How to Set Up a Grad School Website
Your grad school’s website is often the first point of interaction a prospective student has with your institution. This first interaction should be memorable and reflective of your institution’’s stature.
This article is a go-to guide for graduate schools looking to set up a standout grad school website. It offers insights into crafting a website that informs, engages, and persuades prospective students into signing up.
Why Higher Ed Websites Matter?
Prospective students come with specific expectations and inquiries. They expect a website that provides in-depth program details and an accurate description of their potential academic and professional trajectory.
Here’s what you need to focus on to that end:
Seeking Substance Over Style: The primary quest for any visitor to a grad school website is information. Detailed program outlines, faculty qualifications, and career outcomes are among the top priorities in this context. These elements must be presented in an accessible manner to ensure pertinent details are at the forefront.
Differentiation in a Crowded Higher Ed Market: To distinguish itself, the grad school website must break the mold. A website that dares to be different—in terms of innovative design, interactive elements, or success stories—will make a memorable impression and stand out from the competition.
Leveraging Peer-to-Peer Engagement: A recent survey highlights that an impressive 78% of students value the opportunity to speak with current students during their decision-making journey. It can help foster connections between prospective students and student ambassadors and greatly influences their university selection.
Related: How to Write to Attract Higher Ed Students
How are Grad School Challenges Different?
As a graduate school enrollment team, you encounter unique challenges that shape your digital outreach strategies. Each team is attached to a specific program or area of study. This siloed nature can impact a graduate program’s ability to present a cohesive brand identity across different areas of study on your website.
The impending demographic shift or enrollment cliff complicates this challenge further.
Related: Tips for Climbing the Enrollment Cliff
Projections indicate a 15% decline in the population of 18-year-olds by 2025, signaling fewer traditional graduate applicants. To counter this, you must recalibrate your approach to target broader and more diverse student demographics, including non-traditional scholars.
As such, you must innovate your digital strategies and ensure your websites reflect this adaptability. A dynamic and well-structured website that highlights diverse program strengths and demonstrates the long-term value of advanced education can be a game changer.
Understanding the Graduate Student Demographic
Graduate students often differ remarkably from their undergraduate counterparts, in the sense that they bring a unique set of characteristics and needs to the academic table. Here are the key distinctions:
Diverse Backgrounds: Many graduate students are first-generation college students and may be balancing academic responsibilities while supporting families. This intersection of academic pursuit and familial duty shapes their educational engagement.
Professional Integration: A significant portion of the graduate student body is composed of individuals already engaged in the workforce. These seasoned students or recent undergraduates often approach higher education with a wealth of real-world experience.
Distinct Motivations: For many graduate students, the decision to pursue advanced education is intricately linked to career enhancement. Career opportunities are one of the top three deciding factors for 37% of students when choosing where to study. These students are strategically investing in their future.
Reflecting Graduate Goals on a School Website
To cater to the graduate demographic, a school website must provide relevant and easily accessible information in a way that reflects the aspirations of visitors.
Incorporating user-generated content such as testimonials from current grad students or insights from prominent faculty can elevate the sense of inclusion and community. It allows prospective students to see and hear firsthand experiences and success stories, fostering a sense of belonging long before they enroll.
Related: Using User-Generated Content for Higher Ed Communities
Finally, key elements of program information, financial guidance, and scholarship opportunities must figure prominently on grad school websites. These aspects must dovetail effectively with other elements to create a compelling online narrative—one that showcases the tangible benefits and real-world outcomes that graduate education promises. Such a narrative reassures students that their choice of grad school aligns with both their immediate learning goals as well as their long-term professional objectives.
Building Community and Reflecting Aspirations in Higher Ed Websites
The digital landscape of higher education transcends the standard attributes of design and content. It is fundamentally about fostering a community and reflecting the aspirations of its target audience.
Unibuddy offers data-driven insights and peer-to-peer connectivity that are essential to engaging the modern student demographic. With its AI-powered insights, you can personalize user experiences to ensure each prospective student finds relevance and resonance in their interactions. The ability to track a student’s journey through the recruitment funnel in real-time and offer personalized support can make all the difference in converting prospects into enrolled students.
By leveraging Unibuddy’s conversation insights, your graduate school website can offer a dynamic and authentic community experience. Prospective students can connect with ambassadors, peers, and faculty.
Schedule a demo today to see how Unibuddy can seamlessly integrate into your website and help your institution stand out!
