How should a programme and student life be presented to encourage applications?

Encouraging applications requires balance: showing the student experience while providing academic information precise enough to support a decision.

Start with the educational promise

The programme should be defined by the skills, projects and outcomes it prepares learners for. This is a central point for a school web agency that wants to build a journey genuinely suited to the sector.

Brand slogans come afterwards.

The layout should mainly make visible the elements that help candidates picture themselves: projects, campus, highlights, student journeys and academic information.

Show student projects

Work, competitions, associations and client projects make learning tangible.

Projects should be contextualised and published with the necessary permissions.

Each student project should connect to the programme, the skills used and the context in which it was completed.

Present teachers and guest speakers

Academic and professional profiles can strengthen credibility.

The information should remain current when speakers change.

Speakers should be connected to the classes, projects or expertise they genuinely contribute to the programme.

Bring campus life to life without creating an empty gallery

Photos, videos and events can show the real atmosphere.

Visuals should accompany concrete information.

Student-life content should remain practical: associations, events, facilities, accommodation, services and the rhythm of campus life.

Connect student life to the application journey

Open days, visits, ambassadors and contact options can help candidates explore further before applying.

These CTAs create useful intermediate steps.

For multiple campuses, each page should specify available programmes, facilities, transport and local characteristics without duplicating the same content.

Keep practical information within reach

Dates, admissions, fees and contact details should never be hidden behind storytelling.

Desire does not replace the precision required to apply.

Measurement should follow interactions that reflect real progression: viewing a programme, registering for an open day, speaking with an ambassador, booking an admissions appointment or starting an application.

Make the programme understandable before showing student life

Prospective candidates first choose a programme that matches their goals. Student life strengthens projection, but it should not hide academic information.

A school web agency should therefore build a journey in which candidates understand the programme first, then discover the campus experience and the proof that helps them picture themselves there.

Present objectives and skills

The page should explain what the programme teaches and which skills it targets.

Wording should be concrete and avoid overly broad promises about “excellence”.

Candidates should be able to compare the programme with alternatives.

Structure the programme

Modules, projects, pace and teaching methods should be easy to read.

The website can show progression by year or semester when this reflects the actual programme.

Finer details can remain in a brochure.

Present outcomes

Target roles and transferable skills help the decision.

Employment guarantees should be avoided.

Employment data should be used only when verified and contextualised.

Show student projects

Projects provide concrete proof of the teaching approach.

They can present the brief, skills used and result.

The website should obtain the necessary permissions before publishing identifiable work.

Present associations and events

Student life becomes credible when it shows real activities.

Associations, conferences, competitions and events can be presented with recent examples.

A generic list of values creates less projection.

Use testimonials precisely

A useful testimonial explains why the student chose the programme, what they learned or how they experienced a specific stage.

Very general quotes about “the atmosphere” provide little differentiation.

Profiles should be contextualised by programme.

Show the spaces

Campus, classrooms, laboratories and student areas can help candidates picture themselves there.

Images should be recent and representative of the real experience.

A virtual tour is useful only if it remains simple and performant.

Explain admissions

Prerequisites, stages, calendar and required documents should be accessible from the programme page.

Candidates should not have to leave the journey just to understand how to apply.

CTAs can lead to a more detailed admissions page.

Present fees and funding

Cost can be decisive.

Information should be clear, current and accompanied by applicable conditions.

Funding or support should never be presented as guaranteed.

Create CTAs for different maturity levels

Brochure, open days, appointments and applications correspond to different decision stages.

The page can offer several actions while keeping a clear hierarchy.

Candidates should always understand the main next step.

Plan for a parent journey

For some programmes, parents take part in the decision.

The website can answer questions about outcomes, funding, support and accommodation.

It should avoid infantilising the candidate.

Optimise mobile

Young candidates often browse the website from their phones.

Programme, gallery, testimonials and forms should remain comfortable to use.

Heavy PDFs or complex tables should not be the only way to access important information.

Measure projection and application

Project views, events, brochures and applications provide different signals.

Tracking can reveal which proof points most often precede an application.

This data helps prioritise content.

Checklist for an attractive programme page

• Clear objectives.
• Readable programme.
• Contextualised outcomes.
• Student projects.
• Authentic campus life.
• Visible admissions and fees.
• CTAs adapted to maturity.

Performance dashboard

Which aspects of student life genuinely influence an application?

The most useful content helps candidates picture their daily life while remaining connected to the programme. Campus, associations, projects, events and support should show a concrete experience, not just an atmosphere.

What a school page should make tangible before the application

A convincing page connects the educational promise to concrete proof: projects, speakers, campus environment, support and outcomes. Student life strengthens projection when it complements academic information rather than replacing it.

Make student life tangible without turning the page into a gallery

Student life helps candidates picture themselves, but it should not hide the programme content. Campus photos, associations, events and testimonials have more impact when they explain a concrete reality: weekly rhythm, group projects, access to facilities, support or integration.

A series of atmosphere photos without context can look attractive without answering decision questions. Conversely, a page focused only on the programme can make the experience feel abstract. The right balance connects each student-life element to what it genuinely adds to the journey.

Testimonials are especially useful when they represent several profiles: first-year student, apprentice, international student or career changer. Readers understand differences in journeys more easily than through a series of generic reviews.

Connect programme, projects and outcomes

Candidates do not choose subjects alone. They try to understand what they will be able to do, how they will practise and which opportunities they may access. The page should therefore create an explicit link between modules, projects and skills developed.

For each key point in the curriculum, it can help to show a sample deliverable, project type, tool used or practical exercise. This makes abstract educational labels more tangible and helps compare two programmes that may use similar wording.

Outcomes should be treated with the same precision. It is better to present a few roles genuinely consistent with the programme, the associated skills and, where relevant, verified data than to list a large number of possible jobs. Alumni examples are relevant when they illustrate a path without implying that it is guaranteed.

For apprenticeship programmes, the page can also explain the school’s role in finding a company, the school-work rhythm, typical assignments and sectors that recruit regularly. These points are often decisive in comparison.

Build a journey toward application

Applying should not be the only CTA available. Prospective students may want to compare programmes, download a brochure, ask a question, attend an event or check admissions arrangements before acting.

The website should prioritise these stages. The main CTA can evolve depending on the period or visitor maturity. During orientation, a brochure or open day may make more sense. Closer to a deadline, application dates and the form naturally become more prominent.

This logic should remain consistent across pages. If dates, fees or prerequisites are shown differently from one programme to another, comparison becomes difficult. Structuring information should be standardised, while proof, projects and experiences remain specific to each programme.

Anticipate family questions

Even when the website primarily addresses students, parents or relatives often take part in the decision. They generally look for information about cost, qualification recognition, support, accommodation, journey security and outcomes.

These elements can be integrated without changing the overall tone. Practical blocks, an FAQ or links to dedicated resources can answer questions without turning the page into an administrative file.

Adapt content to the time of year

Expectations change between orientation, applications and the start of term. Pages should be able to highlight the most useful information according to the period: open-day dates, application deadlines, apprenticeship availability or start-of-term preparation. This avoids leaving secondary CTAs or outdated messages in the foreground.

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