03 Oct Five ways to turn student recruitment promises into reputation and trust

There was a time for UK universities when domestic and international student recruitment was relatively straightforward but you can’t market your way out of a bad student experience, says Mark Ferguson, Director, More Fire PR Ltd

In days gone by higher education institutions produced and distributed prospectuses, recruitment teams travelled overseas, met with prospective students and their parents, talked them through courses and scholarships, and then hoped enough of them would eventually arrive on campus.

There’s a lot of this still going on of course, but watching a recent QS discussion with university recruitment and marketing leaders, it struck me just how much more complicated this journey has become.

Students are now spoilt for choice. They’ve got more destinations, institutions and ways of studying to opt for than ever before. They’re rapidly researching universities across websites, rankings, social media, agents and through their peer networks. They ask more questions, make decisions at a later stage, and worry about whether an increasingly expensive education will deliver on their dreams and desires.

As one QS discussion contributor observed, the question has moved from “Why this university?” to “Why university at all?”

And for university leaders, marketers and recruitment teams it raises a bigger question.

Are you just marketing your university, or are you giving increasingly cautious students real reasons to trust what you’re promising them?

Students aren’t short of information, they’re short of certainty

QS currently forecasts that the global international student population could reach around 8.5 million by 2030, and in the UK, international enrolments are forecast to grow by around 3.5 per cent annually to 2030.

So the market hasn’t disappeared, but the competition for students is becoming that much fiercer.

Half of prospective overseas, UK-bound students are now considering five or more universities, according to QS. Affordability is another obvious concern: Some 59 per cent perceive the UK as expensive, students increasingly expect quick responses too, while employability and post-study opportunities are becoming more influential in their decisions.

Put yourself in the position of a student, or their parents or teachers and other influencers advising them.

You’re potentially committing tens of thousands of pounds to tuition fees, accommodation and living costs, perhaps hundreds or thousands of miles from home. You’re trying to understand visa requirements and post-study opportunities. And at the end of it all sits the biggest question: Will this actually help me build a worthwhile future?

The QS conversation captured that uncertainty well. Students now have more courses, destinations, study models, data and peer opinion available than ever before, with recruitment leaders seeing decisions pushed closer and closer to deadlines.

No marketing campaign can remove all of this uncertainty, but good universities and good communications teams can get rid of an awful lot of it. Here are some top tips:

1. Answer the questions students are actually asking

University communications still too often begin with what the institution wants to say. Turn this around.

What does the student need to know? How much will accommodation realistically cost and can they find somewhere decent to live without being exploited? What support will they receive when they arrive? What happens if they’re struggling? What contact will they have with employers? Are placements genuinely available? What jobs do graduates secure? What happens if they haven’t found work by graduation? And how quickly will somebody answer when they ask?

One of the most interesting points in the QS discussion is that, despite all the technology now available, students still want to communicate with real people and feel that they’re dealing with a real organisation. A welcoming university should feel welcoming long before somebody arrives on campus.

2. Don’t promise what the institution doesn’t deliver

This, for me, is the most important communications lesson in that marketing can’t compensate indefinitely for reality.

If the website talks about outstanding student support but emails go unanswered, students notice. If employability dominates the prospectus, but meaningful employer engagement is thin on the ground, they’ll see that too. And if glossy images sell a wonderful student experience, while young people struggle with unreasonable accommodation costs or poor support, eventually they’ll tell others.

So, the strongest university brand proposition isn’t invented in a marketing meeting. Ensure your institution’s behaviour is of the highest standard, then communicate this.

3. Bring employers into the university, and the conversation

Universities need regular, direct relationships with employers: Understanding the skills they’re looking for, where shortages are emerging, what graduates are missing, and how courses and work experience can respond.

I’ve seen some interesting examples through More Fire PR‘s work with Al Akhawayn University (AUI) in Morocco.

AUI’s employability team has described its approach as moving beyond a traditional careers-office model towards something closer to an on-campus recruitment partner, building employer relationships, preparing students properly before introductions, and matching candidates with opportunities.

Its academics and professional staff are also publicly discussing entrepreneurship, industry certification, adaptable skills and preparing students for careers that may change repeatedly.

There’s a communications lesson here too. AUI is also talking about it externally through its Times Higher Education Campus+ presence, putting its specialists and ideas in front of an international academic audience. This is a combination universities need: Do the work, demonstrate the evidence, and tell audiences that matter about it.

4. Turn alumni into part of the student journey

Universities spend years building relationships with their students, then often treat graduation as the end of this dialogue. I’d advocate for bringing alumni back into the picture on a sustained basis.

Who better to explain where a degree can lead than someone who completed it five or ten years ago?

Bring graduates back in to mentor current students, speak about their industries, offer placements, provide introductions and explain the mistakes they made as well as the successes. Then tell those stories.

Not as another collection of carefully polished testimonials saying how wonderful university was, but as credible evidence of what happens next.

Student support shouldn’t necessarily stop at graduation either. In a world where careers are becoming less linear, maintaining useful professional connections with alumni should be part of the university’s value proposition.

5. Make recruitment, marketing, academics and employability tell the same story

Perhaps the biggest practical lesson from the QS discussion is that student recruitment has become a network.

Marketing teams, recruitment staff, admissions, academics, agents, careers professionals, employers, alumni and external partners may all influence the same prospective student.

QS’s contributors describe recruitment and marketing teams working increasingly closely together and equipping international partners with the materials and messages they need. Such a joined-up approach matters because students don’t experience a university in departmental silos.

If your social media says one thing, your agent another, the course page something else, and the person answering an enquiry can’t explain any of it, confidence quickly disappears. Everyone needs to understand the institution’s real strengths, its evidence and its promises.

Reputation happens when the promise meets reality

Universities are currently facing an uncomfortable combination of pressures.

Students and parents are more value-conscious. International fees can be substantial. Living and accommodation costs have risen. Governments are frequently changing policy, and employers themselves are navigating AI and rapidly changing skills requirements.

Against this background, “Come here, we’re excellent” isn’t much of a recruitment strategy. Students need reassurance, evidence and human contact. Show them what they’ll learn. Introduce them to employers. Let them hear from alumni. Be transparent about costs. Demonstrate what support actually looks like. Explain where graduates go next, and respond when people ask questions.

And once you’ve built something worth talking about, communicate it consistently and with confidence.

That’s where PR and marketing have a powerful role, not in disguising weaknesses or manufacturing weak promises, but in finding compelling evidence of what an institution genuinely does well and making sure the audiences who matter see it.

The technology surrounding student recruitment has changed enormously. But one observation from the QS conversation feels almost reassuringly old-fashioned: However sophisticated digital recruitment becomes, students still want to feel they’re dealing with real people.

Listen to what students are worried about. Build an experience that answers those concerns, and then communicate the evidence before, during, and long after their time at university. That’s not just better marketing, it’s keeping your brand promise.