[WEBINAR] How Prospects Use AI to Research and Choose Programs in 2026

October 15th, 2026 by Ren Horst

TL;DR: Search Influence and UPCEA are hosting a free webinar on November 3 to unpack how prospective students use AI tools to research and shortlist programs, with a hands-on AI Search Strategy Lab on November 5 for institutions that want tailored recommendations.

Key Insights

• Search Influence and UPCEA’s joint research shows that over half of higher ed prospects now turn to an AI tool when researching a program, and most consider three or fewer options before deciding.
• The November 3 webinar features Search Influence’s Will Scott, Paula French, and Alison Zeringue, alongside UPCEA’s Emily West, unpacking findings from the How Prospects Search in 2026 study.
• The November 5 AI Search Strategy Lab is a small-group session where attendees get a free AI visibility report on their own program page and live feedback from Will, Paula, and Alison.

Prospective students aren’t waiting until they land on a school’s website to start forming an opinion. They’re asking AI tools questions, comparing programs side by side, and narrowing their list, often before a single admissions counselor ever hears from them. If your program isn’t showing up in those conversations, you’re already out of the running.

Search Influence is co-hosting a free webinar with UPCEA on November 3 at 12 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. CT on how prospects use AI at each stage of a program search, followed by a hands-on Strategy Lab the next day for institutions who want to apply the findings to their own program pages.

What You’ll Learn at the Webinar

In “How Prospects Use AI to Research and Choose Programs in 2026,” Search Influence’s Will Scott, Paula French, and Alison Zeringue will be joined by UPCEA’s Emily West to share findings from the How Prospects Search studies. They’ll compare what changed for AI search in higher education between 2025 and 2026.

Search Influence’s 2025 research with UPCEA found that half of prospective students already use AI tools during their search, and 79% read AI-generated overviews when they appear (now up to 83% in 2026). The 2026 findings further sharpen that picture. Over half of prospects now consider three programs or fewer before making a decision, and the ones that show up prominently in AI results are far more likely to make that shortlist.

The session will cover:

• How prospects use AI at each stage of their program search, and where the opportunities are for your institution at each one
• What’s driving the jump in AI trust, which platforms and tools prospects trust most, and where they’re still skeptical
• The tactics that actually land you a spot on a prospect’s shortlist before they ever reach your site

This builds on the research Search Influence and UPCEA published in How Prospects Search in 2026 and expands on ideas covered in our blogs, 30+ AI Search in Higher Education Stats and Higher Education AI Search Strategy.

Go Deeper With the AI Search Strategy Lab

For institutions that want more than a presentation, Search Influence is also running a small-group AI Search Strategy Lab on November 5 at 12 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. CT, hosted by Will Scott, Paula French, and Alison Zeringue. Spots are limited.

Ahead of the session, attendees can submit one of their own program pages and receive a free AI visibility report showing where that page stands and what to fix. During the Lab, the team walks through three real reports live, covering what’s working, what isn’t, and how they’d restructure the page, then opens the floor for questions specific to each institution’s programs and priorities.

The Strategy Lab isn’t recorded, because the format only works as an open, candid conversation. Live attendance is the only way to get this particular mix of research-backed guidance and one-on-one time with the Search Influence team.

How to Register

If your team is starting to notice AI-driven traffic in your reporting, or you’re not sure whether your programs show up in AI results at all, this is a good place to start closing that gap before the next enrollment cycle picks up.

Both sessions are free, but space in the Strategy Lab is limited. Register now to save your seat for the live webinar, “How Prospects Use AI to Research and Choose Programs in 2026,” and claim your spot in the Strategy Lab before it fills.