Prospective students judge institutions partly by their websites. A site that makes it hard to find fees, requirements or how to apply suggests an institution that will be hard to deal with. Many applicants quietly move on.
Here are the education website mistakes that most often lose applicants, and how to fix them.
Mistake 1: fees hidden or missing
Cost is often the first thing families check. When fees are buried in a PDF or missing, applicants assume the worst.
Fix: put fees clearly on every course page.
Mistake 2: vague entry requirements
"Relevant qualifications required" does not help an applicant decide whether to apply.
Fix: list specific requirements and alternative routes.
Mistake 3: unclear deadlines
Deadlines without dates, times or time zones cause panic and missed applications.
Fix: state exact deadlines on each course page.
Mistake 4: course pages written for staff
Pages full of module codes and academic language lose applicants who just want to know what they will study and where it leads.
Fix: lead with what students do, learn and go on to.
Mistake 5: no answers out of hours
Many applicants research late at night, as described in admissions questions that arrive at midnight. A form promising a reply in three working days loses them.
Fix: answer common questions instantly. SpideyChat for education providers does this from your website. Setup is in the installation guide and training guide.
Mistake 6: poor mobile experience
Many families browse on phones. Tiny text, broken menus and PDF prospectuses frustrate them.
Fix: test every key page on a phone.
Mistake 7: no clear next step
Applicants who are interested cannot see how to apply, visit or ask a question.
Fix: put apply, visit and ask options on every course page.
Mistake 8: parents ignored
Parents often research alongside students, with their own questions.
Fix: add sections for parents on key pages.
Mistake 9: outdated information
Last year's fees, old course codes and past open day dates erode trust quickly. Applicants wonder what else is out of date.
Fix: assign owners to review course and admissions pages before each recruitment cycle.
Mistake 10: no student voices
Pages written only by the institution feel like marketing. Applicants want to hear what it is really like.
Fix: add short, honest student stories to course pages, with permission.
Mistake 11: search that finds nothing
Applicants type a course name into the site search and get unrelated news articles or no results at all.
Fix: test the site search with the most common course names and questions, and fix the results, or give applicants a way to ask in plain language instead.
Mistake 12: accessibility gaps
Applicants with disabilities cannot use pages with poor contrast, unlabelled images or forms that do not work with screen readers.
Fix: check key pages against basic accessibility standards.
Choosing the right tools
If you are adding an assistant, choose carefully, as covered in choosing a website assistant for a school or college. Avoid the common setup errors listed in AI receptionist mistakes.
Learning from other sectors
Gyms and hotels make many of the same mistakes, as shown in gym website mistakes that lose new members. The lesson is the same everywhere: put the information people look for first where they will see it first.
A quick audit
On a phone, try to find the fees, entry requirements and deadline for your most popular course, and how to apply. If any take more than a minute, that is where applicants are leaving.