Thor-André is segment lead for education at Frontkom. He works closely with universities, university colleges and vocational schools on recruitment, student communication and digital platforms. This is what he sees.
When a 19-year-old asks herself "what should I study?", the last thing she does is go directly to an institution's website and read a curriculum.
She searches YouTube for "what can I work as after studying X". She scrolls Instagram stories from students. She asks ChatGPT which programmes lead to a specific career path. She talks to friends who are already studying.
Only once she has decided she is interested does she look at the institution's website. And that is precisely where many educational institutions lose her.
The problem with showing up too late
Most educational institutions are strongly present in the final phase of the student journey: the application portal works well, information about entry requirements is accurate, and open day registration functions. But what about the six months before that?
That is where the battle is won or lost. And it is where most institutions are weakest.
Students choose their institution long before they apply. But institutions communicate as if the choice happens the day the application window opens.
Three challenges we see repeatedly
Programme descriptions are written for insiders. Learning outcome descriptions, credit points and module codes are important for accreditation. They are not what a 19-year-old needs to decide whether this is right for her. What she needs is the answer to: What can I work as after this? What does a typical day as a student here look like? Who are the people in my class?
Navigation mirrors the org chart. The website is structured around how the institution is organised: faculties, institutes, departments. But a prospective student does not think in faculties. She thinks in questions like "I am interested in technology and business" and "I want to live in Oslo". The navigation answers the institution's internal logic, not the student's questions.
Follow-up after expressions of interest is weak. Many institutions have interest registration forms. Fewer have a well-considered flow for what happens after someone submits one. An automated email three weeks later with the subject line "Thanks for your interest!" is not a relationship.
AI is changing the recruitment landscape
A growing number of young people use AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity when choosing what to study. They ask questions like "What is the best programme for working with sustainability in Norwegian business?" or "Which Norwegian universities have the best environment for entrepreneurship?"
The answers they receive depend on what AI models know about your institution. Have you published authoritative, well-structured answers to these questions? If not, you risk being invisible in a channel that is growing fast.
Are you at an educational institution and want to know what the specific steps with the greatest impact on recruitment and student satisfaction look like? Get in touch with Thor-André for a conversation.