How AI Is Changing the Enrollment Search Journey

As prospective students turn to tools like ChatGPT and Google AI summaries to explore institutions, compare programs, and find answers, those tools are shaping how colleges appear before a student ever reaches a website. For Vice Presidents of Enrollment Management, that raises new questions about visibility, accuracy, and the experience prospective students encounter across the enrollment journey.

This session will explore how AI is changing the way students search and what enrollment leaders can do to respond. We’ll examine generative engine optimization (GEO) and AI search visibility, including how institutions can assess whether AI tools represent their programs accurately and how their visibility compares with competitors. The conversation will also consider how websites, personalized communications, and AI-enabled support can help institutions respond to changing student expectations.

Because responsibility for marketing, technology, data, and recruitment often spans multiple teams, VPEMs will consider how to set priorities and make the case for the capabilities their institutions need. The session will offer a framework for identifying practical next steps while keeping human support central to the prospective student experience.

Key takeaways:

• Understand how AI is changing the ways prospective students discover and compare institutions.
• Identify questions to assess your institution’s visibility and accuracy in AI search.
• Consider how website content and personalized outreach can better meet student needs.
• Explore where AI-enabled support could help prospects while preserving access to staff.

Session

Click the Register button to sign up.

Attendance is best suited for VPEMs and their teams.

• Monday, December 7, 2026 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time