May 04, 2017 11:07 PM EDT By Audri Taylors, UniversityHerald Reporter

It is now the high time for college search and visits. But for minority students, their social channels are their way of doing college search before they finally make a decision, a new study reveals.

A new report from Royall & Company, a division of EAB suggests that minority student groups have higher likelihood to rely on their social media when doing their college search, Campus Technology reported. It means that these students are more likely going to communicate and interact with the colleges and universities through social media.

The survey was conducted among 5,580 college students, according to PR Newswire, and the results reveal that 25 percent of Hispanic/Latino students and 24 percent of African American students have found a college or university with the help of social media. This is higher compared to the 16 percent of Caucasian students who also utilized the social media in their college search.

Pamela Kiecker Royall, Ph.D., head of research at Royall & Compan, explained how the social media continues to play a role in the lives of college students, even those who are soon-to-be college students. This is even more true with the first-generation, low-income, and minority students.

In the survey, it was also found that students are actively engaged in liking, sharing and watching shared content by colleges and universities, which implies that students pay more attention to what these schools are posting online because they find it more interesting.

Dr. Kiecker Royall also added that these findings only show that underrepresented, college-bound students are less likely to consider their peers and family and do not have the chance to do campus visits as much as their peers. Therefore, colleges and universities must make an effort to maximize the use of social media and increase their efforts when it comes to providing the students the things that they need.

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