QS urges universities to align branding with goals to attract students

QS Global Director in Marketing Allison Ridge speaks during a discussion session titled "Branding Your University for Global Success" at the QS Higher Ed Summit: Asia Pacific 2025 at Korea University in Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Universities should move beyond visibility to build meaningful connections if they are to establish a strong global presence, QS said during a discussion session for the QS Higher Ed Summit: Asia Pacific 2025 on Thursday.

During a session titled “Branding Your University for Global Success,” QS officials highlighted several key tactics institutions can adopt to enhance their global presence and align branding efforts with strategic goals.

QS Editor and Program Designer Anton John Crace emphasized that while many universities are “visible” — meaning they attend conferences, publish supplements and distribute yearbooks — visibility alone does not guarantee impact.

“It’s like going to a gym and wondering why you don’t have a six-pack even though you’ve gone a lot,” he said. “The correlations aren’t there.”

Crace’s colleague, QS Global Director in Marketing Allison Ridge, agreed.

She urged that universities need to clarify what they want to achieve and make sure their branding activities serve those goals, rather than scatter efforts across many initiatives.

“(Institutions) should ask: What am I visible for? What solution am I offering?” Ridge said during the session at Korea University. “If the faculty and the institution are not aligned, branding will remain superficial.”

Both said it is not sufficient for a university to simply attend events or publish materials.

“They must do so with purpose: define their narrative, ensure consistent messaging across channels, involve key stakeholders (faculty, international partners), and measure outcomes,” Crace and Ridge said in chorus.

“Research shows that strong university branding helps institutions attract international students and academic talent and maintain employee engagement.”

Crace and Ridge also urged the importance of understanding one’s audience while encouraging institutions to utilize social media as a vehicle to reach their potential students.

“I am a little old. I am still using Facebook. In my understanding, however, younger generations are more into other social medias like TikTok or Instagram,” Crace said.

“Universities should engage not only with students but also with parents. We have other social medias like LinkedIn as an alternative.”

They also highlighted the importance of alumni and the role of faculty members.

“Alumni can showcase their success stories,” he said. “Their presence can create alumni networks for mentoring, career support and engagement. The role of faculty is to first promote research through school channels and media. They are also a brand ambassador for the school’s reputation.”

Ridge concluded the session with her recommendations to improve an institution’s reputation and brand.

“They first need to elevate their academic standing. Schools should invest in research output and citations and foster a strong academic environment to climb in their global standings,” she said.

“It is also important to strengthen graduate employability while focusing on future skills, since job-landing is the next step for most graduating students.”

She also emphasized that schools need to cultivate a welcoming environment for foreign students.

“A positive reputation among international students influences an institution’s global attractiveness,” Ridge added.