Ad spend in higher education sector jumped 19% from May to June
Social media dominates ad spend in race to reach new students
Biggest ad spending education institutions revealed
Sydney - August 7, 2024 - Nielsen has released its most recent Ad Intel and Consumer and Media View (CMV) data on the tertiary education sector in Australia, revealing a significant increase in the number of people looking to pursue higher education and the institutions spending big to attract them.
According to Nielsen CMV, the percentage of Australians (aged 16 and above) expressing an intention to study at TAFE or University in the next 12 months has risen dramatically. In 2019 the number was just 7%, more than doubling to 15% in 2023, before rising to 22% in 2024.
Additionally, Nielsen Ad Intel data shows that Australian tertiary education providers are spending big to attract new students, with a combined ad spend topping $175.5 million between July 2023 and June 2024. Notably, there was an increase of 19% from May to June this year alone.
Social media accounted for 60% of the total ad spend by institutions, with general display also heavily used in the ad mix.
Predictably, 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.
Age breakdown of those intending to undertake tertiary study in the next 12 months:
16-17: 49%
18-24: 18%
25-39: 22%
40-54: 17%
55+: 4%
The data also reveals that 75% of those wanting to pursue tertiary education over the course of the following year are currently employed, with 44% working full time, 31% working part-time, and 18% working casually, indicating a desire to upskill and improve their qualifications.
In addition, 54% of those intending to study are parents, or have children at home. Among this group, 20% have at least one child under 5 years old, 27% have at least one child between 5-12 years old, and another 27% have at least one child between 13-17 years old.
Nielsen Ad Intel's Australia 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. They demonstrate the difficulty of attracting students as they consider their TAFE or university options in such a competitive market and highlight the need for education providers to reach the right demographics, in the right places, at the right time and nothing does that better than Ad Intel .
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. Nielsen CMV allows them to do that viewing potential Tertiary Education customers through an advanced audience lens, delivering a more holistic picture of behaviours, preferences, and lifestyle habits unmatched in the market.
When it comes to ads, Australian secondary students looking to pursue tertiary education in the next 12 months 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.
*Source: Nielsen CMV, July 2019 June 2020, July 2022-June 2023, July 2023 June 2024, base: All People 16+ and;
Nielsen Ad Intel, July 2023 June 2024
About Nielsen Nielsen shapes the world's media and content as a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviours across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their audiences now and into the future. Nielsen operates around the world in more than 55 countries.
Learn more at www.nielsen.com and connect with us on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram).
Media Contact Dan Chapman
Assoc. Director, Communications, Nielsen APAC
dan.chapman@nielsen.com
+61 404 088 462
More from Nielsen
06/02/2026
Despite most never having strapped on skis or skates, Aussies are keen for some ...
05/02/2026
During this period, streaming comprised the majority of ad supported TV (45.6%),...
04/02/2026
Pilot To Launch with Super Bowl LX on February 8 and Continue with High Profile Live Events, Entertainment and Sports
Nielsen to Use State of the Art Wearable...
29/01/2026
Bluey' Wins Second Consecutive Top Streaming Title of the Year with 45 Billi...
28/01/2026
Airlines, cruise and tour operators double down on ad spend as Australians' prioritise travel
Sydney January 28, 2026 - New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows a...
27/01/2026
Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement
in...
23/01/2026
Multi-year deal utilizes Nielsen's full suite of local audience marketing in...
23/01/2026
New York, NY January 21, 2026 - Neptune BidCo US Inc. (the Issuer or the Co...
22/01/2026
Strategic hire marks latest milestone in Gracenote's continued expansion into CTV advertising & monetization
New York - January 21, 2026 - Nielsen's Gr...
21/01/2026
The Living Room Remains Central: Nielsen Highlights Growing TV Screen Dominance ...
20/01/2026
December, the first month of winter and the holiday season, has traditionally encouraged families to spend time together in front of the television. During this...
20/01/2026
During December, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.3%, an increase of 0.1 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YUMI TV,...
20/01/2026
Christmas Day is Most-Streamed Day Ever with 55 Billion Viewing Minutes, led by...
19/01/2026
The Majority of Those Surveyed Prefer to Buy Brands Who Advertise in Content Tha...
13/01/2026
Singapore - January 13, 2026 - Nielsen today announced the appointment of Matty Lin to its Commercial Organization as APAC regional sales leader.
Based in Sing...
06/01/2026
First-of-its-kind SSP capability delivers program-level insight and brand suitab...
22/12/2025
Paramount Scores Largest Share Increase Among Distributors as Paramount and CBS...
22/12/2025
New multi-year deal integrates Roku's data to fuel Nielsen's measurement suite
Roku gains access to Nielsen's streaming ratings, showing The Roku C...
19/12/2025
Partnership brings Nielsen ONE measurement activation directly into XR's adv...
18/12/2025
During November, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.2%, an increase of 0.5 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YUMI TV,...
18/12/2025
November continued the upward trend in television viewership. The significantly colder weather and a rich programming lineup encouraged viewers to spend more ti...
18/12/2025
As viewers turn to sports highlights, recaps and documentary programming, expand...
17/12/2025
Audiences Watched Over 103 Billion Minutes of TV on Thanksgiving Day
NFL Games ...
13/12/2025
Powering Client Growth: Horizon Deepens Nielsen Partnership, Enabling More Effic...
11/12/2025
A Majority of the World's Population (51%) Identify As Soccer Fans
The 2025 MLB postseason notched 58.2 billion viewing minutes, up +24% from the prior y...
10/12/2025
During this interval, streaming comprised the majority of ad supported TV (46.4%...
08/12/2025
Nielsen's robust data offering enables marketers to connect with their target audience more effectively and drive better results throughout Amazon's adv...
04/12/2025
Gracenote Content Connect enables media ecosystem to precisely align ad campaigns and programming based on rich content signals
NEW YORK - December 4, 2025 - N...
02/12/2025
NGID volunteers in the United States
NGID volunteers in Mexico
NGID volunteers in India
NGID volunteers in Spain
NGID volunteers in Australia
NGID voluntee...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
25/11/2025
Nielsen will now measure both Lionsgate's FAST channel MovieSphere and Movie...
24/11/2025
Mumbai - November 24, 2025 - In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in coll...
24/11/2025
Disney Achieves Largest Monthly Share Increase, Followed by FOX and Paramount, w...
19/11/2025
October brings a larger audience in front of TV screens. The cooler autumn weather and the continuation of new programming schedules brought increases in both t...
18/11/2025
During October, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 23.7%, a marginal shift of -0.8 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YUMI...
18/11/2025
Broadcast Builds On Lead Over Cable, Driven by Football and Drama Programming Ga...
11/11/2025
Rural connectivity rising fast
Traditional media still matters
Rural Filipinos...
06/11/2025
With nearly 50% of streamers willing to cancel a service based on difficulty fin...
05/11/2025
A Nielsen survey of 500 directors and millions of monday.com workflows reveals t...
05/11/2025
Prime Video's VoD offerings included for the first time in standardized AGF Measurement
Frankfurt, October 28, 2025. AGF Videoforschung, together with Ama...
04/11/2025
New York, NY - November 3, 2025 - Neptune BidCo US Inc. (the Issuer or the Co...
28/10/2025
Disney, NBCUniversal, FOX, Paramount Each Achieve Double-Digit Monthly Growth
...
24/10/2025
Warsaw - Poland, October 20, 2025 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, has published its latest All Screens Video Landscape r...
21/10/2025
September, the beginning of autumn, brought an expected revival to the TV market, largely due to the new fall TV schedules. The time spent in front of the TV sc...
21/10/2025
Broadcast Booms with 20% Uptick vs. August, Achieving Largest Monthly
Increase ...
21/10/2025
During September, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.5%, a marginal shift of -0.5 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YU...
16/10/2025
60% say infotainment systems are a critical purchasing or leasing consideration,...
14/10/2025
From bowser to basket, 9 in 10 Aussies are feeling the impact of rising prices
26% of households earn over $160k, but are still concerned about rising prices...
14/10/2025
New players take a bite out of big bank share as consumers increasingly value tr...
Ad spend in higher education sector jumped 19% from May to June 
