A school’s location shapes far more than the view from campus. It affects what students expect to pay, how they travel, where they live, whether they feel they will belong and how clearly they can connect a program with future opportunities.
That makes location an important part of student recruitment, but not a substitute for academic quality or program fit. The strongest campaigns show how the institution and its surroundings work together to create a credible student experience.
Student-city rankings change from year to year, but the criteria behind them are useful. The current QS Best Student Cities methodology assesses university quality, student mix, desirability, employer activity, affordability and student views. These categories reflect the questions prospective students ask when comparing not only schools, but also the places where they may spend several years.
International students are also comparing more options. IDP’s Emerging Futures 9 research, based on more than 5,800 prospective and current international students across 118 countries and regions, found that 78% were seriously considering more than one destination in 2026. Quality, value and visa certainty were important parts of that comparison.
The opportunity for schools is clear: make the location easier to understand, connect it with the right audience and give students enough practical evidence to decide whether they can see themselves living there.
Define the Role of Location in Student Recruitment
Before creating city guides or destination videos, decide what role location actually plays in your institution’s value proposition.
Location may support recruitment through:
- Affordability and housing options.
- Access to employers, placements or industry clusters.
- A close-knit student community.
- Public transportation and regional connections.
- Culture, language and community life.
- Outdoor recreation and natural surroundings.
- Safety, health and student support.
- Proximity to family, airports or major cities.
- A setting that directly supports the programs offered.
These are starting points, not automatic claims. Validate them through current students, alumni, applicant questions, housing data, campus-visit feedback, CRM notes and enrollment research.
Ask students why the location helped or complicated their decision. Compare the reasons applicants accepted, deferred or declined. Review which location pages they visited and which questions admissions advisers answer repeatedly. A location strategy should be built from evidence rather than from what staff assume students value.
Find a Distinctive Location Position Without Exaggerating
No institution needs to claim that its city is the best in the world. It needs to explain why the location is a good fit for a specific student.
A useful location position should be:
- Specific: Replace “a vibrant city” with concrete information about neighbourhoods, transportation, cultural activities or industries.
- Relevant: Connect each advantage with the needs of the audience and program.
- Verifiable: Support affordability, safety, travel and career claims with current sources.
- Balanced: Explain practical challenges as well as benefits.
- Consistent: Use the same facts across program pages, campaigns, guides and admissions conversations.
Generic destination copy creates little differentiation. Prospective students can find tourist descriptions elsewhere. The institution’s job is to explain what living in that place means for a student attending that school.
Market Small Towns and Regional Campuses With Confidence
When it comes to study destinations, bigger is not always better. Some students prefer a compact environment where campus, housing, services and social life are easier to navigate. Others may value lower costs, quieter surroundings or a stronger sense of community.
Schools in smaller towns and regional locations can highlight:
- Shorter commutes and walkable or bike-friendly routes.
- Closer relationships with faculty and campus services.
- A visible student community.
- Lower housing or transportation costs, where current evidence supports the claim.
- Outdoor spaces and recreation.
- Access to local employers and community partners.
- Reliable connections to larger cities, airports or regional centres.
The “best of both worlds” position can still be effective when the travel claim is accurate. The University of Hertfordshire, for example, currently presents its green Hatfield campus alongside access to central London in approximately 25 minutes by train. Its location content also connects the setting with accommodation, student services and career-focused study rather than treating proximity to London as the only benefit.
Be precise about transportation. State the station, typical travel time, frequency, cost considerations and how students reach the campus from the route. Avoid describing a place as “minutes from” a major city when the full journey requires multiple transfers or depends on infrequent service.
Explain Affordability, Housing and Everyday Mobility
Location marketing becomes more persuasive when it answers practical questions. Students need to understand not only whether a city looks appealing, but whether they can afford and navigate it.
A location or student-life page should explain:
- Typical housing models and current price ranges.
- Whether accommodation is guaranteed, limited or independently arranged.
- Deposits, utilities and other common housing costs.
- Public transportation, student passes and commute times.
- Walking, cycling and accessible travel routes.
- Food, recreation and other everyday expenses.
- Housing-search timelines and scam prevention.
- Support available for off-campus tenants.
Do not publish a single “cost of living” figure without explaining what it includes, when it was reviewed and how individual choices can change the total. Link to the office responsible for housing or financial guidance and establish a review schedule before every major intake.
Affordability can be a strong advantage, but it should never be assumed simply because a campus is outside a major city. Limited housing supply, car dependence or high travel costs can make a smaller location more expensive than it first appears.
Show Culture, Belonging and Community Life
Location is also emotional. Prospective students want to imagine how they will spend time outside the classroom, where they will meet people and whether the environment will support their identity and interests.
Useful content may cover:
- Student clubs and associations.
- Arts, music, sport and cultural events.
- Faith, reflection and community spaces.
- Food options and dietary support.
- LGBTQ+, accessibility and inclusion resources.
- Local volunteering and community projects.
- Outdoor activities and recreation.
- Student-friendly neighbourhoods and study spaces.
Current students are often the best guides. Ask them to explain where they study, shop, exercise, meet friends and seek help. HEM’s guidance on creating student testimonials can help institutions gather specific stories rather than generic praise.
The University of Groningen provides a current example of connecting place with student life. Its student-city content describes a compact environment with approximately 60,000 students, daily destinations within cycling distance and a cultural and entrepreneurial community. The message works because it explains how the scale of the city affects everyday student life.
Avoid presenting nightlife as the only evidence of an active location. Students have different ages, responsibilities and interests. Show quiet spaces, family-friendly activities, cultural communities and low-cost options as well.
Address Climate and Seasonal Life Honestly
Climate can influence comfort, transportation, housing and wellbeing. It should be treated as practical decision-support information, not only as attractive imagery.
Useful climate content can explain:
- Typical seasonal temperatures and daylight.
- Clothing and equipment students may need.
- Heating, cooling and residence conditions.
- How weather affects transportation and campus operations.
- Indoor and outdoor seasonal activities.
- Health, accessibility and wellbeing support.
- Emergency alerts and severe-weather procedures.
A warm climate, coastal setting or winter experience may be an appealing part of the brand, but the institution should also prepare students for the realities. Show what a normal week looks like across different seasons rather than using only the most photogenic days of the year.
International students may need explanations that domestic students would not. A video about winter should include what to wear, how to travel safely and where to find support—not only footage of snow-covered buildings.
Connect Location With Programs, Learning and Careers
The most convincing location strategy links the surroundings with what students will learn and what they may be able to do during the program.
Possible connections include:
- Health programs near hospitals and clinical partners.
- Business programs in a regional commercial centre.
- Technology programs connected with local employers or innovation hubs.
- Environmental programs using nearby ecosystems or field sites.
- Hospitality programs in an established visitor destination.
- Creative programs within an active cultural sector.
- Agriculture or resource programs connected with regional industries.
Replace vague references to “excellent career opportunities” with evidence such as named partners, approved placements, field projects, employer events, alumni examples and current labour-market information.
Keep career and immigration claims separate. A strong local industry does not guarantee a job, and a program does not guarantee permission to work or remain in the country. Link international students to current official government information and show when policy content was last reviewed.
Bring the Location to Students Who Cannot Visit
Many prospective students cannot experience the location in person because of distance, disability, work, family responsibilities, cost or timing. Digital content should help them understand the campus and surrounding area before they make a commitment.
Useful formats include:
- Interactive maps showing campus and surrounding services.
- Student-led neighbourhood and transportation tours.
- Residence and housing walkthroughs.
- Live location question-and-answer sessions.
- Seasonal day-in-the-life videos.
- Accessible campus and city routes.
- Photo stories about local events and field experiences.
- Virtual tours with captions, transcripts and clear navigation.
HEM’s guide to virtual tours in higher education provides additional recommendations for helping remote students explore campus facilities and student life.
Show real travel times and ordinary spaces. A recruitment video made entirely from aerial footage and tourist landmarks may create interest, but it does not answer how students reach class, buy groceries, access health services or find accommodation.
Content should be updated when buildings, transit routes, housing arrangements or local services change. A dated map or closed venue can quickly weaken confidence in the rest of the information.
Create Location Pages That Support Search and Conversion
Location information is often scattered across admissions, international, accommodation and student-life sections. Create a clear path that connects discovery with the next recruitment action.
A strong location hub may include:
- A concise location value proposition.
- Campus and city maps.
- Housing and cost information.
- Transportation and arrival guidance.
- Safety, health and accessibility resources.
- Culture, community and student activities.
- Program and career connections.
- Student stories.
- Virtual and in-person visit options.
- A relevant call to action.
Use descriptive headings and answer specific search questions such as “cost of living for students in [city],” “student housing near [school]” or “what is it like to study in [location].” Avoid creating thin pages for every nearby attraction when the information would be more useful in one maintained destination guide.
Local applicants and international applicants may need different paths. HEM’s guide to local student recruitment covers nearby search, local reputation and community outreach, while international location content should add immigration, arrival, housing and cultural-transition guidance.
The call to action should match the stage of the journey: explore programs, estimate costs, attend a webinar, book a visit, speak with an adviser or begin an application.
Measure Whether Location Content Supports Enrollment
Likes on a city photograph do not prove that location marketing contributes to enrollment. Connect content engagement with student progression.
Useful indicators include:
- Visits to location, housing and cost pages.
- Engagement with maps and virtual tours.
- City-guide or arrival-guide downloads.
- Webinar and campus-visit registrations.
- Clicks from location content to program pages.
- Questions about housing, transportation and student life.
- Application starts after location-page engagement.
- Offers, deposits and enrollments by market.
- Deferral or withdrawal reasons related to the destination.
- First-term feedback about whether the location matched expectations.
Add location-decision questions to applicant and enrolled-student surveys. Record whether the place was an advantage, a concern or a neutral factor. Review results by program, source market, study level and student type.
Location marketing works best when it attracts students whose expectations align with the real experience. Accurate content may discourage some applicants, but it can also improve fit, reduce uncertainty and support stronger enrollment and retention.
Frequently Asked Questions About Location in Student Recruitment
How important is location in student recruitment?
Location can influence affordability, housing, travel, safety, belonging, student life and career access. Its importance varies by student and program, so schools should combine market research with their own applicant, CRM and enrollment evidence.
Can a school in a small town compete with a university in a major city?
Yes. A smaller location may offer a close community, shorter commutes, lower costs, outdoor access or a calmer environment. The school should identify the students who value those benefits and provide current practical evidence.
What location information should a school website include?
Priority information includes housing, costs, transportation, safety, accessibility, health services, climate, culture, student activities, nearby services, program connections, arrival guidance and visit options.
How should a school market a difficult climate?
Be honest and practical. Explain seasonal conditions, clothing, transportation, housing, activities and support. Show how students live successfully throughout the year rather than hiding the less attractive season.
Should local and international students receive different location content?
They may share core information, but international students often need additional guidance on arrival, immigration, housing, transportation, terminology and cultural adjustment. Local students may need commuting and community-specific information.
How can current students support location marketing?
Students can provide neighbourhood guides, day-in-the-life content, transportation demonstrations, housing advice and honest explanations of what they enjoy or find challenging. Obtain permission and review factual claims before publication.
How should schools measure location marketing?
Track engagement with location content and connect it with visits, inquiries, applications, deposits and enrollments. Survey applicants and enrolled students about the role location played and whether the actual experience matched the marketing.
Every institution has a location story, but the strongest story is not simply that the place is attractive. It is that the school understands how students will live, learn, connect and progress there—and communicates that experience honestly.
