[New Research] How Prospects Search in 2026 and What It Means for 2027
September 18th, 2026 by
Key Insights
- AI search use is up 15% year over year. 39% of prospects now use AI-powered tools daily, up from 24% in 2025.
- Search engines still lead, but the gap is closing. 80% use traditional search engines to research programs; 54% now also use AI.
- Citations build real trust. 64% of prospects say being cited in an AI Overview makes them trust an institution more, up from 56% in 2025.
- The consideration set is shrinking. Most prospects seriously consider three or fewer programs before applying.
Student search keeps shifting, and this year’s data shows just how fast.
Search Influence partnered with UPCEA, the association for online and professional education, to update last year’s research study tracking how prospective students search for continuing and online education programs. The 2026 edition, How Prospects Search in 2026, surveyed 1,057 qualified adults ages 18–60 interested in continuing and online education, fielded May 5–14, 2026.
Because it’s a year-over-year measurement, this update shows something a one-time survey can’t: how quickly search behavior is changing, and where it’s headed next. AI is a big part of that story, but not the whole story. Search engines, AI tools, and university websites are all still in play, and the balance between them is moving fast.
AI Search in Higher Education Research: What the Data Shows
Traditional search engines remain the dominant starting point for program research, used by 80% of prospects. But AI is closing that gap quickly: 54% of prospects now use AI-powered tools during their search, and daily AI use nearly doubled in a single year, climbing from 24% to 39%.
Once prospects land in an AI-generated overview, they pay attention to it. 83% read these overviews when they appear, and 59% of those readers click through to the cited source. Being named as a source pays off in trust, too: 64% of prospects say a citation makes them trust that institution more, up from 56% last year.
Most prospective students seriously consider three programs or fewer before applying. With a shortlist that small, showing up in both organic search and AI-generated answers isn’t optional. It’s the difference between making the list and getting skipped entirely.
What It Means for You
Search behavior isn’t settling down. It’s still accelerating. Institutions that want to stay visible heading into 2027 should:
- Treat AI search as a real, fundable channel, not a side experiment.
- Invest in accurate, well-structured content built to earn AI citations, since AI tools surface existing authoritative content rather than inventing their own.
- Track visibility in AI answers, alongside traditional rankings, to know whether prospects are actually seeing your programs.
The institutions that wait are competing for a shrinking number of spots on an already short list.
This is exactly the kind of shift Search Influence helps institutions navigate, from structuring content that earns AI citations to tracking visibility across both traditional and AI-driven search. If your team needs a partner to turn this data into a strategy, we’re here to help. Let’s start a conversation.
Want the full breakdown, including every year-over-year figure and what it means for your enrollment strategy? Download the full 2026 report.