Nielsen has released its most recent data on the tertiary education sector in Australia, showing Australian tertiary education institutions have spent $175 million on advertising in the last 12 months.
The big spending from institutions comes with a significant increase in the number of people looking to pursue higher education.
Nielsen’s Consumer and Media View data indicates the percentage of Australians aged 16 and above expressing an intention to study at TAFE or university has risen from 15% in 2023 to 22% in 2024, tripling 2019’s figure of 7%.
Nielsen’s ad intel also shows that the $175.5 million ad expenditure from July 2023 to June 2024 includes an increase of 19% from May to June alone.
Nielsen Ad Intel Australia’s commercial lead Rose Lopreiato said: “This sector is so important – for the institutions, the students, and the country as a whole – and that’s reflected in the ad spend numbers.”
Of the total ad spend by tertiary institutions, 60% was on social media.
The largest group intending to undertake tertiary study within the upcoming year are high school graduates aged 16 to 17, however older generations are also looking to hit the books.
An age breakdown of those intending to undertake tertiary study in the next 12 months reveals 16 to 17 year olds make up 49%; 18 to 24 year olds make up 18%; 25 to 39 year olds make up 22%; 40-54 year olds make up 17%; and those 55 and older make up 4%.
Glenn Channell, Nielsen’s Pacific Head of Advanced Analytics, added: “High school graduates aside, more and more Australians are considering tertiary education, so it’s never been more crucial for tertiary institutions to offer educational opportunities and career advancement to an increasingly diverse range of people, especially those with family commitments.”
Australian secondary students looking to pursue tertiary education are 75% more likely than the average population to respond to online ads, 2.5 times more likely to click on video ads, and almost 2.8 times as likely to click on banner ads. Additionally, 32% find online and mobile ads useful, if tailored to their interests, which is 48% higher than the average population.
Deakin University was the highest spending tertiary education institution in the last 12 months, followed by Torrens Uni Australia, and Victoria University.
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