Everspring’s 2025 AI Search Trends Report reveals a major shift in how prospective students search for academic programs. Increasingly, students turn to AI tools such as ChatGPT instead of traditional search engines like Google. This change challenges the traditional digital visibility model, where top search rankings and paid ads once guaranteed traffic and exposure for universities.
The Shift in Student Search Behavior
- Students now begin discovery using AI tools before traditional search engines.
- Nearly two-thirds of prospective students use AI tools first; nearly half of ChatGPT users are aged 18–24.
- AI-generated answers are increasingly replacing university listings on search result pages.
Impact on University Visibility
- Google’s AI Overviews dominate question-based searches, pushing organic and paid listings lower.
- For specific or longer queries, AI answers dominate, reducing university page clicks significantly.
- When AI summaries appear, click-through rates to university websites drop by 70–90%, even for top-ranked pages.
Challenges with Paid Search
- Higher education paid search costs have increased by 45% year-over-year.
- Click-through rates on paid ads decline, especially when AI Overviews appear.
- Traditional paid ads are becoming less effective and more expensive for institutions.
The Urgency for Universities
- Failure to appear in AI-generated search results risks institutional invisibility.
- Effective marketing must prioritize human experience while adapting to AI-driven discovery.
- Universities that leverage AI as a competitive advantage can better engage prospective students.
Insights from Industry Leaders
- Beth Hollenberg, CEO of Everspring, emphasizes adapting to AI search to avoid becoming invisible.
- Michael Bell, CMO of Everspring, warns that enrollment marketing optimized only for Google faces existential risks.
- The report is based on over 450,000 real student search interactions across 60+ academic programs.
Why This Matters for Higher Education
- The report offers the first sector-specific analysis on generative AI’s impact on university discovery.
- It highlights a critical shift in student behavior and provides actionable insights for institutions in a competitive enrollment market.
- Understanding these trends is essential to maintaining visibility, consideration, and enrollment success.
The rise of AI search tools is fundamentally changing how prospective students find academic programs. Universities must rethink their digital marketing strategies, focusing on appearing in AI-generated responses to stay visible. Embracing these changes offers a chance to transform AI from a challenge into a powerful tool for enrollment growth and student engagement.
