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
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
29/09/2026
Oak View Group (OVG) has announced Cisco as an Official Technology Partner, with plans to standardize infrastructure across its venue network on Cisco solutions...
29/09/2026
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) won three honors at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
Program awards went to Bucs BP in the Sports Program Live category (produced ...
29/09/2026
The Professional Women's Hockey League has announced home openers for all 12 teams for the 2026-27 season, along with a broadcast partnership with CBC under...
29/09/2026
Manifold technologies has been recognized as a contributor to the Media eXchange...
29/09/2026
FuboTV has announced My Local Sports, allowing subscribers in select markets to add their local regional sports network (RSN) as an add-on to a Fubo Sports subs...
29/09/2026
Asian News International (ANI), a wire agency and video news provider based in India, has deployed Grass Valley's AMPP Media Operating System and Framelight...
29/09/2026
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has deployed Ikegami UHK-X600 cameras as part of an upgrade to IP-based production infrastructure. The deployment ...
29/09/2026
REMI, REMCO models will drive the bulk of the broadcaster's NHL productions ...
29/09/2026
Three years in, the facility is supporting more centralized race production, com...
29/09/2026
NBC, Peacock, and NBSN are carrying all four Wild Card series with a production ...
29/09/2026
19 Nonfiction Projects Across All Stages of Production to Receive More Than $1 million in Support as Documentary Film Program Approaches 25th Anniversary
LOS ...
29/09/2026
Two new plug-ins launch alongside updated bundles
Zynaptiq have just announced the launch of two new plug-ins, alongside new and improved versions of two of...
29/09/2026
All-in-one bus processor revealed
Wes Audio's ng product range has come a long way since it was first introduced, and now includes a tasty selection of ...
29/09/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Ikegami announces that the South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, has chosen Ikegami UHK-X600 camera systems as part of an advance to IP-based operation ...
29/09/2026
Blendkit Offers 20% Discount to Celebrate Crossing 150K Asset Milestone
Brie Clayton September 29, 2026
0 Comments
Blendkit, the largest 3D asset libr...
29/09/2026
Interactive streaming specialist Ease Live supported more than 76.5 million fan sessions across three major European media operators during this summers FIFA Wo...
29/09/2026
Ease Live has added support for VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) to its graphical overlay technology, opening up new ways for broadcasters, streamers and rights...
29/09/2026
Rise AV has announced the launch of the inaugural Rise AV Awards, a new global awards programme celebrating the women, advocates and organisations across the AV...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Clear-Com announced that First Baptist Nashville has upgraded its production communications with a Clear-Com intercom solution as part of a comprehensive sanct...
29/09/2026
Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Captured Action Shots for Sketch
Brie Clayton September 28, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's portable design and dynamic range...
29/09/2026
Kean Production Services Deploys AJA ColorBox to Deliver Consistent, Accurate Co...
29/09/2026
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards A total of 28 Berklee alumni and faculty earned nominations across 20 categories this ye...
29/09/2026
Berklee's K-Pop & Beyond Explores Connections Between K-Pop and Hip-Hop Now in its fifth year, the series brings together artists, industry leaders, and s...
29/09/2026
We tend to think we live in a digital world, with hopes and fears around artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, data centres and the next big technolo...
29/09/2026
Today, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Apple relea...
29/09/2026
Final Cut Camera, the professional filming app for iPhone, receives a major upda...
29/09/2026
RT lyric fm is proud to announce the annual Choirs for Christmas competition callout. Warm up those vocal chords and join us on RT lyric fm for a celebration ...
28/09/2026
The NHL has announced Adobe as an Official Creative, Marketing and AI Partner beginning with the 2026-27 season. The partnership will provide the league and its...
28/09/2026
MultiDyne will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (October 5-7, Dubai Exhibition Centre), showcasing an expanded technology portfolio following its June 2026 acquisition of...
28/09/2026
ARRI and HONOR have announced the HONOR Magic9 Pro Max, a flagship smartphone carrying ARRI branding on the device and packaging as the first product-level expr...
28/09/2026
Net Insight has added the Nimbra 1020G to its pan-Asian live media trial network, giving customers and partners in the region a way to evaluate ST 2110 and JPEG...
28/09/2026
Vindral has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology and Engineering Emmy Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the category of We...
28/09/2026
Interra Systems will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (Stand B2-37, Dubai Exhibition Centre, October 5-7), demonstrating its BATON QC platform, ORION monitoring solutions...
28/09/2026
Two years into its new production facility, the TOUR is expanding centralized wo...
Ad spend in higher education sector jumped 19% from May to June 
