A clear picture of 2025

The education market has changed faster in three years than it did in the previous decade. Families now decide where to send their children by comparing websites, scrolling social feeds, watching videos, and reading reviews in parent groups. Institutes that ignore this shift lose visibility long before parents reach the admissions office. Partnering with an experienced education marketing agency helps bridge this gap.

Data shows the centre of gravity has moved. Digital now absorbs nearly three quarters of all education advertising spend, while television and outdoor continue to shrink. Schools and universities must learn to plan like digital-first businesses, not like institutions that add marketing as an afterthought.

Budgets and spending

UPCEA’s 2024 Marketing Survey reported that education units spend an average of 11.9 per cent of revenue on marketing, with a median of 5.3 per cent. The average annual budget stands at 1.2 million dollars, with the median at 644,000 dollars. Simpson Scarborough’s research shows institutions spend between 429 and 623 dollars per enrolled student every year.

Professional, continuing, and online education units invest an average of 800,970 dollars annually in digital advertising, equal to 3.6 per cent of their revenue.

Across the sector, total advertising spend between November 2022 and October 2023 was 1.2 billion dollars. Three quarters of that went into digital channels. Television accounted for 16 per cent, outdoor for six per cent. The top ten advertisers alone spent 567 million dollars, with Purdue University leading at 140.9 million.

To understand how to build a budget that supports long-term growth, see our complete guide to education marketing.

Cost benchmarks and performance

The average cost per inquiry is 140 dollars. For graduate programmes the figure is 157, and for undergraduate programmes 128. The average cost per enrolled student is 2,849 dollars, broken down into 3,804 dollars for graduate and 1,505 dollars for undergraduate.

Organic traffic consistently performs best. EducationDynamics partners reported a 49 per cent increase in conversions from organic search through the third quarter of 2023. Contact rates from organic visitors reached 61 per cent, compared with 42 per cent from paid search.

Many institutions struggle because they mismanage channels or fail to measure the right metrics. Learn more about why education marketing fails and how to correct course.

How students and parents behave

Sixty nine per cent of prospective students visit a school website at the beginning of their research. Sixty eight per cent begin with a Google search. YouTube dominates attention. Pew Research found that six in ten teenagers use YouTube almost constantly or several times a day. TikTok follows closely with 48 per cent.

Parents continue to rely on peer groups, private forums, and community chats on WhatsApp or Facebook. Decisions are shaped by reviews, local reputation, and word of mouth amplified online. Each touchpoint, from search to social to reviews, fits into the parents’ and students’ admission journey.

AI adoption and the skills gap

Microsoft’s 2025 report on AI in education revealed that 86 per cent of organisations are now using generative AI. No other sector has adopted it so widely. Yet fewer than half of students and educators say they know much about the technology. This gap between adoption and understanding will affect how schools communicate trust, accuracy, and authenticity in their marketing.

The major trends of 2025

  • Digital-first budgets are the norm. Most spend goes online, with AVOD and mobile video growing faster than any other medium. AVOD spending rose 233 per cent year on year, mobile video by 63 per cent. Institutes that diversify across search, social, and streaming gain reach without the high costs of television.
  • Organic search remains the highest return channel. Institutes that invest in content, technical optimisation, and local landing pages see stronger inquiries and lower acquisition costs over time.
  • Video is essential. Short reels, virtual campus tours, and authentic student stories now sit at the heart of decision making. Parents and students expect to see a school, not just read about it.
  • AI speeds up content creation, but credibility comes from human oversight. The institutes that win are those that publish accurate, trustworthy, and context-rich messages at scale.
  • First-party data is the foundation of measurement. As cookies fade, schools must rely on their own CRM, event tracking, and opted-in lists to follow the admission funnel.
  • Community channels shape reputation. Parent groups, alumni networks, and private chats influence decisions more than any glossy brochure. Institutes that listen and respond inside these spaces build credibility.
  • Influencer partnerships are shifting from celebrity endorsements to local, trusted voices. A parent blogger, a respected tutor, or a popular alumnus can influence more effectively than a generic campaign.

For practical steps to apply these trends, explore our detailed education marketing strategies.

Predictions for the next two years

Digital’s share of education marketing spend will rise above 75 per cent. Budgets will become more performance-driven, shifting toward channels with clear cost per inquiry and conversion rates. AI will be universal, but the value will lie in institutions that combine it with domain expertise. AVOD and streaming will become standard, not experimental. First-party data will separate leaders from laggards.

Benchmarks to measure in 2025

Cost per inquiry: 140 dollars or less.
Cost per enrolled student: around 2,849 dollars.
Contact rate: 61 per cent from organic, 42 per cent from paid search.
Website conversion growth: aim for steady quarterly increases, following the 49 per cent uplift seen by EducationDynamics partners.
Video completion rates: track against platform averages to ensure relevance and engagement.

Action plan for schools and colleges

Audit tracking. Ensure that CRM systems capture every inquiry and link to website data.
Strengthen SEO. Build pages that answer parents’ real questions on fees, outcomes, and admissions.
Plan video content. Produce a mix of short testimonials, campus walk-throughs, and live sessions every quarter.
Use AI for speed, not substance. Let it draft, but keep human review in place for accuracy.
Grow first-party lists. Collect email, WhatsApp, and community opt-ins with clear value exchanges.
Pilot AVOD. Test small campaigns with precise targeting and measure the incremental lift.
Focus on enrolled student value. Measure campaigns not by clicks, but by cost per enrolled student and long-term retention.

Private schools can take a more tailored approach by focusing on digital marketing for private schools.

Case examples

EducationDynamics partners saw a 49 per cent increase in conversions by prioritising organic search. Purdue University invested 140.9 million dollars in advertising, showing the scale at which major institutions now operate. Microsoft’s survey highlights the risks of widespread AI use without training, pressing institutes to address literacy gaps internally.

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Final word

Education marketing in 2025 is a test of balance. Institutes must combine strong digital execution with authentic storytelling, clear measurement, and community trust. The winners will be those who build systems that work today, while preparing for the shifts already visible on the horizon.