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ThemeStatisticFigureYearGeographySource
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Marketing Budgets & SpendUK universities' collective annual marketing budgets£180m+2026UKSource
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Marketing Budgets & Spend
Higher education marketing leaders being asked to do more, with less budget.
65%2026USASource
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Marketing Budgets & Spend
Higher education marketing leaders say their marketing budgets either remained flat or declined.
69%2026USASource
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Marketing Budgets & SpendShare of UK university marketing spend that is digital72%2026UKSource
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Marketing Budgets & SpendHigher ed marketing leaders citing limited budget as top barrier80%2025GlobalSource
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SEO & Organic SearchShare of qualified enquiries from organic search (UK universities)28-32%2026UKSource
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SEO & Organic SearchShare of higher ed website traffic from organic search46%2024GlobalSource
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SEO & Organic SearchShare of university website impressions from non-branded terms87.09%2024GlobalSource
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SEO & Organic SearchConversion rate of organic vs paid search visitors61% vs 42%2024GlobalSource
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SEO & Organic SearchEducation-related searches now returning an AI Overview78%2026USASource
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Paid Search & Paid Social AdvertisingAverage Google Ads CPC, education sector vs cross-industry$6.23 vs $5.262025GlobalSource
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Paid Search & Paid Social AdvertisingShare of UK qualified enquiries from paid search18-22%2026UKSource
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Paid Search & Paid Social AdvertisingEducation sector conversion rate on Meta lead campaigns10.05%2025GlobalSource
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Paid Search & Paid Social AdvertisingSeasonal increase in UK paid search CPCs (May-August)Up to 2x2026UKSource
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Social Media & Video MarketingGen Z citing social media as first place to search41%2025GlobalSource
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Social Media & Video MarketingTikTok's share of initial university awareness among UK 18-24s18-28%2026UKSource
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Social Media & Video MarketingEducational content's share of total TikTok views16.10%2026GlobalSource
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Social Media & Video MarketingProspective students using YouTube as a search engine61%2026GlobalSource
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Email MarketingEmail-to-application conversion rate for warm prospects7.70%2026UKSource
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Email MarketingAverage education sector email open rate35.5%2025GlobalSource
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Email MarketingAverage education sector email click through rate3.20%2025GlobalSource
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Email MarketingConversion improvement from email campaigns20-35%2026USASource
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AI in Education MarketingProspective students using AI chatbots for college research60%2026GlobalSource
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AI in Education MarketingProspective students reading Google AI Overviews79%2025GlobalSource
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AI in Education MarketingEducation-related Google searches showing an AI Overview83%2025GlobalSource
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AI in Education MarketingHigher ed marketing teams using AI for enrolment marketing65%2025GlobalSource
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AI in Education MarketingInstitutions with a formal AI search strategy30%2025GlobalSource
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School & Independent School Marketing
Schools that spend more than 70% of their total media budget on digital channels
35%2026USASource
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School & Independent School MarketingIndependent schools with annual marketing budgets over $70,00054% (28% over $120k)2026GlobalSource
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School & Independent School MarketingMarketing spend per enrolled student$2,000-5,0002026USASource
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School & Independent School Marketing
Inquiry-to-application conversion, established vs newer independent schools
20-35% vs 10-20%2026GlobalSource
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UK Higher Education Applicant BehaviourTotal UCAS applicants by June 2025 deadline665,070 (+1.3%)2025UKSource
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UK Higher Education Applicant BehaviourUK 18-year-old applicants by January 2026 deadline338,940 (+4.8%)2026UKSource
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UK Higher Education Applicant BehaviourCross-channel enquiry-to-application conversion rate5.70%2026UKSource
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UK Higher Education Applicant BehaviourConversion uplift from engaging across 3+ channels2x2026UKSource
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UK Higher Education Applicant BehaviourClearing's share of total UK undergraduate intake24%2026UKSource
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International Student RecruitmentInternational applications to UK universities138,460 (+2.2%)2025UKSource
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International Student RecruitmentApplications from China, the largest source market33,870 (+10%)2025UKSource
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International Student Recruitment
Fee income from international students percentage of total income for higher education providers
23%2025UKSource
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International Student RecruitmentPercent of UK students influenced by an open day82%2025UKSource
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