EducationDynamics just released its first report of the year with the 2026 Marketing and Enrollment Management Benchmarks: A Mandate for Transformation. As I reviewed the report, I was eager to connect with Katie Tomlinson, senior director of analytics and business intelligence at EducationDynamics, to learn more about some of the key findings.
Q1: There’s no question that how students today are looking for institutions and programs is changing before our very eyes in real time. What stood out to you as the most noteworthy development from this year’s report that colleges and universities should keep in mind as they look to improve their visibility and drive enrollment growth?
A: One of the most striking developments this year is how radically the student discovery and search environment has been rewritten by artificial intelligence. The report shows a majority of education-related searches are now answered directly by AI-generated overviews, meaning prospective students often receive program details, tuition information, and reputation signals without ever visiting an institution’s website. This fundamentally changes how institutions must think about visibility. It’s no longer just about ranking in search results, but about becoming a trusted, authoritative source that AI engines choose to reference.
Equally important is the shift toward a “search everywhere” mindset, especially among Gen Z. Students now discover institutions through TikTok, Reddit, YouTube and AI chat platforms, not just traditional search engines. This expands the competitive arena and requires institutions to maintain consistent, authentic content and reputation signals across the entire digital ecosystem.
Finally, the report’s Brand Discoverability Pyramid makes clear that brand amplification and reputation-building are now inseparable from enrollment performance. Institutions that fail to optimize their digital footprint for AI discoverability risk becoming invisible to the next generation of learners, regardless of academic quality. That reality is the most urgent call to action for institutional leaders to take to heart in this year’s findings.
Q2: How have these findings changed your conversation with institutional leaders? What has them concerned, or perhaps optimistic, if they feel like they can adapt to capture this moment?
A: The conversations with institutional leaders have shifted from incremental marketing optimization to existential questions about institutional relevance in an AI-mediated marketplace. Leaders are increasingly concerned that their current digital strategies were built for a world of keyword search and paid media, a world that no longer exists as we knew it. The report shows that AI platforms already act as the primary curators of information, and institutions that do not feed these systems the right signals risk losing visibility altogether.
At the same time, leaders are optimistic that this shift creates opportunity. The report outlines a clear strategic blueprint, strengthening brand amplification, reputation and content authority as the foundation for sustainable revenue growth in an AI-driven environment. Leaders who act now see a path to leapfrog slower competitors by aligning marketing, enrollment and communications around AI discoverability.
Additionally, these findings reinforce the importance of data transparency and outcomes-driven storytelling. With public skepticism around higher education value still rising, leaders understand they must proactively promote career outcomes, ROI and student success data to build trust, not just with students, but with the algorithms shaping student decisions. This has moved analytics from a back-office function to a central strategic lever.
Q3: What is one thing you recommend for higher education leaders to do right now to respond to the way students now research and choose their next school?
A: Narrowing it down to one is tough, so I’d love to offer three really important courses of action. The most immediate recommendation is to audit and rebuild their digital footprint for AI discoverability. Institutions need to ensure their websites, content, PR coverage, social channels and third-party reputation platforms are optimized not only for human audiences but also for AI engines that now act as student-facing advisers. This means structured content, consistent messaging, authoritative external references and visible proof of outcomes.
Second, I’m advising leaders to lead with transparent, outcomes-based data. The report emphasizes that institutions can no longer rely solely on tradition or brand. They must demonstrate affordability, career alignment and measurable ROI in every student-facing interaction. Institutions that publish clear outcomes data are better positioned to earn both student trust and algorithmic credibility.
Finally, leaders need to treat this as a cross-functional transformation, not a marketing tweak. AI-driven discovery touches enrollment, communications, academic positioning and student experience. The institutions that will win are those that align data, brand and strategy around the Modern Learner’s expectations (the 3 C’s: cost, convenience, and career) and meet students where they now search and ultimately decide.
