The New Student Journey: Winning Prospects Across Search, AI, Email, and Web

Please provide a one-paragraph overview of the session.‎ (200 words or less): Today’s prospective grad students don’t just follow a linear enrollment path — they move between search engines, AI tools, websites, and inboxes as they consider their options. For graduate enrollment leaders, that means every touchpoint needs to be intentional, optimized, and connected. In this session, we’ll walk through strategies and practical examples that help you strengthen engagement across the entire student journey, from the first Google or AI-driven query all the way to final program selection. You’ll learn what to test and track to ensure your programs show up where prospects are looking, as well as how to ensure your content is playing the vital role it needs to at each stage. We’ll also share blueprints for crafting email strategies that nurture students throughout the funnel, from awareness to decision. And we’ll explore conversion pathway best practices to make sure your website is helping, not hindering, progress. Whether you’re looking to adapt your marketing for the rise of AI or refine your tried-and-true channels, you’ll leave with actionable tactics to optimize every stage of the journey and keep prospective students moving toward enrollment at your institution.

Session Agenda/Outline (200 words or less): 1. How the student journey has changed due to the age of AI
a. Overview of supporting research/methodology
b. What’s still the same

2. Mapping the new student journey
a. Awareness
i. Importance of being discovered everywhere students are searching
1) AI overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc.
b. Consideration
i. How/when students transition to the website
ii. How students move through websites (and where they drop off)
c. Decision
i. Concerns, motivations, and decision-making in 2026
ii. Importance of nurturing students throughout the entire funnel
d. Content is the engine that drives visibility (among humans and robots), generates conversions, and personalizes nurturing.

3. Visibility in search and AI
a. What it takes to show up in Google and AI-driven answers
b. Core testing and tracking strategies
c. Shift from SEO-only thinking

4. Web UX and conversion pathways
a. Frictionless UX for grad students
b. Key page elements that drive inquiries and applications
c. Quick wins: small changes that make a big impact

5. Email and nurture strategies
a. Why email is still central in a multi-channel journey
b. Best practices for sequencing communications
c. Personalization and segmentation approaches

6. Closing
a. Connected ecosystem is crucial
b. Q&A