Understanding Student Device Preferences on University Websites

In this blog post, we explore key insights gathered from over 400,000 prospective students using a Study Choice Advisor to research study programs. This data reveals valuable information about the devices students use when converting to leads on higher education websites. We’ll dive into comparisons across regions, age groups, and device brand preferences, shedding light on trends that can help universities optimize their digital experiences.

1. The Senior Audience is Equally as ‘Mobile-First’ as GenZ

Did you think that 16 year olds use their mobiles more than young professionals in their 30s? Think again! When comparing Bachelor and Executive programmes, the users have almost identical behaviour for phone vs desktop usage. The only notable difference is that the more senior mobile audience use Android to a larger extent, and their desktop browser is usually Windows rather than Mac.

2. Admissions Page vs. Homepage

The use of mobile and desktop for website conversions can vary significantly based on users’ intentions.

For a British university, 89% of their website leads originating from mobile devices. In contrast, a French business school sees 59% of its conversions from desktop users.

The only difference worth noting is the webpage where the traffic was converted: at the business school, conversions primarily occurred on the Admissions page, suggesting the user is further down the decision making funnel. Conversely, at the British institution, conversions occurred more frequently on the Homepage indicating that they're still in their initial research phase.

3. The iPhone Reigns Across the Globe

What about regional differences? Mobile usage, especially the iPhone, is the main actor across all three regions. Although the iPhone is big, the Mac is not quite there yet in the LATAM region amongst desktop users, as they use Windows to a larger extent than the US and EU region. Tablets are hardly used at all, anywhere.