Education Marketing in the AI Age: Turning Search Queries into Enrollment Applications:

Prospective students today aren’t just Googling colleges – they’re asking ChatGPT about “best computer science programs” or using AI-powered search to explore courses and careers. Education marketing must evolve to meet these students in AI-driven channels. In this blog, we’ll discuss how universities, colleges, and education marketers can leverage GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) to attract and engage students. We’ll cover answering common student queries through content (and thus via AI), optimizing program pages for voice and AI search, using experience and trust signals (like alumni success stories) to stand out, and ensuring your institution stays visible when AI guides students through the selection process. Ultimately, the goal is to turn those AI search interactions into real-world applications and enrollments.

The New Student Search Behavior:

Recent research indicates a growing number of students are using AI tools to inform their college search. A 2025 survey found that 23% of graduating seniors used AI (like ChatGPT) to explore colleges, up from just 4% two years prior[61]. Students ask things like “Which universities have good engineering programs?” or even “What’s student life like at [College]?” directly to AI. Additionally, Google’s SGE can summarize info about institutions – for example, a query like “Stanford vs MIT computer science” might yield an AI-driven comparison overview, pulling from various sources.

What does this mean? If your school or program isn’t part of that synthesis – if AI can’t easily find details about you or doesn’t recognize your brand – you could be invisible to a chunk of prospective students. On the other hand, those who adapt will have a new avenue to influence students’ decisions.

Strategies for Education Marketers:

  1. Answer Students’ Questions Directly: Think about the typical questions students (and parents) ask during their research. Examples:
  2. “What majors is [University] known for?”
  3. “What is the average class size at [College]?”
  4. “How much financial aid can I get at [School]?”
  5. “What are student reviews of [University]?”

Ensure your website content addresses these plainly. Create an FAQ page or expand your FAQ if you have one, covering academics, campus life, admissions, cost, etc. Use the question format (H2 or H3 with the question, followed by a concise answer)[62].

For instance, a question on your site: “Q: What is the average class size in the Computer Science program? A: About 30 students per class in introductory courses, and 15-20 in upper-level seminars.” If a student asks an AI “class size at X college CS program”, it might directly quote or paraphrase your answer. The EAB blog noted that broad queries surface aggregated results, while specific ones pull directly from school sites[63] – meaning if they ask specifically about your school, the AI is more likely to use your content, so make sure it’s there and accurate[43].

Also consider more general queries: e.g., “best colleges for marine biology on the west coast” – do you have content or a blog highlighting your Marine Bio program and its unique strengths? That could be included in an AI’s roundup if well-optimized (and if your program truly stands out).

  1. Use Student-Friendly Language and Tone: Ensure your content (especially marketing pages) speaks to students’ perspective and uses terms they use. For example, instead of a very formal tone, a slightly conversational FAQ answer can be fine. If a student asks “Is [College] party life active?”, an AI might be scanning student forums or blogs. Consider having student-written blogs or a student life section addressing social life honestly (“There’s a vibrant social scene, with events from club-organized parties to campus festivals…”). If AI sees only dry administrative text, it may turn to unofficial sources for colorful descriptions (which you then have no control over). Provide an authentic voice on such topics on your official channels to influence the narrative.
  2. Showcase E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust): When it comes to higher ed, trust is huge. Parents and students want credible, quality institutions.
  1. Experience: Feature testimonials or stories (videos, blog posts) from current students and alumni – their first-hand experiences (internships, projects, campus vibe). AI might not directly quote “I loved my time here” in an answer, but these experiences can be parsed into facts (like “students highlight close-knit community” might come from multiple testimonials). Also, any “experience” signals like faculty profiles with industry experience add credibility if mentioned on your site (and can find their way into knowledge panels or AI data).
  2. Expertise: Highlight faculty achievements, rankings, accreditation. For example, if your business school is AACSB accredited or your faculty member won an award, mention it. If a user asks an AI “is [School] good for business?”, the AI might cite that accreditation or ranking as evidence (if you’ve made it available and it’s known in data sources)[64].
  3. Authoritativeness: Ensure your website is seen as the authoritative source on info about your school. Google’s algorithm likely already does; for AI, this means having accurate, comprehensive info on official pages so the AI doesn’t have to rely on third-party (sometimes outdated) sources like random blog posts or niche college sites. Also, be present on trusted platforms: maintain an updated Wikipedia page (many AI responses pull from Wikipedia for facts like founding year, etc.), and manage your Google Knowledge Panel (via Google Business/education listings).
  1. Trustworthiness: Keep information current (like tuition fees, application deadlines). If AI pulls outdated data (“tuition is $20k” when it’s now $23k), that’s a problem – EAB experts emphasized keeping site content current and well-structured because AI pulls directly[41]. Also, display trust signals like campus safety info, data privacy (for EdTech products), etc.
  2. Leverage Structured Data (College Schema, etc.): Use structured data where applicable. Schema.org has types like CollegeOrUniversity, and properties for things like “faculty” count, etc. Also Event schema for campus tours or open houses can be useful (if someone asks “when is next open house at [College]?” an AI with access to structured events might answer). For course pages or MOOC providers, using schema for courses (if applicable) can help in educational search features (Google has some rich results for courses).
  3. Monitor and Manage AI Content for Accuracy: As brand guardians, check what AI is saying about you. For instance, ask ChatGPT or Bing, “Tell me about [Your University].” Does it get facts right? Some studies showed GPT-4.5 made up answers 37% of time on certain tests[33], so you might catch inaccuracies. If you find errors, that’s a brand safety issue (Blog #19 covers how to handle that). Solutions include: ensure the correct info is widely available (update Wikipedia, ensure your site’s FAQ addresses it, maybe do press releases for major changes like a new president or program so it’s in news data). Some colleges even put out “Myth vs Fact” pages to address rumors – consider if needed, though AI might not directly use that unless asked in that framing.
  4. Utilize AI in Outreach: Not search optimization per se, but note that some education marketers use AI (like ChatGPT) to simulate what answers students might be getting. For example, ask an AI “What are top 5 reasons to attend [YourSchool]?” – see what it says. If the answers are generic or missing key points you consider strong, you know to emphasize those points in your public content. Essentially, AI can show you how an outsider perceives you given available data. Improve the data, and the perception will improve.
  5. Voice Search and Local Info for Campus Visits: Many students use voice search (Siri, Google Assistant) to find info like “directions to [Campus Name admissions office]” or “campus tour schedule.” Make sure:
  1. Your campus locations are well-defined on Google Maps (address, “Admissions Office” as a place, etc.).
  2. Use speakable schema for any tour info if possible or at least ensure it’s phrased clearly so voice assistants read it nicely (“Campus tours start at 10am and 2pm, Monday through Friday, from the Welcome Center.”).
  1. Optimize locally: claim and update Google Business Profile for the university, residence halls, etc., because AI might pull reviews or Q&A from there for local queries (students do look at Google reviews of dorms or dining!).
  2. Conversion: Guide from AI to Application: If an AI summary satisfies a lot of initial curiosity, by the time they click to you, they might be nearly ready to take an action (like schedule a visit or start an application). Make sure those CTAs are prominent on pages likely to be landing pages from AI. For example, if your “Why Choose [School]” page is often cited or visited, put a “Request Info” or “Apply Now” button there conspicuously. The EAB blog mentioned that visitors who do click through tend to be more qualified[65] – so capitalize on that with strong conversion paths. On the back-end, track referrals and see if any traffic comes tagged as from an AI (hard right now since SGE is new and Bing might show up as from Bing domain – but watch trends around known rollout times of AI features).

Case Example:

A small college noticed a dip in organic traffic but an increase in brand searches and direct inquiries, aligning with the AI search trend (impressions up, CTR down as EAB found[66]). They responded by beefing up their FAQ and student stories. They found that when asking Bing Chat about their college, it started using some phrasing from their updated FAQ (like about their 12:1 student-faculty ratio and mentioning “85% of graduates find jobs within 6 months” which they had highlighted on their site). Essentially, their content was training the AI responses to prospective students’ questions with their selling points – a big win!

Another example: An EdTech company offering an online course saw that ChatGPT was giving outdated info about their course length and price. They quickly updated their website and also published a new blog “Top 5 questions about [CourseName] answered,” which included the correct details clearly. Over time, ChatGPT’s browsing plugin, when enabled, would fetch that page for queries, and Bing also corrected info after recrawling (since their blog got indexed). It shows the need to actively manage information to avoid misinformation (as touched on by brand safety blogs).

Conclusion:

The AI era in education marketing means meeting students where they are – often interacting with an AI for guidance. By proactively answering their questions, simplifying information access, and reinforcing trust signals, educational institutions can ensure they remain a part of the conversation and guide students toward choosing them. It’s about embracing AI as a new intermediary in the recruitment journey – one you can influence by providing excellent, transparent content. Do that, and you’ll turn those AI queries into campus visits and, ultimately, enrollment applications.