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UK Education & Training Universities - PPC Market Share Analysis March 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 20.7670399475
79.2329600525
20%

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 25
75
25%

Search Intent Distribution

Breakdown of search queries by their underlying goal.

Intent Distribution
Investigational 8%
Transactional 0%
Navigational 2%
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
lse.ac.uk 11.38
open.ac.uk 10.33
london.edu 7.07
law.ac.uk 6.88
london.ac.uk 6.22
arden.ac.uk 5.47
insead.edu 2.91
mmu.ac.uk 2.74
bcu.ac.uk 2.49
hult.edu 2.46
others 42.05
  • lse.ac.uk - 11.38%
  • open.ac.uk - 10.33%
  • london.edu - 7.07%
  • law.ac.uk - 6.88%
  • london.ac.uk - 6.22%
  • arden.ac.uk - 5.47%
  • insead.edu - 2.91%
  • mmu.ac.uk - 2.74%
  • bcu.ac.uk - 2.49%
  • hult.edu - 2.46%
  • others - 42.05%

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In the education sector’s PPC landscape, LSE leads with 11.38% click share, followed by Open University at 10.33%. ‘Others’ dominate with 42.05%, 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 open.ac.uk law.ac.uk arden.ac.uk london.edu roehampton.ac.uk hult.edu lse.ac.uk imperial.ac.uk birmingham.ac.uk london.ac.uk
2026/03/01 4.6% 11.79% 10.84% 4.81% 3.57% 2.62% 4.55% 1.23% 4.18% 1.59%
2026/03/02 7.76% 13.28% 11.09% 6.55% 6.18% 2.59% 0.31% 1.42% 1.83% 1.09%
2026/03/03 7.48% 13.88% 10.62% 5.45% 4.84% 2.62% 0.14% 1.14% 4.76% 1.22%
2026/03/04 9.4% 15.12% 6.32% 6.36% 3.39% 3.45% 0.31% 4.15% 1.97% 0.79%
2026/03/05 10.62% 10.12% 9.78% 6.5% 4.89% 3.17% 0.2% 1.9% 4.8% 1.56%
2026/03/06 8.5% 8.48% 8.18% 4.6% 4.41% 1.99% 0.11% 3.3% 5.63% 12.29%
2026/03/07 9.62% 7.23% 5.54% 3.55% 3.66% 2.21% 0.08% 4.41% 5.77% 10.88%
2026/03/08 9.87% 9.79% 3.77% 5.24% 1.84% 2.46% 0.11% 3.33% 1.65% 13.94%
2026/03/09 6.16% 11.67% 3.16% 2.6% 3.46% 2.46% 0.15% 3.27% 4.29% 13.01%
2026/03/10 12.64% 11.47% 5.63% 2.95% 4.82% 2.16% 0.18% 1.92% 3.52% 10.87%
2026/03/11 13.55% 11.54% 5.81% 5.61% 5.95% 2.7% 0.21% 4.57% 2.38% 8.52%
2026/03/12 7.52% 8.76% 6.37% 3.64% 6.57% 2.43% 3.47% 2.84% 3.39% 12.79%
2026/03/13 5.22% 8.75% 5.69% 2.99% 6.32% 1.58% 9.9% 2.18% 4.71% 11.23%
2026/03/14 4.33% 7.52% 3.84% 1.89% 6.07% 2.36% 15.67% 4.63% 1.73% 10.78%
2026/03/15 2.9% 5.44% 3.79% 4.89% 5.85% 2.43% 19.39% 3.58% 2.75% 8.5%
2026/03/16 3.96% 9.36% 5.17% 3.02% 5.61% 3.3% 14.25% 2.67% 1.42% 8.95%
2026/03/17 9.88% 11.1% 6.3% 3.63% 9.04% 3.67% 2.98% 3.7% 4.95% 5.76%
2026/03/18 21.43% 8.47% 7.33% 3.51% 6.1% 2.89% 2.81% 3.6% 1.68% 4.42%
2026/03/19 17.95% 4.75% 5.73% 4.64% 6.83% 4.87% 5.52% 2.12% 0.8% 3.69%
2026/03/20 28.56% 5.76% 3.69% 3.72% 5.29% 3.69% 2.49% 2.86% 0.6% 2.31%
2026/03/21 21.46% 3.22% 3.96% 2.69% 5.28% 3.95% 5.45% 2.45% 0.55% 5.37%
2026/03/22 17.38% 2.42% 4.62% 4.99% 4.33% 3.27% 9.91% 1.76% 0.42% 4.57%
2026/03/23 22.15% 4.1% 7.71% 4.66% 5.08% 3.1% 4.96% 3.28% 1.97% 4.26%
2026/03/24 9.83% 11.05% 6.27% 3.62% 9% 3.66% 2.97% 3.68% 4.93% 5.73%
2026/03/25 24.09% 7.45% 7.27% 5.45% 4.78% 2.21% 3.52% 1.67% 1.86% 3.78%
2026/03/26 15.46% 6.9% 8.45% 8.11% 1.97% 2.92% 0.2% 0.8% 0.72% 2.7%
2026/03/27 16.41% 9.73% 6.66% 6.07% 2.01% 3.77% 0.09% 3.85% 1.69% 3.99%
2026/03/28 26.83% 3.29% 6.08% 6.4% 1.65% 3.18% 2.84% 1.37% 1.08% 7.84%
2026/03/29 33.78% 6.13% 6.81% 5.05% 1.21% 4.74% 0.4% 1.14% 1.22% 1.56%
2026/03/30 9.27% 13.74% 8.31% 5.77% 2.82% 3.62% 0.18% 2.66% 1.97% 1.66%
2026/03/31 17% 12.36% 7.78% 5.4% 5.32% 3.8% 2.86% 1.77% 1.31% 0.83%
  • open.ac.uk
  • law.ac.uk
  • arden.ac.uk
  • london.edu
  • roehampton.ac.uk
  • hult.edu
  • lse.ac.uk
  • imperial.ac.uk
  • birmingham.ac.uk
  • london.ac.uk

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In March 2026, open.ac.uk’s PPC spend share surged, peaking at 33.78% on March 29. law.ac.uk saw a steady decline, while arden.ac.uk maintained moderate fluctuations. london.edu experienced a mid-month peak, then tapered off. The month concluded with open.ac.uk leading.

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
2026/03/01 159
2026/03/02 160
2026/03/03 161
2026/03/04 162
2026/03/05 144
2026/03/06 155
2026/03/07 166
2026/03/08 158
2026/03/09 154
2026/03/10 155
2026/03/11 149
2026/03/12 150
2026/03/13 153
2026/03/14 156
2026/03/15 153
2026/03/16 160
2026/03/17 147
2026/03/18 145
2026/03/19 151
2026/03/20 147
2026/03/21 148
2026/03/22 153
2026/03/23 145
2026/03/24 147
2026/03/25 138
2026/03/26 148
2026/03/27 140
2026/03/28 139
2026/03/29 126
2026/03/30 135
2026/03/31 133

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

March began with 159 advertisers, peaking at 166 on the 7th. A decline followed, ending the month at 133.

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
open.ac.uk 9.12%
mmu.ac.uk 3.62%
london.edu 1.23%
hbs.edu 1.08%
keele.ac.uk 0.99%
birmingham.ac.uk -1.38%
imperial.ac.uk -1.39%
law.ac.uk -2.57%
london.ac.uk -4.73%
lse.ac.uk -5.09%

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Open.ac.uk surged by 9.12%, while lse.ac.uk dropped 5.09%. MMU.ac.uk gained 3.62%, contrasting london.ac.uk’s 4.73% decline.

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 law.ac.uk open.ac.uk arden.ac.uk hult.edu london.edu roehampton.ac.uk lse.ac.uk getsmarter.com imperial.ac.uk london.ac.uk
2026/03/01 14.75% 5.51% 13.32% 3.09% 2.88% 2.02% 4.18% 4.01% 1.1% 1.07%
2026/03/02 19.6% 7.58% 13.46% 3.37% 4.07% 3.81% 0.26% 2.46% 1.83% 0.72%
2026/03/03 19.44% 7% 11.18% 3.63% 3.13% 2.66% 0.17% 5.82% 1.02% 0.8%
2026/03/04 19.15% 10.13% 7.29% 4.45% 3.53% 1.86% 0.22% 2.16% 5.87% 0.52%
2026/03/05 13.99% 13.75% 11.7% 4.47% 3.9% 2.89% 0.25% 2.38% 2.35% 1.21%
2026/03/06 12.99% 8.98% 11.69% 3.79% 3.08% 2.66% 0.09% 2.63% 3.29% 7.17%
2026/03/07 9.95% 10.66% 8.25% 2.87% 2.19% 2.44% 0.05% 0.32% 4.52% 7.2%
2026/03/08 15.31% 9.03% 4.91% 2.97% 3.12% 1.2% 0.08% 3.91% 3.14% 9.25%
2026/03/09 17.36% 4.84% 3.78% 3.32% 1.55% 2.32% 0.12% 2.81% 3.73% 10.64%
2026/03/10 18.8% 9.33% 7.59% 2.77% 1.63% 2.9% 0.1% 0.18% 1.83% 8.14%
2026/03/11 20.22% 11.27% 7.87% 3.77% 3.3% 3.49% 0.13% 0.15% 5.47% 4.82%
2026/03/12 14.19% 6.68% 8.61% 2.92% 2.43% 4.24% 2.88% 0.72% 3.44% 7.54%
2026/03/13 13.03% 4.72% 7.67% 2.66% 1.81% 3.78% 8.49% 6.89% 2.47% 5.86%
2026/03/14 12.06% 3.52% 5.39% 3.22% 1.15% 3.49% 12.75% 6.85% 6.66% 5.41%
2026/03/15 7.73% 2.53% 5.16% 3.51% 3.08% 3.52% 17.03% 13.57% 4.12% 4.54%
2026/03/16 13.89% 2.94% 6.2% 5.06% 1.8% 3.39% 12.84% 4.61% 3.29% 5.17%
2026/03/17 14.58% 9.79% 9.21% 5.85% 2.19% 5.7% 2.47% 0.33% 4.2% 3.29%
2026/03/18 9.72% 19.88% 10.45% 4.26% 2.11% 3.73% 2.52% 2.67% 4.37% 2.56%
2026/03/19 6.63% 19.77% 7.13% 7.03% 2.65% 4.1% 4.62% 2.19% 2.14% 1.89%
2026/03/20 8.18% 25.5% 4.56% 4.99% 2.15% 3.07% 2.03% 5.98% 3.35% 1.32%
2026/03/21 3.2% 19.96% 5.88% 6.42% 1.65% 3.35% 4.34% 6.2% 2.66% 2.67%
2026/03/22 2.86% 20.23% 6.4% 5.14% 3.06% 2.76% 8.64% 4.62% 2.02% 2.22%
2026/03/23 5.77% 20.3% 11.01% 4.46% 2.75% 3.33% 4.13% 4.25% 3.57% 2.3%
2026/03/24 14.58% 9.79% 9.21% 5.85% 2.19% 5.7% 2.47% 0.33% 4.2% 3.29%
2026/03/25 10.64% 18.96% 8.12% 3.97% 3.48% 3.5% 2.98% 2.76% 1.85% 1.93%
2026/03/26 13.28% 11.56% 10.8% 3.9% 4.85% 1.48% 0.12% 0.24% 0.99% 1.31%
2026/03/27 13.13% 14.77% 8.35% 5.47% 3.37% 1.23% 0.06% 6% 2.99% 1.88%
2026/03/28 3.4% 28.82% 8.45% 5.32% 3.87% 1.31% 2.48% 0.15% 1.39% 3.47%
2026/03/29 8.39% 33.07% 8.53% 7.81% 3.07% 0.88% 0.53% 0.2% 1.37% 0.88%
2026/03/30 15.47% 8.5% 10.03% 6.67% 3.63% 1.9% 0.12% 0.21% 2.76% 0.78%
2026/03/31 16.95% 13.75% 9.63% 5.74% 3.24% 3.15% 2.66% 2.58% 1.86% 0.38%
  • law.ac.uk
  • open.ac.uk
  • arden.ac.uk
  • hult.edu
  • london.edu
  • roehampton.ac.uk
  • lse.ac.uk
  • getsmarter.com
  • imperial.ac.uk
  • london.ac.uk

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In March 2026, law.ac.uk’s impression share fluctuated, peaking at 20.22% on March 11. Meanwhile, open.ac.uk surged mid-month, reaching 33.07% on March 29. The month concluded with open.ac.uk leading.

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
    LSE Online Courses - London School of Economics - LSE Courses https://www.getsmarter.com › lse › programmes

    See Which Premium Courses Are Trending in the LSE Online Course Portfolio. Get Recognised for Your Knowledge When You Earn an LSE Certificate of Competence.

  2. 2
    London Business School | World's Top Business School https://www.london.edu

    First Class Destination For Business Education. Find Out More About The School. Ever-Evolving...

  3. 3
    Inclusive Organisations | LSE Executive Education | Apply Now https://www.lse.ac.uk

    An exciting and transformational learning journey for you. Harness the benefits of diversity for organisational success.

  4. 4
    Master of Business Admin (MBA) | Graduate in 12 months https://onlinestudy.roehampton.ac.uk › online-msc

    100% online degree you can complete in 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time. Master of Business Administration (MBA), lead like a boss with a CMI-accredited degree.

  5. 5
    Swansea University Open Days | Join us in 2026 https://www.swansea.ac.uk

    Study at a leading UK uni on beachfront campuses. Register now for Feb or March Open Day.

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In the competitive landscape of online education, five standout PPC ads capture attention. GetSmarter.com highlights LSE’s trending courses, promising recognition with a certificate. London.edu positions itself as a premier business education hub. LSE.ac.uk emphasizes diversity’s role in organizational success. Roehampton.ac.uk offers a flexible, CMI-accredited MBA. Swansea.ac.uk invites prospects to explore its scenic campuses during open days. Each ad uniquely appeals to aspirants seeking quality education and career advancement.

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