The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how college-bound Generation Z students describe higher education institutions' use of social media as a marketing tool during their college choice experience in Texas. The foundation for the study was the college choice model from Hossler and Gallagher that identified three phases of predisposition, search, and choice for students who are choosing among higher education institutions. The overarching research question was "how do college-bound Generation Z students describe higher education institutions' use of social media as a marketing tool during their college choice experience?" There were three similar research questions for each of the phases in the college choice model. Convenience sampling was used to obtain 110 participants for two separate data sources without any participant completing both sources. Data were collected via 90 questionnaires with mixed questions, mostly open-ended, and 20 semi-structured interviews from a sample of 18 to 24-year-old students in Texas. The 110 participants used a total of 18 different social media platforms and attended 43 different Texas colleges. Text data were coded for thematic analysis in the process outlined by Braun and Clarke. The findings of this study provided a total of eight themes that fit the descriptions of higher education institutions' use of social media as a marketing tool with a range of engagement, generally limited, in the college choice experience. Two themes addressed the overarching question and two themes addressed each of the predisposition, search, and choice phases. These findings can be applied as marketing personnel strategically plan to engage prospective students in their college choice process. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]