The Audit: 5 Student Audiences Your Admissions Website is Probably Ignoring

I audited 50+undergraduate admissions websites across institutional types. Most sites are still built for one student.

There is a version of the admissions website that was designed for one student: the traditional, first-time, full-time freshman who graduated from a public high school, has two parents who went to college, knows what a FAFSA is, and has never served in the military, been homeschooled, or wondered whether their immigration status might complicate the process of applying somewhere.

That student exists. But increasingly, they are not even the majority.

When a student who doesn't fit that default profile lands on your admissions website, does what they find feel like it was built for them, or does it feel like an afterthought?

Nearly every admissions site offers the same three pathways: first-year domestic, first-year international, and transfer. Those three exist because the processes are genuinely different. That's the right instinct.

The problem is that most institutions stop there — and the students who exist beyond those three buckets find themselves searching for information that either doesn't exist, is buried three clicks deep, or is accurate but entirely without warmth.

In reviewing 50+ admissions websites across every institutional type, here are five audiences most institutions are either missing entirely or handling poorly.

1. First-Generation Students: Nearly Universal, Almost Always Answering the Wrong Question

Most admissions websites now have some form of first-gen content. The belonging message has become standard: We see you. We have resources. You belong here.

That matters. First-generation students are twice as likely to leave college without a degree as their continuing-generation peers, even when they arrive academically prepared. They make up more than half of all undergraduates. The stakes are significant.

But most first-gen pages answer the wrong question. They describe what happens after a student enrolls — the living-learning community, the mentorship program, the dedicated advising staff. What they almost never answer is the question a first-generation student is actually sitting with: How do I apply when no one at home has done this?

The best pages we reviewed ( like John’s Hopkins) speak to the student who is applying, not just the one who has already arrived. They explain the process. They demystify the language. They name a human being who can help.

Most first-gen pages are retention tools wearing recruitment clothes.

2. Dual Enrollment Students: Already Ahead and They Know It

In 2022-23, nearly 2.5 million high schoolers took at least one dual enrollment course. By 2023-24, that number grew another 12%, with 47 states reporting increases. Add the nearly 3 million students who took AP exams, and you have a massive share of the incoming class arriving with college credit already earned.

These students apply as first-year students, but their decision-making looks nothing like a traditional freshman's. Before they commit anywhere, they want to know: Will my credits count? Will I repeat content I've already mastered? If I walk in with 30 credit hours, will I be placed accordingly?

AP credits are generally accepted uniformly, but dual enrollment credits vary widely by institution. That inconsistency is exactly what these students are trying to navigate before they apply, and most websites give them nothing to work with.

Credit transfer information needs to be findable before the application, not after. It needs to be searchable by course, not buried in a registrar FAQ. And it needs to acknowledge that the work these students put in during high school has real value. This is especially true for first-gen students with significant dual credit, for whom losing those hours feels like a concrete financial and academic loss before they've set foot on campus.

3. Military and Veteran Students: Mission-Dependent, Not Universal

Here is where I want to say something that might be uncomfortable: not every institution needs a dedicated military and veteran admissions page.

If your campus enrolls one or two veterans a year, what those students need is a counselor who knows how to handle the conversation — not a page that signals a commitment you can't back up.

But for institutions where veterans represent a meaningful enrollment share, the dedicated page is not optional. And the range in quality is enormous.

Yale's veteran admissions page includes student stories, a fee waiver, Yellow Ribbon details, and an explicit checklist of everything a veteran needs to apply. At the weak end, you find a paragraph under "Special Populations" with a link to VA.gov. That's not support. It's redirection.

My alma mater, Eastern Kentucky University, is one of the most instructive examples. EKU offers a peer sponsorship program, membership in SALUTE, named scholarships, and a credit equivalency portal that lets veterans search military training equivalencies before they apply. The commitment is genuine and nationally recognized — EKU is now ranked the No. 1 large public university in the nation for Military Friendly Schools.

And yet the admissions-facing entry point could read better for someone still deciding. The mission is right. The marketing isn’t quite there yet.

That gap between what an institution has built and what its website communicates is more common than anyone in enrollment wants to acknowledge.

4. Undocumented and DACA Students: High Stakes, Must Be Current

This is where the cost of getting the website wrong is highest and the landscape is shifting fastest.

As of early 2026, new DACA applications remain blocked by court order, renewals continue for existing recipients, and a pending Texas ruling could strip work authorization from recipients in the state. What was accurate on your undocumented student page six months ago may not be accurate today. A stale page is almost worse than no page at all.

The strongest pages we reviewed classify DACA and undocumented students as domestic applicants — which is both legally accurate and emotionally correct. They name a specific contact person. They address financial aid in plain language. They commit to keeping the page current.

Johns Hopkins does this well: explicit domestic classification, need-blind admissions confirmation, CSS Profile guidance, a named staff contact, and even a policy for what happens if a student loses DACA status during enrollment. That specificity is what determines whether a student trusts you enough to apply.

For private institutions especially, this is an area with meaningful room to lead independent of state policy.

Note: Of all the audiences in this article, undocumented and DACA students were among the most difficult to find strong admissions examples for. Many institutions provide support after enrollment, but far fewer intentionally address these students during the college search process.

5. Homeschool: A Doubled Pipeline That Most Websites Haven't Noticed Yet

Before the pandemic, homeschooled students represented about 2.8% of the school-age population. By 2024-25, that figure had risen to roughly 6% — an estimated 3.4 million students.

The growth has held. This is structural, not temporary.

Most admissions websites have not noticed. What they have is a paragraph buried in the first-year domestic page, limited to transcript requirements and counselor letter logistics.

What's missing is any acknowledgment of what a homeschool family actually needs when they land on your site: assurance that their student's background won't be viewed with suspicion, that the absence of a traditional transcript doesn't mean the absence of a serious student, and that someone at your institution has thought about them specifically.

The bar is low. Most of your competitors are offering a paragraph. A page that speaks to homeschool families with the same intentionality you bring to your first-gen content would stand out significantly.

The Real Question

None of these five audiences are new. First-gen students have always existed. Veterans have always existed. Homeschool families have been growing for a decade. What’s new is the scale — and the expectation.

Students today arrive at your website already having done research. They’ve compared you to three or four other institutions before they ever click “Apply.” And when they land on a page that clearly wasn’t built with them in mind, they don’t call to ask questions. They leave.

The fix is rarely a full website redesign. More often, it’s a page. A section. A sentence that says, “We thought about you specifically.” That’s what the best institutions in this audit got right, not bigger budgets, but clearer intention about who they were talking to.

Your website doesn’t have to speak to everyone. But it should speak to the students you’re actually trying to enroll.

Looking for inspiration?

If you’re wondering what this looks like in practice, here are a few institutions doing a thoughtful job of recognizing these student audiences. None of these examples are perfect, but they’re a great place to gather ideas as you evaluate your own admissions website.

First-generation students

• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign First-Generation Students⁠: https://www.admissions.illinois.edu/apply/first-gen

One of the strongest examples because it serves as a true admissions hub. Rather than simply celebrating first-generation students, it walks prospective students through the application process, financial aid, enrollment steps and campus support in one place.

• Georgia State University First-Generation Students⁠: https://admissions.gsu.edu/bachelors-degree/first-generation-students

Georgia State really does well by focusing on reducing uncertainty by explaining the admissions process, financial aid and support resources in language designed specifically for first-generation students and their families.

Dual enrollment students

• Georgia State University Dual Enrollment Admissions⁠: https://admissions.gsu.edu/bachelors-degree/apply/dual-enrollment/

A great example of speaking directly to dual enrollment students instead of burying the information within freshman admissions. The page explains eligibility, application steps, funding, timelines and frequently asked questions in one place.

• Cedarville University: https://www.cedarville.edu/admissions/dual-enrollment

Cedarville approaches dual enrollment as a distinct student population rather than simply a way to earn college credit. The university provides a dedicated hub with admissions information, tuition, scholarships, advising, course options and pathways into undergraduate enrollment. It also includes resources for parents.

Military and veteran students

• University of Illinois Military-Connected Applicants⁠: https://www.admissions.illinois.edu/apply/military-connected

Illinois recognizes that military-connected students have unique questions. The page organizes information around admissions, paying for college, military benefits, housing and veteran resources instead of expecting students to piece everything together themselves.

• Fordham University: https://military.fordham.edu/

Fordham has created a dedicated website for military-connected students that brings together admissions, financial aid, Yellow Ribbon Program information, transfer pathways and military support services in one place. Rather than expecting prospective students to navigate multiple offices, Fordham recognizes the unique needs of military and veteran students early in the college search process.

Undocumented and DACA students

• Rice University Undocumented & DACA Student FAQs⁠: https://daca.rice.edu/undocumented-students-faq

Rice answers difficult questions directly, including admissions policies, financial aid and campus support. The page is reassuring without being vague, helping students understand exactly where they stand.

Homeschool students

• Cedarville University: https://www.cedarville.edu/admissions/undergraduate/homeschool-students

Cedarville has built far more than an admissions page for homeschool students. The university offers a dedicated resource hub with homeschool-specific admissions information, sample transcripts, parent resources, visit opportunities, dual enrollment information and partnerships with homeschool organizations.

• Asbury University: https://www.asbury.edu/undergraduate/admissions/homeschool-families/

Asbury takes a similarly thoughtful approach by creating resources specifically for homeschool families. Beyond admissions information, the university highlights homeschool visit days, academic experiences, dual enrollment opportunities and resources designed to help families navigate the transition to college.

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This is part of The Audit series, where I take a close look at the pages and touchpoints that shape how students and families experience your institution and what you can do about it. If you'd like a fresh set of eyes on your admissions website or your broader enrollment communications, let's talk.