Print's Role in the Student Journey

The Lasting Role of Print on Campus

A student’s relationship with their alma mater starts and ends with print. The acceptance letter that welcomes them to their new life on campus. The signs that direct and inform them, day after day. The diploma that marks the culmination of years of effort. The newsletters that keep them connected, no matter where life takes them. In this blog, we’ll explore how these touchpoints represent and strengthen the lifelong relationship between a school and its scholars. And we’ll highlight just how important quality, consistency, and creativity are in ensuring the powerful potential of print is fully realized.

Admissions & Recruitment

Viewbooks, Brochures, Acceptance Letters

At the start of a student’s journey, print can turn a particular institution from an abstract idea to something real and tangible, even if they live too far away to tour. Full-color, professionally printed viewbooks and brochures create a vivid, inviting picture of daily life on campus and the potential academic and extracurricular experiences they may have. Physically handling these depictions helps the students build affinity for them, even fostering a sense of ‘ownership’ towards that particular collegiate experience.

Then, of course, there’s the physical admission letter. Here, the tangibility of print can heighten the strong, positive emotions related to acceptance. What’s more, a beautifully printed letter creates a prestigious, physical connection with a student. It maintains constant space in a student’s possession. And every time it catches their eye, pinned to the fridge or resting on the dining room table, it serves as another touchpoint in that student’s progress towards enrollment.

Check out our blog for tips on Designing Print Materials That Resonate with Prospective Students

Enrollment & Onboarding

Orientation Guides, Campus Maps, Welcome Kits

After a student has enrolled, print becomes an important part of their orientation to school life. During those first days and weeks, resources like orientation guides, campus maps, welcome kits, and directional signage ensure no one feels lost or neglected. And since they’re standalone, physical materials, they’re easy to immediately access and reference, no URL memory tests or scrolling required. Just the essential information, clearly organized, and framed in positive imagery and messaging, welcoming students to their new home.

Campus Life

Event Materials, Signage, Student Handbooks

As a student’s academic life unfolds, they rely on countless print materials to support and celebrate them on their way. Eye-catching posters and signs announce department events, school-wide celebrations, and upcoming activities. Printed programs and presentation handouts aid their learning and serve as mementos of special occasions. And critical resources, like the all-encompassing student handbook, help them plan their future with clarity and confidence. 

Of course, some of these materials may also be provided in digital format. Student handbooks in particular have shifted heavily towards online distribution in recent years. But even when a digital-first approach is taken, producing and offering high-quality print versions of these materials should be done simultaneously. Because physical resources aren’t just convenient and good for school spirit. They also help accommodate a wider variety of learning styles, ensuring everyone has equal opportunity to see and understand everything their school has to offer.

See more examples of Event Print Materials for Higher Education

Graduation

Printed Programs, Diplomas, Keepsake Prints

Graduation season features one of the most iconic print materials of higher education, perhaps even for life in general - the diploma. These prints need to be beautiful, well-designed, and rigorously constructed. True keepsakes, formed with all the weight and gravitas appropriate for a pivotal life event. 

This same philosophy holds true for the accompanying signage, programs, and takeaways used for this prestigious occasion. Texture, weight, color, shine - every little detail should be chosen with care and executed with excellence. So that students, their families, and the faculty and staff who accompanied them on their journey, know that this moment is being treted with the care and significance it deserves.

Alumni Engagement 

Printed Magazines, Donor Mailers, Branded Stationary

As pivotal as graduation is for printing, it’s not the end of the story. Far from it, in fact. As alumni make their way in the world, their inboxes start filling up, and their lives get hectic, their connection to their alma mater often quickly fades into the background. However, the power of print can go a long way towards turning things around.

Alumni magazines, full of updates on classmates and beloved professors, bring students back to the sense of home they felt at school, even if they’re half a world away. Fundraising mailers help keep the needs of future generations front of mind, and share the impact of donations in a personalized, compelling format. And little gifts, like notepads, address labels, and calendars, help keep beloved symbols of school close during daily life. Print keeps connections strong, year after year, and helps foster a truly global community of fans and supporters, always willing to show their love for the school that helped give them their start.