Edited by Maria di Mario
It’s shaping up to be another challenging year for higher education, so we are bringing you insights from our education marketing experts to guide your strategies in 2026.
Tried-and-tested marketing playbooks are looking dated in this context of economic and political uncertainty, and under fire from increasingly sophisticated AI, with its enormous capacity to generate and personalise content. So how can marketers navigate the challenges and opportunities – and connect with potential students in a meaningful way?
What’s going on?
There’s a lot to unpack:
- We’re still seeing tight marketing budgets, increasing competition, and international students looking beyond the ‘Big Four’.
- Geopolitical shifts and the hardening of anti-immigration rhetoric in the UK and US are making things worse, however. And government policies such as the student cap in Canada and visa tightening in Australia are also making these traditional destinations less attractive to students from overseas.
- The widespread cost-of-living crisis is also hurting domestic recruitment, with students more likely to limit their choice of universities to local options. This way, they can continue living in the family home and reduce living costs while studying.
Okay, with that said, let’s dive into the trends.
1. The authenticity premium
Source: McDonalds
As AI-generated content becomes a regular feature of the media landscape, people are increasingly turning away. We saw this just a couple of months ago with the visceral reaction to the McDonald’s Christmas advert. Scroll through any social media platform and you’ll see comments of ‘your ChatGPT is showing’ and robot emojis in response to AI-generated posts.
Tech humanist Kate O’Neil points out, outsourcing marketing communications to AI comes with a trust penalty, especially in contexts where the emotional stakes are high and trust is essential – for example, when deciding to study abroad.
‘We’ve reached a point where prospective students – who are digital natives – can spot AI slop and institutional spin instantly,” says Maria Di Mario, Head of Editorial at Hubbub Labs. “What people are responding to now is honesty, lived experience, and hearing from faculty and students across different channels who are allowed to sound like themselves.’
Authenticity is a meta-trend that builds trust and should be applied across all marketing activity and touchpoints.
2. Reddit / Discord
There’s been a huge usage uptick on Reddit and Discord by users searching out human-generated content. What makes these platforms distinct is their community focus. Reddit and Discord are rooted in sincere interactions, honest reviews, and finding like-minded people.
There’s a real opportunity for universities to explore these platforms. Beyond simply understanding what questions or doubts students have, you can also nurture a sense of community and excitement around your institution.
‘Reddit and Discord lend themselves well to real community spaces, even though they are online’, says Taylor Grabowski, Hubbub’s Content Strategist. ‘Reddit is an invaluable tool for social listening. And with Discord, you can create a community on a private server – think of it like Slack for Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
On both the platforms, universities can create subreddits/channels and conversations to help prospective students with their applications, conduct Ask-Me-Anythings (AMAs) where university reps or counsellors respond to users’ questions, or even host virtual study groups.’
Taylor warns, however, that universities must tread carefully within these spaces, offering something of real value:
‘It has to be intentional. No one wants a brand colonising a space that young people turn to for real connection.’
3. Academic advocacy
Employee advocacy is a growing trend in the B2B world (back to the authenticity premium!) and its principles can be applied in education marketing, too. LinkedIn is one of the top four platforms that international students use to research potential institutions – and there’s so much potential beyond your brand page.
Empowering academics to share their research and insights on their personal pages helps to establish your institution’s profile when students are researching programmes and the people who lead them. An academic advocacy programme supports academics with the ideas and tools to craft meaningful content and leverage their networks to build trust and credibility.
Ben Hayes, Senior Account and Community Manager at Hubbub, explains that this kind of advocacy is about more than just brand voice:
‘When education organisations take this more organic, people-led approach, both quality and quantity improve’, says Ben. ‘You don’t just extend brand reach – you attract the right institutions, partners and learners. The result is stronger engagement and more meaningful conversions from audiences who are genuinely aligned with your offer.’
4. GEO as well as SEO
You know the little AI snippet you see when you search something on Google? Your school’s content has to be optimised to appear there in 2026. It’s called GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and needs to be part of marketers’ broader SEO strategy.
While students are put off by AI-generated communications, they’re still googling university programmes. And, as of November last year, AI overviews appeared on 21% of all searches – which is a huge opportunity to garner more traffic.
Oliver Brown, Hubbub SEO Specialist, has advice for universities tackling the GEO challenge:
‘The trick is to include FAQs on your website that directly relate to an individual page or subject. GEOs are matching questions with answers, and so are scraping what’s already been published online’, he explains. ‘It’s vital, then, that marketers include the keywords they’re targeting into questions on the FAQ pages, and that they take time to provide informative answers.’
5. Messaging around geopolitics
In the last two years, university campuses have seen massive protests from students demanding divestment from companies allegedly complicit in immigration raids and war crimes. Universities are struggling to be neutral around politics right now.
More than ever, your student body wants to know about the university’s investments and donors, and how that’s reflective of your ethics and values. You have to be ready to show how these values are enacted across your campus.
Dr. Maureen Manning, Strategist at Hubbub, explains:
‘Geopolitical volatility changes what audiences need from brands: fewer slogans and more signals of stability and integrity. In 2026, effective messaging will show cultural awareness, restraint, and a real understanding of what your audiences are navigating’.
She goes further to say: ‘If your message doesn’t hold up beyond your most comfortable market, it isn’t global messaging.’
6. Transnational education
Transnational education has expanded rapidly in recent years, with major universities in the US and UK opening campuses overseas to reach more students.
In a globalised world, transnational education offers students flexibility, but it also presents universities and their marketing departments with a new challenge: building trust with international agencies and decision-makers, and adapting their messaging to more local markets.
For Melissa Palleschi, Hubbub Labs’ Sales Director, the key lies in partnerships:
‘Worldwide, local governments are signalling that they want quality partnerships with universities who are opening campuses in their country. This changes the role of marketing entirely. It’s no longer just about attracting students’, she explains. ‘Instead, marketing departments need to come up with strategies for earning trust with regulators, partners and local communities. Institutions that fail to adapt their messaging will struggle to compete in the 2026 landscape.’
7. In-person presence
It’s early in the year, but 2026 seems to be the year that people are determined to break their digital dependence. College students are doing tech fasts, venues are banning phones, and people are prioritising in-person communities and events.
People want face-to-face contact, and they want to see that universities have a physical presence at events, as well as making concrete efforts to create an active, in-person campus culture.
‘In 2026, in-person community experiences – from language challenges and study roadshows to fully-fledged ambassador programmes – will move from “nice to have”, to “essential” in international education marketing’, Dan Shepherd, Managing Director of Hubbub explains.
‘The brands that win will be those that create guided, supportive spaces built around shared interests, where students (or partners) feel safe, connected, and genuinely part of something.’
This type of events-based marketing will resonate with prospective students and reassure them that they will find a community at their study destination.
8. Microcredentials
How university courses are being taught has evolved. More courses are focusing on amplifying skills through varied micro qualifications and in-course work experience. These more granular features allow students to earn diverse microcredentials as they work and enhance their employability.
George Chilton, Creative Director at Hubbub Labs, elaborates:
‘Universities haven’t held a monopoly on professional development for years. Corporate-sponsored microcredentials, self-study courses and subscription learning platforms have real credibility and momentum. Many universities already offer versions of these, but they’re often treated as side projects – and that won’t last. Skills-based, prestigious microqualifications will increasingly become a core part of the university offer, especially for students and alumni who want career-relevant credentials alongside, or beyond, a degree.’
‘If I were a provost,’ George continues, ‘I’d be exploring a Netflix-style subscription model for lifelong learning – designed carefully to complement (rather than dilute) the value of the degree’.
9. Crisis communications
The past few years have shown universities that crisis preparation is essential. It’s not a case of ‘if’ a crisis strikes, rather ‘when’. Crises are inevitable, but it’s possible to anticipate them and make sure that your institution is prepared.
Schools that have a crisis communication strategy in place can navigate difficult times with greater transparency and resilience. And, they can maintain a consistent voice that enhances trust among students, faculty and the public.
‘A strong crisis communications plan does more than guide a university through a difficult moment’, Dr. Maureen Manning says. ‘It creates shared understanding and reinforces the confidence that institutions need to act decisively. A well-prepared institution recognises [a crisis] as an opportunity for building clarity, collaboration and trust. It is not simply a response mechanism; it is a framework for resilience and sustained leadership.’
Take a look at the Hubbub Guide to crisis communications in higher education.
10. Purpose-driven marketing
In 2026, students aren’t selecting schools purely to fuel their careers – they’re looking for personal fulfillment, for enriching experiences and for a sense of belonging. Marketing has to respond to that existential shift, and to promote schools in a manner that delivers purpose.
George breaks it down like this: ‘Gen Z are less focused on lifelong careers and more on fulfilment. They’ve watched millennials have the rug pulled out from under them with redundancy cycles, career pivots and broken promises of stability. Education and future planning are no longer just about climbing a ladder, but about impact, meaning and personal satisfaction. Outcomes still matter when marketing degrees, but they’re no longer enough. Purpose needs to be a central part of the message.’
So, there we have it. The 10 trends that will mark 2026’s higher education marketing.
Getting on top of these trends early means that your school will be more likely to reach the right audiences, increase student admissions and establish a stronger brand. Follow our team on LinkedIn for more education marketing insights, and if you’d like to chat to us about your 2026 education marketing strategy, book a call with Mel.
