What Airlines Can Teach Us About College Admissions

Your institution is working hard to connect with the right prospects. Your programs are strong, your outcomes matter, and your team is dedicated to helping students succeed. But the way people search online has been changing, and the strategies that worked five years ago aren’t as effective today. Even great institutions can struggle to stand out when it comes to college admissions.

I spent years in the travel industry doing paid media for an airline. And I’ve noticed that, in many ways, the way students choose colleges mirrors how people shop for flights. Both decisions involve financial commitment and careful comparison of multiple options. Airlines have spent decades learning how to help customers find them, understand them, and choose them with confidence.

Some of those same approaches can help your institution connect with more of the students who are actively looking for what you offer. Let’s look at five practical lessons for admissions and enrollment marketing.

1. Show up when students search.

When someone is ready to book a flight, they go to Google and start searching, based on the particulars of their trip. The airlines that show up in the results get a chance to compete. The ones that don’t aren’t necessarily a bad fit; they just never get seen. 

Students behave the same way when they start looking for schools. They type in very specific searches, like “nursing programs in Chicago” or “affordable engineering degrees” or “universities with study abroad.”

When your website and content show up for these kinds of searches, you’re reaching students who are already looking for what you offer and are further along in their decision process.

So how do you get in front of these prospects? Start by looking at how students are currently finding you in search and where you appear in the results. Which terms already bring them to your site? Which important programs or audiences aren’t showing up? Then make sure your content answers those searches clearly — not just with program names, but with outcomes, details, and clear next steps.

Remember: If you’re not appearing in the searches that matter most for you, you’re giving other schools the first chance to reach the prospects you want to attract.

2. Don’t hide your advantages.

Airlines put their prices, schedules, and policies right up front. They’ve learned that making information accessible can help people make confident decisions.

Students visiting your website are trying to answer fundamental questions: How much will this cost me? What will I study? Can I get a job after graduation? What’s it like to go here?

When this information is easy to find, prospects can evaluate whether your institution is right for them. When it’s buried or vague, they move on. Not because they’re not interested, but because they can’t get the information they need to decide.

Show your strengths clearly.

For more than 50 years, Southwest marketed its “Bags Fly Free” promotion, which became a central part of how people understood the company. Your institution can take a similar approach.

Ninety percent of your graduates are employed within six months? Put that on your home page and program pages. Your students complete real projects with industry partners? Highlight those stories and outcomes. Your financial aid covers most students’ needs? Say that clearly and explain how it works.

Clear, specific information builds trust. And that trust is what helps students feel ready to take the next step, whether that’s joining your mailing list, scheduling a visit, or starting an application.

3. Support students through the decision.

The pandemic changed how many people choose airlines. Loyalty became less automatic, and travelers started thinking more about factors like flexibility, policies, and overall experience. In the process, many tried airlines they hadn’t considered before.

Higher education is seeing similar shifts. Students today are asking different questions than they did five years ago: Will this place help me get a job? Can I afford it? Does it fit my life? Those questions can feel challenging, but they also create more chances to show the value of what you offer.

What’s working now.

The institutions that are connecting well with prospects are doing a few things consistently:

• They show recent results: Not just statistics from years ago, but current graduate stories, recent job placements, and ongoing success.
• They offer flexibility: Evening options, online courses, and part-time or hybrid paths that make it possible for students to fit school into their lives.
• They stay helpful while students decide: Sharing useful information, like career insights, student perspectives, timelines, and answers to common concerns — even after the prospect inquires or applies.
• They let students experience what they offer: Virtual class visits, conversations with current students, and on-campus and online events that help prospects picture themselves at the institution.

Students rarely make their decisions based on a single interaction. They tend to choose schools that keep showing value, in clear and relevant ways, throughout the period when they’re considering their options.

4. Simplify the application process.

Booking a flight shapes your opinion of an airline before you ever travel with them. If the website is hard to use or the steps aren’t clear, people notice. Your admissions process works the same way. When applying feels straightforward, students have a better sense of what to expect, and they’re more comfortable at the next stage.

Airlines regularly test and refine their booking process based on how people use it. You can take a similar approach by making small, ongoing changes so that the next step is easier for prospects to take. Look for points where things are confusing, repetitive, or slow, and focus on addressing those issues.

When each interaction is clear and responsive, students are more likely to feel that your institution is organized and paying attention, and that perception can play a meaningful role in their final decision.

5. Be clear about what makes you different.

Every airline gets you from point A to point B. The ones people remember make their value obvious — maybe it’s the lowest price, the most nonstop routes, or a better experience on board.

In higher education, nearly everyone is saying the same things. If you scan a group of college websites, you’ll see phrases like “quality education,” “small classes,” and “supportive faculty” again and again. These ideas aren’t wrong or unimportant; they’re just not distinctive. They don’t help a student understand why they should choose your institution instead of another one with similar programs.

Prospects need something more: They need to know what only you can offer.

Often, that shows up in the experiences students have or the outcomes they achieve. Maybe your business majors complete internships with Fortune 500 companies. Maybe your education majors spend time in real classrooms in their first semester. Maybe your nursing graduates pass licensure exams at rates well above the state average.

Once you’ve identified a few things you do distinctively well, make sure they show up clearly on your program pages, in your outreach, and in your campaigns. When students have something specific to remember about you, it’s much easier for them to see how you’re different from the other schools they’re considering.

Let’s recap.

Airlines have spent years learning how to help people make confident choices in a crowded market. The same ideas can strengthen your enrollment work:

• Be visible when students are searching.
• Make key information easy to find, like programs, cost, and outcomes.
• Keep showing value with current stories and results.
• Simplify the steps, from first click through the final application.
• Be specific about what you do differently.

You don’t need to change everything at once. Start with one area that would make the biggest difference for prospects trying to reach you. Make progress there, see how it affects inquiries and applications, then move to the next area.

Over time, these kinds of adjustments will make it easier for the right students to find you, understand what you offer, and feel confident choosing your institution.