.
Gen Alpha expects these types of seamless, simple, and flexible digital experiences in every part of their higher education journey. Even if academic leaders address these needs within the classroom, Gen Alpha may be, at the very least, left disappointed when this standard is not upheld elsewhere, as in during financial interactions. At most, they may abandon a payment altogether.
Gen Alpha will make the collegiate journey their own
It’s great news that Gen Alpha will be the most educated generation ever, bringing a new level of smarts and sophistication to their academic careers — and to the world in general. In fact, it’s expected one in two Gen Alphas will obtain a college degree.
While higher education has always adapted and evolved to address the changing needs of its students, the next generation demands technology transformation unlike any we’ve ever seen. And perhaps different from any previous generation, Gen Alpha’s expectation for digital excellence will extend well beyond the classroom, from how future students access their dorm rooms to how they pay for their tuition.