Everspring’s newly released 2025 AI Search Trends Report unveils a critical shift in how prospective students search for academic programs—one that threatens the digital visibility of universities. Analyzing over 450,000 real student search interactions across more than 60 academic programs, the report reveals that AI tools like ChatGPT are rapidly replacing traditional search engines as students’ go-to source for information.

Rather than relying on Google, students—especially those aged 18–24—are now starting their research directly with generative AI. Among this age group, ChatGPT use more than doubles that of Google for educational queries. Even when Google is used, its AI-generated Overviews dominate the results, pushing both organic and paid university listings further down the page.

Beth Hollenberg, CEO of Everspring, emphasized the urgency of this change: “Search behavior has shifted, and universities are fading from view. Marketing must prioritize human experience—AI is now customizing answers to individual needs. Schools that fail to evolve risk becoming invisible, while adaptive institutions can leverage AI as a competitive edge.”

The findings highlight a major challenge for higher ed marketers. Traditional SEO strategies no longer guarantee visibility. In fact, the report shows that when AI Overviews are present on search pages, click-through rates to university websites drop by 70% to 90%, regardless of their ranking. Meanwhile, the cost of paid search ads has surged 45% year-over-year, with diminishing returns, especially when AI summaries take precedence.

Michael Bell, Everspring’s CMO, added, “For years, institutions have optimized for Google. But the discovery game has changed. If your program doesn’t show up in AI-generated content, it may not get discovered at all. This isn’t just a marketing issue—it’s an existential risk.”

The 2025 AI Search Trends Report offers the first industry-specific look at how generative AI is reshaping the discovery landscape in higher education. As student behavior evolves, universities must rethink how they appear in AI-driven environments—or risk losing visibility altogether.

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News Source: Businesswire.com