Newsletter #124: Your typical Clearing student is changing; The data you missed in Clearing; The prospective students of LinkedIn
✏️ From the Education Marketer desk
The “coolest” brands if you’re aged 7-14 and live in the UK. Look
Your typical Clearing student is changing. Read
Data you missed in Clearing. Read
The prospective students of LinkedIn. Read
📰 HE news
On the surface, Clearing looks to have been one of the best on record. We have 6,000+ more students entering higher ed than last year with some half-decent late demand, but look closer at how this is realised across the sector and you’re in for a surprise. Mark Corver has some superb analysis of Clearing’s long tail. Since results day, Clearing activity has been high, but the net number of students placed is LOWER than usual. Essentially, the “record-breaking” activity is deceptive because more students are switching between institutions rather than entering the system because they aren’t holding an offer. Plus, not all institutions are equal. Low tariff institutions are having a particularly hard time with both their number of high-fee paying (international) students being down on last year, and overall late Clearing interest being down about 20% YoY. Now, the stage is set. Enter Labour considering raising UG domestic fees and the OFS saying the “golden age” of the sector is over. Read
📊 Marketing and media news
In a result that surprised absolutely no one, Google’s latest “helpful content” update threw search rankings into chaos. However, this update might actually benefit your institution’s satellite websites that have a niche focus. Google: “This latest update takes into account the feedback we’ve heard from some creators and others over the past few months. As always, we aim to connect people with a range of high-quality sites, including small or independent sites that are creating useful, original content on relevant searches.” Of course, this doesn’t mean your student blogs will suddenly rank without a proper SEO strategy, but it may lower the barrier to entry for content projects using search as a channel. Google also quietly added review content to search result snippets, suggesting your third-party content (reviews, forums and comments) now directly influences how users can perceive your website. Read
LinkedIn has started suggesting verticle videos in your feed. The format has been around for a while, but the change is its prominence - you can’t scroll for five seconds without hitting a carousel! Immediate action: Ensure your video content can be repurposed at a 9:16 aspect ratio, and take advantage of the early algorithm boost that verticle video will no doubt receive. Also, introducing a little “TikTok-like” anarchy wouldn’t hurt. I’ve just been for a quick scroll and my verticle feed is dull as dishwater. It’s ironic because LinkedIn is the only channel where official university accounts are seeing a growing share of views from an undergrad audience. Yep, you read that right. Prospective undergraduate students are using LinkedIn to inform their study choices. But before you go mad with verticle video, remember why these students are here: To build a professional identity. If your institution can help them do that, publish content to that end. Students will be more likely to think of you when the time comes. Read
🏫 What unis are doing
The London Interdisciplinary School has tweaked its messaging. There was nothing wrong with it, but “Think Full Spectrum” is a nice way to sum up LIS’s offer - degrees built for problems, not subjects. It’s had hits in the past with a thought piece on AI’s bias in image generation, but its real success is evangelising its POV wherever it can. There’s no other school like it. Look
University of Leicester is relocating students and staff after a “major incident” over crumbling buildings. What’s this got to do with marketing? Well, I was struck by how well the comms team anticipated anxieties of redundancies and students being forced back into Zoom calls. Both issues were addressed and likely kept the story from becoming a PR nightmare. Read
Dual enrollment (where students enrol in a university but study from their college) is booming in the US. It’s more affordable, convenient and accessible for a lot of students. But what’s interesting is its scale. Arizona State University has its programmes in over 400+ high schools across the country, enrolling 10,000+ students. That’s a mid-sized university! Read
🧑🎓 What students are saying
“ALL 9s I CANT BELIEVE IT - I had panic attacks before a few of my exams, so much so I was reconsidering sitting them, while I came home after so many in tears thinking I did poorly. Little did I know a reporter would be interviewing me since I was the only one in my year!” Entries into the creative arts and humanities rebounded in GCSE results last week. Read
👾 Culture shock
This is what dystopia looks like. Look
Walmart saved itself 100x its analyst headcount by using AI. Read💌 Subscribe
