The Chronicle of Higher Education Features Search Influence on AI Search
November 9th, 2026 by
On November 2, in its Daily Briefing newsletter, The Chronicle of Higher Education interviewed Paula French of Search Influence and Bruce Etter, senior director of research and consulting at UPCEA, on how colleges can earn visibility in AI-generated answers. The interview ran under the heading “How to Win Prospects and Influence AI,” as prospective students increasingly turn to tools such as ChatGPT and Claude to research programs.
The conversation draws on How Prospects Search in 2026, the second annual research study from UPCEA and Search Influence analyzing shifting student search behavior.
Why This Matters for Enrollment Teams
The study surveyed 1,057 adults interested in continuing and online education, and its findings point to a fast-changing search journey. Fifty-six percent of prospects consider three or fewer programs before they apply, and 54% say they are likely to use AI-powered tools in their program research. Thirty-nine percent use AI search daily, up from 24% a year earlier.
Etter told the Daily Briefing that an institution unprepared for AI-driven searches might be eliminated from a prospect’s consideration set, even if it offers a strong program. That puts AI visibility next to traditional search on an enrollment team’s priority list.
What the Interview Covers
In the interview, French and Etter walk through where AI tools pull their answers and what makes a program page easy for both learners and AI to understand. French also explains how AI search can connect a prospect with a very niche program “in a way that Google simply never could.”
Before an institution touches its website, French says, it needs to know where it stands today. Her first steps are keyword and prompt research and a baseline for AI visibility. How to build on that baseline is covered in the full interview.
About The Chronicle of Higher Education
Founded in 1966 and based in Washington, D.C., The Chronicle of Higher Education is an independent publication with the nation’s largest newsroom dedicated to covering higher education, serving millions of educators, administrators, researchers, and policymakers. Beyond its news coverage, the Chronicle publishes the Daily Briefing newsletter, special reports such as The Trends Report 2026, and the College Matters podcast.
Read the Interview and Get the Data
The interview is available on The Chronicle’s website. Read the Nov. 2 Daily Briefing for the complete conversation.
How Prospects Search in 2026, the data behind the interview, is free to download. See the full report here for year-over-year changes in AI usage and the rest of the findings.