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UK Education & Training Universities - PPC Market Share Analysis September 2026

Leveraging Adthena’s Whole Market View, this analysis explores recent trends in Google Ads for the UK Universities category from the last month. Our Data Analyst, Ask Arlo provides commentary on key findings.

Universities – UK

Google AI Overview visibility for Education & Training Universities UK

See how often AIOs appear and how search intent is distributed across buying signals.

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AIO Frequency

How often a Google AI overview appears on search terms relevant to this category.

Frequency Percentage
Frequency 45.4975902596
54.5024097404
45%

Complex Query Frequency

A complex query is a longer, more detailed search that often contains multiple keywords, specific conditions, or multi-part questions.

Frequency Percentage
Frequency 23
77
23%

Search Intent Distribution

Breakdown of search queries by their underlying goal.

Intent Distribution
Investigational 7%
Transactional 0%
Navigational 8%
Seasonal 0%
Local 2%
Problem Solving 1%

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Market Exposure

Share of Clicks for top 10 UK Education & Training Universities brands

Here are the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Clicks for the last month.

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Share of Clicks - Last month
Share of Clicks - Last month
Domain Share of clicks
arden.ac.uk 15.8
london.ac.uk 9.69
open.ac.uk 6.11
london.edu 5.97
uea.ac.uk 4.66
law.ac.uk 4.16
brighton.ac.uk 2.87
cardiffmet.ac.uk 2.87
mmu.ac.uk 2.55
lse.ac.uk 2.19
others 43.13
  • arden.ac.uk - 15.8%
  • london.ac.uk - 9.69%
  • open.ac.uk - 6.11%
  • london.edu - 5.97%
  • uea.ac.uk - 4.66%
  • law.ac.uk - 4.16%
  • brighton.ac.uk - 2.87%
  • cardiffmet.ac.uk - 2.87%
  • mmu.ac.uk - 2.55%
  • lse.ac.uk - 2.19%
  • others - 43.13%

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Arden.ac.uk leads with 15.8% click share, followed by london.ac.uk at 9.69%. Others dominate with 43.13%, highlighting diverse competition.

Market Exposure

Share of Spend for the top 10 UK Education & Training Universities brands

Curious about your market position? Here you can see the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Spend for the last month. 

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Share of Spend - Last Month
Share of Spend - Last Month
Date arden.ac.uk law.ac.uk open.ac.uk london.edu london.ac.uk roehampton.ac.uk gold.ac.uk coursera.org insead.edu uea.ac.uk
2026/09/01 13.65% 7.14% 8.92% 1.87% 6.73% 3.35% 1.28% 2.17% 2.06% 1.12%
2026/09/02 16.32% 4.57% 7.85% 2.97% 8.52% 2.92% 1.32% 0.55% 1.59% 0.94%
2026/09/03 12.7% 3.34% 11.06% 3.35% 9.07% 2.37% 1.42% 1.04% 1.81% 0.77%
2026/09/04 13.67% 6.81% 9.37% 3.23% 9.31% 1.45% 1.22% 1.2% 2.53% 1.75%
2026/09/05 14.56% 5.29% 8.68% 3.07% 14.24% 3.23% 0.09% 2.11% 2.74% 1.55%
2026/09/06 16.51% 4.15% 7.51% 3.55% 11.31% 2.81% 0.38% 0.71% 1.9% 0.84%
2026/09/07 17.46% 6.24% 10.9% 3.17% 14.47% 2.19% 0.19% 1.11% 1.14% 1.32%
2026/09/08 21.53% 6.43% 11.44% 2.64% 7.34% 2.93% 1.17% 0.98% 1.25% 0.95%
2026/09/09 14.52% 5.95% 10.41% 2.59% 10.83% 2.06% 1.17% 0.69% 1.78% 1.79%
2026/09/10 16.78% 6.56% 9.02% 2.9% 9.99% 3.14% 1.02% 0.91% 1.06% 1.4%
2026/09/11 15.64% 7.88% 10.3% 1.67% 11.06% 2.43% 1.46% 1.18% 1.69% 1.51%
2026/09/12 15.32% 5.79% 11.24% 2.37% 13.83% 3.18% 1.44% 2.48% 1.43% 1.22%
2026/09/13 14.87% 6.38% 12.07% 1.53% 10.28% 1.87% 2.06% 2.86% 1.57% 0.83%
2026/09/14 13.75% 7.13% 11.69% 2.55% 15.93% 1.4% 1.37% 2.23% 1.52% 2.27%
2026/09/15 16.38% 6.55% 10.36% 2.19% 12.29% 3.32% 0.64% 2.47% 1.6% 1.34%
2026/09/16 20.24% 6.56% 7.08% 3.72% 10.76% 3.25% 0.61% 1.43% 1.63% 1.75%
2026/09/17 26.47% 5.82% 6.94% 3.68% 4.39% 5.05% 1.09% 1.27% 1.17% 1.66%
2026/09/18 26.12% 6.26% 6.42% 3.1% 7.73% 3.08% 3.01% 2.47% 1.14% 1.58%
2026/09/19 23.97% 4.06% 7.59% 3.97% 10.16% 3.46% 2.73% 1.36% 2.28% 2.99%
2026/09/20 24.55% 4.34% 7.4% 2.91% 7.4% 4.15% 1.99% 2.3% 1.94% 1.41%
2026/09/21 31.18% 4.55% 7.11% 3.55% 4.89% 2.99% 1.92% 0.97% 1.63% 1.77%
2026/09/22 27.36% 4.67% 5.72% 4.37% 6.62% 2.78% 2.06% 0.75% 1.64% 1.8%
2026/09/23 27.04% 2.7% 6.27% 3.38% 6.11% 2.32% 3.65% 1.95% 1.44% 1.78%
2026/09/24 30.36% 7.22% 6.21% 3.4% 7.83% 2.3% 1.48% 0.51% 1.68% 1.14%
2026/09/25 27.65% 4.38% 7.21% 4.3% 3.02% 2.44% 1.8% 1.28% 1.92% 1.97%
2026/09/26 31.17% 5.69% 4.43% 4.71% 6.7% 2.23% 2.16% 0.69% 2.32% 1.53%
2026/09/27 29.6% 7.06% 0.59% 3.04% 5.62% 3.91% 0.55% 1.58% 1.92% 1.47%
2026/09/28 29.31% 4.79% 2.93% 5.52% 5.13% 2.44% 0.35% 2.74% 1.08% 1.77%
2026/09/29 27.85% 5.94% 5.9% 3.06% 6.7% 3.15% 2.22% 1.13% 1.29% 1.84%
2026/09/30 31.85% 9.1% 4.03% 3.9% 3.84% 2.56% 2.52% 1.77% 1.21% 1%
  • arden.ac.uk
  • law.ac.uk
  • open.ac.uk
  • london.edu
  • london.ac.uk
  • roehampton.ac.uk
  • gold.ac.uk
  • coursera.org
  • insead.edu
  • uea.ac.uk

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Arden.ac.uk dominated September, peaking at 31.85% on the 30th. Law.ac.uk fluctuated, ending at 9.1%. Open.ac.uk saw a decline, finishing at 4.03%. London.edu and London.ac.uk showed moderate stability. Roehampton.ac.uk and Gold.ac.uk remained low. Coursera.org and Insead.edu had minor variations. Uea.ac.uk ended at 1.0%.

Market Exposure

Competitor Count for UK Education & Training Universities

Ever wondered how many competitors you’re up against in your industry? Well look no further, here we can see the number of advertisers bidding over the last month. 

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Competitor Count - Last month
Competitor Count - Last month
Date Competitor Count
2026/09/01 152
2026/09/02 138
2026/09/03 137
2026/09/04 144
2026/09/05 146
2026/09/06 155
2026/09/07 155
2026/09/08 157
2026/09/09 155
2026/09/10 156
2026/09/11 149
2026/09/12 146
2026/09/13 140
2026/09/14 132
2026/09/15 140
2026/09/16 144
2026/09/17 154
2026/09/18 157
2026/09/19 165
2026/09/20 162
2026/09/21 161
2026/09/22 163
2026/09/23 162
2026/09/24 174
2026/09/25 174
2026/09/26 166
2026/09/27 170
2026/09/28 166
2026/09/29 169
2026/09/30 165

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

September saw a dynamic shift in advertisers, starting at 152 and peaking at 174 mid-month. The month concluded with a slight dip to 165.

Campaign Efficiency

Market Loss & Market Gains for UK Education & Training Universities

Here we’re looking at the Top 10 biggest industry movers by market share gains and losses for the last 30 days.

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Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Name Market Trend
arden.ac.uk 8.86%
london.edu 1.96%
lse.ac.uk 1.5%
ucl.ac.uk 1.45%
southampton.ac.uk 1.03%
mmu.ac.uk -1.55%
gre.ac.uk -2.25%
brighton.ac.uk -2.79%
open.ac.uk -3.05%
london.ac.uk -5.03%

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Arden.ac.uk surged with an 8.86% click share increase, while london.ac.uk dropped by 5.03%.

Campaign Efficiency

UK Education & Training Universities Share of Impressions

Take a look at the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Impressions over the last month.

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Date arden.ac.uk law.ac.uk open.ac.uk dmu.ac.uk london.edu roehampton.ac.uk coursera.org gold.ac.uk london.ac.uk uea.ac.uk
2026/09/01 15.4% 7.32% 7.43% 0.82% 1.26% 5.1% 2.61% 0.66% 2.65% 1.46%
2026/09/02 17.42% 5.06% 7.23% 1.4% 1.84% 4.25% 0.59% 2.22% 3.73% 1.3%
2026/09/03 13.94% 3.15% 12.41% 0.95% 2.36% 2.14% 1.23% 1.53% 3.48% 0.9%
2026/09/04 14.86% 7.95% 8.95% 1.1% 1.98% 2.45% 1.32% 1.55% 3.4% 1.71%
2026/09/05 16.95% 5.37% 7.57% 0.69% 1.87% 5.75% 2.17% 0.06% 5.65% 1.64%
2026/09/06 19.14% 4.03% 7.02% 0.75% 2.65% 3.11% 0.55% 0.23% 4.64% 0.89%
2026/09/07 22.23% 6.82% 10.7% 0.33% 2.1% 2.5% 0.97% 0.22% 6.11% 1.7%
2026/09/08 25.48% 7.66% 11.01% 0.24% 1.67% 3.01% 1.13% 1.78% 3.68% 0.9%
2026/09/09 17.49% 7.12% 10.45% 1.12% 1.89% 1.47% 0.47% 1.34% 5.12% 1.82%
2026/09/10 21.91% 6.76% 9.57% 0.9% 2.02% 3.73% 0.56% 0.98% 4.56% 1.39%
2026/09/11 18.59% 8.92% 10.84% 2.2% 1.07% 2.93% 0.85% 1.08% 4.49% 1.66%
2026/09/12 18.13% 6.45% 11.79% 3.05% 1.61% 3.09% 1.87% 1.07% 6.2% 1.52%
2026/09/13 17.22% 7.97% 12.78% 2.22% 1.28% 1.26% 3.48% 2.31% 4.39% 0.92%
2026/09/14 17.5% 9.2% 11.97% 3.89% 2.06% 1.76% 2.86% 1.29% 7.06% 2.51%
2026/09/15 19.49% 8.33% 10.67% 2.98% 1.46% 3.32% 2.62% 0.47% 3.88% 1.35%
2026/09/16 24.26% 8.25% 8.92% 0.57% 2.51% 3.23% 1.73% 0.38% 3.96% 1.78%
2026/09/17 29.65% 7.62% 6.1% 0.63% 2.06% 5.17% 0.93% 0.61% 1.39% 1.5%
2026/09/18 31.15% 7.27% 5.02% 0.45% 2% 3.49% 2.51% 2.27% 2.24% 1.56%
2026/09/19 30.59% 4.65% 6.14% 0.21% 2.46% 2.93% 0.85% 2.75% 3.54% 3.4%
2026/09/20 28.34% 5.02% 8.05% 0.2% 1.71% 3.89% 2.24% 1.81% 2.29% 1.18%
2026/09/21 37.56% 4% 5.94% 0.49% 2.04% 3.45% 0.58% 2.21% 1.7% 1.54%
2026/09/22 32.76% 4.73% 4.6% 1.83% 2.66% 2.55% 0.55% 1.84% 2.48% 1.6%
2026/09/23 32.52% 2.9% 6.92% 1.66% 1.89% 2.45% 2.17% 3.16% 1.92% 1.58%
2026/09/24 35.21% 7.8% 6.44% 2.2% 1.87% 1.96% 0.26% 1.85% 3% 0.89%
2026/09/25 29.39% 5.58% 7.43% 3.25% 2.36% 2.52% 1.6% 1.46% 1.03% 1.77%
2026/09/26 36.04% 5.71% 4.64% 1.82% 2.71% 1.46% 0.4% 2.82% 2% 1.32%
2026/09/27 37.42% 7.21% 0.34% 2.8% 1.6% 4.6% 1.71% 0.54% 2.05% 1.39%
2026/09/28 34.07% 5.35% 3.04% 1.88% 3.21% 1.79% 3.38% 0.23% 1.62% 1.42%
2026/09/29 34.56% 6.3% 5.89% 2.83% 1.79% 2.79% 1.39% 2.65% 2.17% 1.72%
2026/09/30 34.51% 9.97% 3.03% 2.84% 2.13% 1.88% 1.79% 1.24% 1.07% 0.94%
  • arden.ac.uk
  • law.ac.uk
  • open.ac.uk
  • dmu.ac.uk
  • london.edu
  • roehampton.ac.uk
  • coursera.org
  • gold.ac.uk
  • london.ac.uk
  • uea.ac.uk

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Arden.ac.uk’s impression share surged from 15.4% to 34.51% in September 2026, peaking at 37.56% on the 21st. Law.ac.uk fluctuated, ending at 9.97%. Open.ac.uk’s share declined, finishing at 3.03%.

Campaign Efficiency

Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for UK Education & Training Universities

Ever wondered how your rivals’ ads are doing? Here we can see the top-performing ads in the industry over the last month.

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Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for UK Education & Training Universities - Last month
  1. 1
    Online University Courses - Apply Online Now https://study.arden.ac.uk

    Accredited Qualifications, 24/7 Online Access To Study Materials, Student Support.

  2. 2
    Psychology degrees in Clearing | Goldsmiths, University of London https://www.gold.ac.uk

    Interested in Studying Psychology at University? Discover Goldsmiths, University of London

  3. 3
    Why is psychology important? | The University of Law https://www.law.ac.uk

    Discover what psychology is, why it’s important, and how it can help us become better versions of ourselves. Find out more.

  4. 4
    London Business School https://www.london.edu › lbs

    World's Top Business School — Discover Who You Really Are. Think Independently. Find Your Own Voice. Drive Your Career Forward And Achieve Your Goals In An Inspiring Learning Environment. London & Dubai Campuses.

  5. 5
    Study At Your Own Pace | Register by 10 September https://www.open.ac.uk › psychology › courses

    Many Of Our BSc Psychology Degrees Are Accredited By The British Psychological Society. Transform Your Future With A Psychology Degree From Europe’s Largest University Provider.

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In the competitive landscape of online education, Arden University stands out with its promise of accredited qualifications and 24/7 access, appealing to those seeking flexibility. Goldsmiths, University of London, and The University of Law both emphasize psychology, with Goldsmiths focusing on clearing opportunities and The University of Law highlighting the subject’s importance. London Business School inspires with its global reputation and transformative learning environment, while The Open University offers flexibility and accreditation, catering to self-paced learners.

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