College Is Worth It (CIWI)

Program Description: 

College Is Worth It (CIWI) is an advocacy campaign by the National Association of Higher Education Systems. The campaign aims to use digital marketing to change the narrative around college and the value of a degree. 
The first phase of the campaign placed targeted advertisements across social media. These ads featured data about the personal and financial value of a college degree using statistics applicable to everyday life. 

The second phase of the campaign leveraged influencers to share content through both paid and free channels. Influencers were recruited across backgrounds, from celebrities to gamers to current high school and college students to parents. The CIWI campaign encouraged them to share their experiences with college, complete the FAFSA, and consider real-world affordability. Messaging was distributed across TikTok and Instagram, and high-performing videos were repurposed for paid ads across Meta. 

A third phase is in the development stages. Based on the strong performance seen with influencer-led content, the third phase will likely center even more “authentic, creator-led” content and short-form storytelling. The campaign also plans to specifically try to reach more first-generation, community college, and nontraditional learners with future material. 

Impact:

The program proved to be very financially efficient. Cost per link click ranged from $0.13-$0.24 per click. The average cost per link click for higher education campaigns on Meta is $1.00-$1.85. 

According to a case study of the program, the influencer videos, in particular, drove meaningful engagement: not just views, but shares, saves, and comments. 

The first phase of the program, which focused on targeted ads, was primarily engaged with by older demographics. But the influencer-led content was primarily engaged with by students, recent graduates, and parents of college learners. 

Population Served:

Future and current college learners and their networks, including family members.

Learn more here.  

Page last updated in August 2026