Australian higher education institutions are pumping more money into marketing, especially social media ads, to attract more students, according to Nielsen Ad Intel and Consumer and Media data.
Between May and June this year, ad spend grew by 19 per cent. In the past year, the total spend was $175 million, leading to a spike in student interest.
The percentage of Australians (aged 16 and above) who expressed an intention to study at TAFE or university in the next 12 months has risen from 15 per cent in 2023 to 22 per cent in 2024. In 2019, the number was just 7 per cent. Nearly half of 16-17 year olds intend to study.
Social media accounted for 60 per cent of the total ad spend by institutions, with general display also heavily used in the ad mix.
Australian secondary students looking to pursue tertiary education in the next 12 months are 75 per cent more likely than the average population to respond to online ads, 2.5 times more likely to click on video ads, and almost 2.8 times as likely to click on banner ads.
Additionally, 32 per cent find online and mobile ads useful, if tailored to their interests, which is 48 per cent higher than the average population.
Deakin University is the top spender, followed by Torrens University Australia and Victoria University.
“This sector is so important – for the institutions, the students, and the country as a whole – and that’s reflected in the ad spend numbers,” Nielsen Ad Intel’s Australia commercial lead Rose Lopreiato said.
“They demonstrate the difficulty of attracting students as they consider their TAFE or university options in such a competitive market and highlight the need for education providers to reach the right demographics, in the right places, at the right time.”
This week, the higher education sector breathed a collective sigh of relief when Labor rejected a recommendation to cap universities’ international student intake to 40 per cent.
