Inside the 2026 Education Media Shift: Where Budgets are Really Going

Education marketing is changing fast. After years of digital acceleration, institutions are rethinking where their media dollars work hardest. In 2026, marketers face a familiar challenge in a new landscape: reaching digital-first learners whose discovery habits keep shifting.

Education’s Expanding Market

Education today spans far beyond the classroom. This sector now includes K-12 schooling, post-secondary institutions, and lifelong learning programs designed for adult and professional learners.

Although global spend on education is on track to reach nearly US $10 trillion by 2030, North America remains one of the most competitive and digitally mature markets. Growth here is being driven less by population and more by learner intent – from students researching hybrid degree options to adults seeking micro-credentials and reskilling opportunities.

These audiences are active, informed, and value-driven. For marketers, that means broad awareness is no longer enough. Campaigns must now be measurable, performance-oriented, and intent-based, built to capture learners at the moment of decision.

Key takeaway: The modern education market rewards precision. Marketers need to meet learners where they research, compare, and commit and not just where they scroll.

Where The Money’s Going

Education advertisers are doubling down on digital. According to eMarketer, U.S. education ad spend continues to grow at double-digit rates through 2026, with social and video leading the charge.

• Online course providers are investing in paid search and social, where reach meets intent.
• Hybrid universities are shifting brand budgets toward programmatic video and connected TV (CTV) to tell deeper stories.
• Credentialing programs such as micro-degrees, certificates, and workforce training are the breakout growth category mainly driven by adult learners and corporate partnerships.
  

Bigger budgets are moving to the channels that drive discovery, intent, and enrollment.

Key takeaway: Education media spend is rapidly consolidating around high-performance digital ecosystems. Search, video, and social media now anchor the modern student journey.

Reaching Learners Across Generations: Gen Z to Adults

For Gen Z, education discovery happens on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Nearly half of Gen Z students (46%) say YouTube directly influences their education decisions, and short-form video has become a key driver of program awareness and enrollment intent.

Meanwhile, adult learners, who are exploring career pivots or professional credentials, turn to search, LinkedIn, and YouTube for credible, outcome-focused information. Their learning journeys are shorter, their goals more defined, and their expectations for trust and clarity are higher.

Key Takeaway: To reach future learners, education marketers must balance social-first storytelling with trust-driven performance marketing. That means creating content that’s easy to discover on TikTok and YouTube and building credibility on the channels where adults make decisions, like search and LinkedIn.

The Modern Education Media Mix

The education media mix is fragmenting and maturing. Marketers are moving budgets away from traditional channels and into connected digital ecosystems that support full engagement. By 2026, mobile video ad spending in North America will surpass mobile search, underscoring how video has become both a discovery and intent channel.

In practice, this looks like:

• Search & Intent Channels: Capturing high-intent learners researching programs.
• Video & CTV: Driving awareness through high-impact storytelling on every screen.
• Social Platforms: Powering discovery and engagement, especially for younger cohorts.
• Owned Experiences: Using SEO, content, and CRM to nurture leads as privacy models evolve.

Closing Guidance

The education paid media landscape is moving fast and the institutions that win will be those that evolve just as quickly. Budgets are shifting toward digital ecosystems that merge performance, creativity, and credibility, built around how learners actually explore and decide.

At Other™, we partner with education brands and institutions to help them stay ahead of change and turn market intelligence into measurable performance. From media strategy and forecasting to creative testing and full-funnel measurement, we help teams build adaptive strategies that evolve with learner behavior and technology.

Ready to rethink your 2026 media plan? Let’s build what’s next for education marketing.

Sources: Think With Google, eMarketer, Smarter-eCommerce, DemandSage, ROI Revolution, Link-Assistant, Backlinko

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