Social media updates, an all-new program for Stopped-Out Students and another UK Results Day

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 on what’s impacting the sector and share insights on how to better connect with your audiences.

August has brought further social media updates and developments, an all-new program for Stopped-Out Students and another UK Results Day.

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

California State University trials new program to target Stopped-Out Students

Across the US, the number of students who started postsecondary education but stopped out before earning a credential sits at 38.6 million. In California specifically, around six million between the ages of 25 and 64 have college credits but no degree. As the number of traditional students declines, universities are having to look further afield to fill out lecture halls, and those who had to stop their higher education for one reason or another may be a fruitful field to sow.

The California State University system has announced an innovative new trial of programs to draw students who stopped out, back into lecture halls. The new program, called The Second Start program, will support students who have stopped out due to academic performance. The new initiative appears to be in response to new research from the American Council on Education which found that 40% of students who stopped taking classes for more than one term said their poor academic performance was one of the reasons they stopped out.

To combat this, CSU will start reaching out to students who have left the institution at least three years ago and hold a cumulative GPA lower than 2.0. Upon re-enrollment at the institution that they initially left, students will pursue an undergraduate degree program and complete 12 units, earning a 2.5 GPA or better within 12 months.

After learners meet the 12-unit and 2.5-GPA threshold, they’re officially considered second-start students and will have their previous GPA wiped. Their prior grades will still be reflected on their transcript, but their cumulative GPA will reset to only include the most recent credits.

The solution seems to be an elegant balance between catering to the needs of the students and maintaining the academic integrity of the system. The personal circumstances of these students may have changed drastically in the last three years, and offering the chance to work for a clean slate may pay off in the long run.

Threads vs X: The saga continues

Elon Musk continues to make headlines, but not for the right reasons. After posting content during the anti-immigration riots breaking out across the UK this month, X has also released data on its EU user base which has declined by 5% since the start of the year. EU social media regulation stipulates that companies need to publish data on their users every six months, and this has been the second report in a row indicating a decline for X. However, the platform is fighting back, with last month’s release of their AI Grok 2 (aka X’s answer to ChatGPT) as well as high-level data analytics for verified businesses.?

Comparatively, Threads, the newest member of the Meta family, has posted some positive gains in its monthly users. Its August report indicates that Threads has grown by 25 million in monthly active users over the last quarter alone. The platform has also released a dashboard allowing users to track post views, comments and engagements. This will only aid popular creators in refining their posts and ensuring that the content on Threads is continually engaging for its audiences.

The battle between X and Threads for the crown of real-time, text-based social media is one of attrition, and it seems Threads is gaining momentum. Slowly. While it is hard to say definitively, piecing together different data sets shows a slow migration of users from X? onto Threads.

Record-breaking UK Results Day

Nervous high school leavers in the UK received their A-level Results on the 15th of August, and as always - it was a good day for some and a scramble for a university place for others. Overall, 2024’s cohort were a clever bunch with top grades increasing by a significant 27.8% from last year. Their academic performance shone brightly, even when compared to pre-pandemic grade boundaries. As a result, 82% of students received their first-choice study offer, up from 79% last year.

Another shining light of this year's results was the record-breaking level of students who were admitted from disadvantaged backgrounds. A total of 27,600 UK 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds (classed as POLAR4 Quintile 1) were accepted into university, up 7% from last year. This level of underprivileged acceptance rates underscores the role education plays in economic mobility and how those from less affluent backgrounds view education as a means of brightening their futures.

From a university perspective, this was very much a supply-driven recruitment cycle. With international student numbers declining after a year of stagnation in 2023, higher-ranked universities had more seats to fill, leading to more of their courses being available in Clearing. The Guardian reported an extra 1,900 course availabilities from the prestigious Russell Group universities. As such, students had more options available to them post-Results Day, leaving the mid to lower-tariff universities in a scramble to vie for students. As of the 23rd of August, UCAS data indicates a total of 478,920 enrolled so far for this cycle, an increase of 1% compared with last year.

International student updates

Time for your monthly dose of news from the international student market:

• European universities are increasing the amount of taught English programs to entice international students to continental Europe. Since 2019, there’s been a 48% growth in programs where extensive knowledge of the native language is not necessarily required to complete the course. Leading this growth are countries like Germany, Italy, France and Finland.
• According to the University College and Admissions System (UCAS), UK universities have seen international numbers drop 1% this year, following a year of stagnant growth in 2023. The biggest decreases were from countries like China and Nigeria, however, there was a 10% increase in students from Turkey and the UAE.
• A report released by Duolingo English Test has shed some light on common misconceptions about Gen Z international students. The report, which is based on an in-depth interview with multiple international students from countries such as India, Indonesia and Bangladesh - reminds marketers not to underestimate the awareness of digital natives. Some key findings were that they regularly use email, they still love books, they use AI but are wary of its overuse and are aware of the dangers of social media to the extent that some are starting to detox.

YouTube proves its dominance in the CTV market

Neilsen’s new TV usage report has marked a significant milestone in the shift of viewer behaviors. YouTube has come out on top of all the streaming platforms, commanding 10% of all the TV usage in the US last month. This incredible rise is attributed to Gen Z, who have been sharing entertaining YouTube videos since a young age. This age group are now moving on up into adulthood, and bringing their new platform preferences into their living rooms.?

YouTube is not only growing in market share, but also seems to be dictating the norms of advertising on CTV. Through its research, YouTube found that 79% of audiences prefer longer blasts of advertising rather than frequent, shorter interruptions. While this may be appealing to viewers, for advertisers this could mean tougher competition for attention. Some are already questioning the efficacy of CTV advertising, with audiences having the ability to distract themselves on their phone while the pre-roll ads play.?

Social media updates

Another month, another dozen social media updates to keep tabs on:

• SnapChat - SnapChat has continued to drive its USP and market-leading position around the use of Augmented Reality for businesses. This month it released 2 new updates, First Lens Unlimited and AR Extensions. First Lens Unlimited is an enhanced version of its initial First Lens tool, a single-day takeover in which branded AR experiences appear on the SnapChat lens carousel. AR Extensions, on the other hand, take augmented reality beyond the camera to all their ad surfaces including Dynamic Product Ads, Snap Ads, Collection Ads, Commercials, and Spotlight.?
• Reddit - Reddit has published its second quarterly report since going public in March of this year. The report shows growth in both advertising revenue and user base, with a reported 8.5 million increase in monthly active users and a 54% increase YoY in advertising revenue. The platform has also launched a new advertising format specifically for lead generation, which includes a Sign-Up button leading users to an on-platform form fill.
• Instagram - Instagram chief, Adam Mosseri, has provided some insight on how best to utilize Collab posts. He has been quoted saying that Collab posts perform better when bigger accounts initiate the request. “In general, the ranking system [for Collab posts] biases more towards the original collaborator than the person who accepts. It really shouldn’t matter, but right now it matters a bit, so if the original collaborator is the larger account, that will help on the margins.” Universities wanting to do collab posts with their other internal IG accounts should use this information wisely and initiate any collaborations from their main account.

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