Here’s how AI is amplifying stealth search behavior.
Back when I was a CMO in higher ed, our institution was the trusted guide for our prospective students—we owned the conversation, the message, and the relationship. Fast forward to today, and that world feels like ancient history.
Research shows that 80% of prospective students are “stealth” or unknown to institutions until they apply. Now, AI and online tools play matchmaker, keeping institutions at arm’s length until students have already made up their minds to apply. And we’re lucky if we even make their shortlist.
Our new survey of more than 8,000 graduate, online, and adult students helps explain how prospects’ growing reliance on digital-first resources—including AI—is making your pipeline even more invisible. Familiar indicators to measure students’ interest in your programs, like inquiry volume, are no longer reliable as AI changes every aspect of the search process. Students can now find and compare programs more quickly without ever opening an email, filling out a form, or speaking to an admissions counselor.
Here’s what these survey findings mean for your strategy.
Digital-first resources are where prospects turn for information…and AI use is surging
Our survey results underscore what we’ve long known: your university website is the single most important source of information for students. Two-thirds of surveyed adult learners said they used university websites and university search sites like Appily Advance to build their shortlist.
Once they’ve built their app list, 94% said they make a point of visiting the websites of all schools they are considering, and 86% said a school’s website helps them decide if it’s the right fit for them. Surveyed students said they are most often looking for information and answers about admissions requirements, program options, cost, and career outcomes on your site. But too many university websites still bury this information behind multiple clicks.
What this means for your strategy
As a former CMO, I’m confident your marketing team is working hard behind the scenes to optimize your site. In our new survey of 120+ heads of marketing, respondents identified their .edu as the channel that contributes most to enrollment.
But many marketing teams face barriers to optimizing the .edu, including limited budget and insufficient staffing. Fortunately, you don’t need a full website redesign (which can be costly and time-consuming) to make your website more effective. Investments in content quality—ensuring the language and resources on your site answer students’ most pressing questions—and technical optimizations go a long way in turning your website into an enrollment engine. Consider redirecting resources toward content strategy, SEO and GEO, and accessibility—areas that directly influence search visibility and conversion.
One of the findings I was most excited to explore from this year’s survey is the extent to which students are using AI tools to explore program options. Nearly one in five adult learners (19%) said they used tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity to explore program options, up from just 3.5% last year.
While the majority of students aren’t relying on AI platforms (yet), most are using search engines to explore program options. Nearly 58% of respondents said they used search engines during their research process, second only to university websites. And when asked about use of search engines, 23% of respondents said they consulted the AI-generated summary at the top of search results.
What this means for your strategy
AI isn’t replacing traditional search, but it is making students’ research process more efficient as students can now identify and compare programs all in one place (e.g., within ChatGPT). And the AI-generated responses students receive during the search process are shaping their perceptions of your program early. If your content isn’t accurate, clear, or consistent, AI tools might misrepresent your institution or leave you out entirely.
Ask your marketing team to audit how your program pages appear in traditional and AI search. With that insight, they can optimize your site to ensure your pages reach students, regardless of what channel they use to search.
Students are moving faster and applying to fewer programs (likely with the help of AI)
Today’s graduate and adult students are moving through the search process faster than before. Forty-four percent of our survey respondents said they made an enrollment decision within six months of starting their research, up from 41% last year. At the same time, the share of students spending more than a year in the search phase dropped slightly, from 40% to 37%.
But while they’re moving faster, they’re also narrowing their lists. Students are using AI to help compare programs right in ChatGPT, enabling them to cull their lists more quickly. The prospective master’s and adult degree completion students we surveyed applied to fewer than four schools on average—less than half the number of schools that traditional undergraduates apply to (8.5 schools, on average). Doctoral students submitted the most applications at about seven, on average.
Mean Application Volume by Degree Type
3.51
Master’s degree
3.64
Bachelor’s degree completion
6.78
Doctorate degree
What this means for your strategy
Prospects’ accelerated search process means your window of opportunity to reach them is shrinking. You have less time to make an impression, and fewer chances to make your case once you do. Think about your .edu as your “always on” recruiter—is it best representing your school and programs? Institutions that maintain always-on, year-round marketing campaigns are also best positioned to capture students at the precise moment they are ready to act. But as I saw in my recent secret shopping of 40 graduate programs, this isn’t always the case.
Students prefer to research programs independently—and only custom content can change their minds
This year, 58% of adult learners said they prefer to research programs independently before submitting any contact information—up eight points from 2024. And 28% said they won’t share anything until they’re ready to apply. That’s a problem if your team is used to tracking leads and inquiries as key indicators of interest.
So how can your team “de-stealth” prospective students and understand the degree of interest in your programs? Many students indicate they will share their information if they can receive something useful in return. More than 40% said they’d provide their contact details in exchange for personalized content—think of content like a cost calculator, program fit quiz, or even just clear answers to questions about their specific goals and concerns (perhaps surfaced via a micro-survey).
What this means for your strategy
Today’s students want information without commitment—and they expect to find the information they need on their own and when they’re ready, not when your campaign calendar says they should.
Consider the extent to which your marketing team has the resources to hyper-personalize emails, landing pages, and other communications to address students’ unique concerns, goals, and needs. Hyper-personalized content requires data infrastructure and clear guidelines. University leaders can make an impact by breaking down data silos between marketing, admissions, and IT, ensuring student insights flow freely and responsibly.
When done well, the impact can be significant. Our Adult Learner Recruitment partners saw a 220% increase in response rate when we hyper-personalized email subject lines and body text.
For university leaders, the biggest takeaway is that your pipeline isn’t necessarily drying up, but it is going dark. AI is already reshaping every aspect of students’ search experience: they are using AI to search faster, research independently, and narrow down their application lists. University leaders who view these changing student search behaviors as a visibility challenge will build the systems, partnerships, and habits to see—and enroll—graduate and adult students.
More Blogs
The higher ed SEO checklist
Are you recalibrating your graduate and adult recruitment strategy?
