International university rankings, the new norm for college finances and big moves across CTV

Welcome to The Student Funnel, a monthly higher ed sector newsletter from Hybrid, a leader in student marketing and recruitment strategies. We highlight news, trends, and behaviors that impact the sector and share insights on how to better connect with your audiences.

October has brought the last quarter of the year as well as new international university rankings for 2025, search function developments and more big moves across CTV.

Here’s our roundup of the biggest stories in education marketing:

The 2025 university rankings are here

It’s that time of year again - the 2025 Times Higher Ed World Rankings have arrived, but this time with changes to the ranking methodology. These changes have been made to ensure that the rankings continue “to reflect the outputs of the diverse range of research-intensive universities across the world, now and in the future” says THE.?

Oxford University retained the top spot, while Stanford University rose to second place, pushing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) up to third. Meanwhile, Harvard University dropped to fourth, and Cambridge University shifted down from third to fifth.?

Despite this slight reshuffling among the top spots, US and UK universities continue to dominate. Meanwhile, Australian universities are lagging behind. THE reported that “Australian higher education stands on the brink of a long-anticipated dive in its international standing”, after almost half the sector went backwards in this year’s rankings. This is primarily down to the international student caps which were introduced earlier in the year.?

Check out the full rankings list here.

Google’s competitors ramp up search functions

Google’s supremacy for high-intent audiences continues to be under threat, with social platforms refining and evolving their keyword targeting capabilities.

Reddit, whose pages often appear at the top of SERPs anyway, launched Contextual Keyword Targeting in 2023 and enabled brands to reach users searching for or engaging with content related to those keywords. For example, a university targeting keywords like “SATs” or “admissions” can expect their ads to show in conversations related specifically to those key terms across the site.

But now, Reddit has taken this a step further by allowing keyword targeting to appear in the user's feed rather than just within conversations. This is significant as it increases the ad inventory for high-intent audiences. Combined with Reddit’s AI-powered keyword suggestions, the update greatly expands your targeting to reach more of these high-value audiences.

TikTok, perhaps Google's biggest competitor for Gen Z search audiences, has also fleshed out its offering for advertisers. The focus of this update seems to be for operational efficiency rather than campaign performance, allowing for both video and carousel formats within a single ad group.?

The system automatically selects the most relevant creative for users searching within your institution's designated keywords, enhancing the likelihood of reaching the right audience. Additionally, you can now manage your campaign by activating, deactivating, and editing keywords and creative assets while the campaign is active. This flexibility allows for adjustments to be made in real-time, supporting more agile marketing execution for universities.

And lastly, we have ChatGPT. OpenAI has launched real-time web search capabilities directly within ChatGPT, now accessible for Plus, Team, and select waitlist users, with a broader rollout planned soon. Dubbed "SearchGPT," this integration enables ChatGPT to act as a live search engine, offering direct responses with cited sources for increased transparency.?

For marketers working in HE, it offers a new platform for marketing analytics, where data-driven insights on user engagement with search-enhanced AI might further inform content strategies and student outreach.

What’s next for international students in the UK?

After stagnant growth of international students in 2023, and a slight decline in enrollment this year, the UK university sector has been left with a concerning outlook for the future. With inflation eating away at real tuition revenue from their domestic counterparts, international students are playing a critical role in keeping the books balanced for many universities in the sector.

Enroly has released data indicating that CAS issuance is down 26.27% year on year across their partner institutions. However, this is a significant improvement compared to the stark 51.55% decline previously reported in May 2024. It seems the drop may be levelling out, and Enroly’s Chief Executive Jeff Symonds has noted that “this September intake likely reflects the new baseline for the sector.”

However, there are signs of improvement. In East Africa, CAS issuances have risen by 27.87% in October 2024, driven largely by a 43% rise in CAS recipients in Kenya which continues on a growth trajectory from the January 2024 intake. Also, deposit payments have slightly increased by 3.27% compared to this time last year. However, there’s still lots of work to do, as this increase is likely driven by deferred students who failed to arrive in the UK for their autumn course start date.

As always, government policy will be playing a critical role in how the UK recovers from the decline. Earlier this month, the Department of Education announced they will be revising the International Education Strategy, originally put in place by the Conservative party in 2019.

Many point to the tightening of visa restrictions in 2023 as a catalyst for the falling international student numbers, particularly from West Africa. As Australia and Canada lower caps on international student migration, a big opportunity lies ahead for the UK to go in the other direction and woo back students to the British Isles.

Threads reaches 275 million MAU’s

Meta's Threads has reached 275 million monthly active users, significantly increasing its competitive edge against Elon Musk's X platform. This rapid growth suggests rising user interest in alternative social media options, with many turning away from the often politicised X.?

While advertising opportunities are currently unavailable on the platform, the app is a promising tool for organic social media marketing. However, with MAUs climbing as fast as they are, surely advertising options aren’t far away?

Given Threads' growing traction, HE institutions might benefit from an early presence, creating a mix of conversational and engaging posts that align with student interests and digital behaviours.

More big moves across CTV

Amazon has announced plans to expand its ad offerings on Prime Video significantly in 2025, adding more ads in new regions, including Brazil, India, Japan, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. The expansion aims to enhance Amazon's position in streaming advertising, giving brands new opportunities to reach large audiences across various types of content, including sports like NFL games and upcoming NBA broadcasts.

Alongside increasing ad placements, Amazon is set to introduce "shoppable ads," which allow viewers to interact with ads by taking actions like adding products to their cart directly from their screen. Although Prime Video’s ad load will grow, Amazon assures it will still be lighter than traditional TV, intending to balance ad revenue with user experience.

Netflix meanwhile, has plans to enhance its advertising model as it approaches “critical” scale for ad-tier subscriptions in 2025.

While ad-supported users show similar engagement to standard plan users, Netflix has acknowledged more work is needed to fully monetize its ad inventory. But despite strong ad-tier growth, Netflix will prioritize revenue over subscriber counts in 2025, focusing on expanding ad reach and advertiser appeal.

Samsung TV Plus has also announced impressive growth, reaching 88 million monthly active users globally as of October 2024. The platform, Samsung’s free ad-supported streaming service (FAST), has seen a 50% year-over-year increase in viewership, driven primarily by younger audiences in the United States.?

This milestone reflects Samsung’s strategic focus on a premium yet accessible user experience. Advertisers have taken notice, with Samsung Ads integrating targeted ads for prime audiences, further enhancing the platform's appeal to brands seeking wide reach and high engagement.

The new norm for college finances

S&P Global has reported that colleges are facing a “new normal” of heightened competition and operational challenges. Declining student demographics, rising costs, and higher tuition discounts have squeezed institutions' margins. Since 2018, the average operating margin has dipped into negative territory, and tuition revenue remains constrained.?

Colleges are responding with budget adjustments, including faculty cuts, while balancing the risk of potential labor issues. Despite these pressures, institutions are continuing to invest in student support, like mental health services, to attract and retain students.

Yet, it was also reported that US community colleges are experiencing a financial and enrollment recovery following pandemic-driven declines. Enrollment has increased modestly, especially among larger colleges with industry partnerships, and state funding has bolstered their financial stability.?

Despite inflation and the end of federal relief funds, community colleges are maintaining steady margins, with a trend of cautious optimism for continued growth, although some areas with declining local demographics still face challenges. The positive outlook suggests a steady return to pre-pandemic levels.

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