UK Education & Training Universities - PPC Market Share Analysis August 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.

AIO Frequency

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

Frequency Percentage
Frequency 42.8747552397
57.1252447603
42%

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 6%
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.

Share of Clicks - Last month
Share of Clicks - Last month
Domain Share of clicks
lse.ac.uk 8.08
mmu.ac.uk 8.02
cardiffmet.ac.uk 6.04
open.ac.uk 4.62
brighton.ac.uk 4.45
london.ac.uk 4.27
london.edu 3.95
uwl.ac.uk 3.63
roehampton.ac.uk 3.37
ucl.ac.uk 2.89
others 50.68
  • lse.ac.uk - 8.08%
  • mmu.ac.uk - 8.02%
  • cardiffmet.ac.uk - 6.04%
  • open.ac.uk - 4.62%
  • brighton.ac.uk - 4.45%
  • london.ac.uk - 4.27%
  • london.edu - 3.95%
  • uwl.ac.uk - 3.63%
  • roehampton.ac.uk - 3.37%
  • ucl.ac.uk - 2.89%
  • others - 50.68%

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In the education sector’s PPC landscape, ‘lse.ac.uk’ leads with 8.08% click share, closely followed by ‘mmu.ac.uk’ at 8.02%. ‘Others’ dominate with 50.68%, 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. 

Share of Spend - Last Month
Share of Spend - Last Month
Date arden.ac.uk londonmet.ac.uk open.ac.uk lse.ac.uk law.ac.uk london.edu london.ac.uk cardiffmet.ac.uk roehampton.ac.uk lsbu.ac.uk
2026/08/01 3.02% 0.02% 3.18% 3.72% 2.87% 4.71% 6.23% 3.72% 1.83% 1.03%
2026/08/02 3.58% 0.26% 2.37% 9.44% 3% 2.18% 4.66% 5.21% 0.41% 2.13%
2026/08/03 4.3% 0.18% 1.8% 2.34% 4.15% 3.09% 6% 3.7% 1.53% 5.05%
2026/08/04 5.28% 2.95% 1.73% 0.32% 8.98% 6.77% 5.17% 2.31% 2.86% 4.2%
2026/08/05 2.9% 1.37% 1.11% 3.59% 8.38% 4.05% 6.64% 2.52% 5.32% 1.63%
2026/08/06 1.78% 0.43% 4.74% 8.62% 6.06% 3.91% 5.48% 3.87% 7.54% 1.72%
2026/08/07 1.56% 0.53% 5.6% 4.76% 5.1% 0.48% 5.54% 4.75% 9.3% 1.12%
2026/08/08 2.35% 0.8% 0.83% 5.23% 4.01% 4.7% 1.36% 5.34% 10.45% 1.16%
2026/08/09 0.99% 0.01% 0.51% 8.01% 1.02% 3% 2.68% 5.59% 12.22% 0.76%
2026/08/10 3.68% 0.38% 7.74% 0.26% 1.82% 2.64% 3.26% 6.44% 3.12% 1.62%
2026/08/11 1.93% 0.23% 12.41% 0.19% 4.1% 1.83% 4.47% 3.3% 5.78% 1.15%
2026/08/12 4.62% 2.7% 11.02% 7.5% 5.38% 1.84% 3.54% 3.33% 6.39% 1.3%
2026/08/13 3.68% 1.29% 3.49% 4.43% 9.69% 1.87% 1.26% 0.87% 5.04% 7.09%
2026/08/14 1.51% 3.86% 8.48% 1.8% 4.09% 2.25% 7.75% 2.21% 2.75% 7.12%
2026/08/15 2.66% 2.91% 14% 1.39% 4.71% 0.63% 2.2% 1.32% 3.01% 10%
2026/08/16 1.67% 3.09% 9.61% 0% 1.27% 1.26% 3.59% 2.88% 4.52% 15.64%
2026/08/17 3.89% 5.16% 9.13% 0.02% 1.78% 2.2% 2.17% 2.94% 6.18% 9.42%
2026/08/18 4.55% 4.44% 8.8% 4.12% 4.68% 1.86% 1.04% 3.36% 3.03% 8.33%
2026/08/19 3.84% 3.11% 13.07% 0% 2.55% 3.06% 0.6% 3.02% 3.41% 7.82%
2026/08/20 2.23% 2.12% 10.23% 0.01% 4.24% 2.22% 2.88% 3.57% 5.73% 6.77%
2026/08/21 2.03% 3.49% 17.1% 3.17% 3.02% 1.43% 1.08% 3.29% 3.41% 4.08%
2026/08/22 1.45% 6.18% 8.41% 6.55% 2.64% 1.79% 2.39% 2.32% 2.08% 7.85%
2026/08/23 1.26% 8.34% 12.83% 6.75% 2.9% 2.49% 1.71% 2.38% 1.92% 2.63%
2026/08/24 1.22% 2.47% 13.54% 7.49% 3.45% 1.49% 1.67% 5.13% 4.96% 2.27%
2026/08/25 8.79% 4.14% 12.55% 0.14% 4.9% 3.19% 3.37% 2.28% 6.54% 1.43%
2026/08/26 7.79% 3.98% 12.44% 2.5% 7.8% 4.5% 3.9% 3.57% 3.55% 1.33%
2026/08/27 9% 5.51% 10.26% 2.43% 5.18% 5.1% 5.36% 2.68% 3.77% 1.84%
2026/08/28 7.83% 4.42% 8.88% 3.8% 4.44% 3.54% 2.99% 2.97% 4.23% 4.94%
2026/08/29 9.04% 4.25% 8.09% 0.03% 6.35% 2.48% 4.9% 1.04% 3.7% 2.67%
2026/08/30 6.85% 8.19% 11.54% 4.73% 4.01% 1.82% 3.58% 0.78% 4.08% 1.38%
2026/08/31 10.93% 6.94% 6.57% 5.47% 5.02% 4.28% 3.47% 3.02% 1.54% 0.68%
  • arden.ac.uk
  • londonmet.ac.uk
  • open.ac.uk
  • lse.ac.uk
  • law.ac.uk
  • london.edu
  • london.ac.uk
  • cardiffmet.ac.uk
  • roehampton.ac.uk
  • lsbu.ac.uk

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In August 2026, Arden University saw a dramatic rise in PPC spend share, peaking at 10.93% on the 31st. Meanwhile, Open University consistently led, reaching 17.1% on the 21st. London School of Economics fluctuated, ending at 5.47%. Roehampton University peaked mid-month, while LSBU had a notable spike on the 16th. The month concluded with Open University dominating the PPC landscape.

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. 

Competitor Count - Last month
Competitor Count - Last month
Date Competitor Count
2026/08/01 155
2026/08/02 151
2026/08/03 151
2026/08/04 154
2026/08/05 160
2026/08/06 149
2026/08/07 141
2026/08/08 141
2026/08/09 141
2026/08/10 141
2026/08/11 137
2026/08/12 153
2026/08/13 156
2026/08/14 157
2026/08/15 152
2026/08/16 155
2026/08/17 152
2026/08/18 144
2026/08/19 146
2026/08/20 146
2026/08/21 138
2026/08/22 139
2026/08/23 138
2026/08/24 138
2026/08/25 152
2026/08/26 160
2026/08/27 161
2026/08/28 154
2026/08/29 148
2026/08/30 143
2026/08/31 146

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

August began with 155 advertisers, fluctuating throughout. Mid-month saw a dip to 137, but rebounded to 161. The month concluded at 146, showcasing dynamic shifts.

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.

Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Name Market Trend
open.ac.uk 2.72%
londonmet.ac.uk 2.47%
arden.ac.uk 1.52%
uel.ac.uk 1.26%
aston.ac.uk 1.1%
coventry.ac.uk -1.36%
roehampton.ac.uk -1.37%
london.ac.uk -1.45%
cardiff.ac.uk -1.77%
mmu.ac.uk -3.78%

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Open.ac.uk and londonmet.ac.uk lead with click share gains, while mmu.ac.uk faces the steepest 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.

Date arden.ac.uk sussex.ac.uk londonmet.ac.uk ntu.ac.uk open.ac.uk law.ac.uk lse.ac.uk roehampton.ac.uk lsbu.ac.uk uwl.ac.uk
2026/08/01 2.29% 4.53% 0.01% 0.56% 1.95% 2.07% 3.81% 1.73% 0.6% 3.96%
2026/08/02 2.59% 5.38% 0.3% 0% 1.74% 2.3% 8.8% 0.26% 1.83% 2.38%
2026/08/03 4.37% 1.71% 0.19% 0.34% 1.05% 3.18% 2.52% 1.22% 5.82% 3.33%
2026/08/04 6.85% 4.53% 3.15% 0% 1.17% 8.83% 0.13% 2.95% 4.19% 1.73%
2026/08/05 3.64% 3.45% 1.37% 0.65% 0.59% 8.25% 2.53% 6.71% 1.37% 2.11%
2026/08/06 1.55% 1.44% 0.49% 0.82% 3.81% 5.46% 7.05% 10.37% 1.37% 0.5%
2026/08/07 1.24% 3.97% 0.69% 0.86% 5.28% 4.09% 3.89% 14.59% 0.84% 0.58%
2026/08/08 1.78% 3.92% 0.32% 0.51% 0.74% 3.68% 3.4% 14.92% 0.74% 5.4%
2026/08/09 0.66% 8.8% 0% 0.36% 0.37% 0.4% 4.71% 18.91% 0.46% 4.54%
2026/08/10 4.32% 4.94% 0.21% 1.48% 7.08% 1.54% 0.16% 5.05% 1.31% 2.74%
2026/08/11 1.33% 1.64% 0.13% 1.07% 11.38% 2.85% 0.07% 7.01% 0.94% 4.55%
2026/08/12 5.28% 1.08% 2.18% 1.42% 9.01% 4.87% 6.2% 9.49% 1.15% 0.65%
2026/08/13 2.92% 2.52% 1.75% 1.8% 2.47% 8.32% 3.12% 5.32% 6.1% 2.15%
2026/08/14 1.29% 1.97% 3.91% 1.52% 5.33% 3.16% 1.8% 2.75% 8.96% 4.62%
2026/08/15 2.13% 3.69% 2.35% 3.38% 8.79% 4.69% 1.37% 4.51% 10.44% 8.54%
2026/08/16 1.41% 3.72% 2.23% 6.33% 7.07% 0.78% 0% 6.97% 13.59% 2.6%
2026/08/17 2.49% 0.55% 4.46% 5.82% 7.3% 1.1% 0.01% 8.12% 9.46% 4.41%
2026/08/18 4.65% 3.1% 3.84% 3.88% 5.05% 4.72% 4.1% 4.36% 7.25% 3.09%
2026/08/19 3.47% 2.4% 2.07% 5.05% 8.96% 1.56% 0% 3.14% 7.27% 3.34%
2026/08/20 1.93% 1.59% 1.44% 8.57% 7.1% 3.24% 0% 8.32% 6.7% 5.3%
2026/08/21 2.17% 2.36% 2.56% 5.91% 12.65% 3.08% 2.08% 4.64% 4.5% 0.69%
2026/08/22 1.67% 1.05% 4.01% 7.48% 7.08% 2.18% 4.61% 3.77% 6.8% 4.98%
2026/08/23 0.64% 3.17% 8.47% 10.52% 9.44% 2.99% 4.61% 2.74% 2.67% 2.74%
2026/08/24 0.8% 2.5% 2.99% 9.35% 9.36% 2.85% 5.64% 6.04% 3.5% 1.35%
2026/08/25 9.48% 2.94% 4.06% 2.82% 8.68% 4.7% 0.04% 8.62% 2.02% 2.41%
2026/08/26 9.52% 3.45% 3.18% 0.62% 8.73% 7.65% 1.52% 6.2% 1.7% 1%
2026/08/27 7.77% 2.45% 4.35% 1.98% 7.63% 5.13% 1.6% 5.78% 3.4% 1.61%
2026/08/28 6.72% 3.88% 3.35% 2.73% 6.21% 4.7% 2.95% 5.79% 6.37% 0.47%
2026/08/29 7.29% 2.5% 3% 3.71% 5.18% 5.84% 0.01% 4.88% 4.51% 5.56%
2026/08/30 6.23% 4.99% 7.06% 5.25% 9.34% 3.6% 3.8% 6.79% 2.01% 0.74%
2026/08/31 10.26% 8.34% 6.77% 5.08% 4.85% 4.71% 4.56% 1.52% 0.51% 0.27%
  • arden.ac.uk
  • sussex.ac.uk
  • londonmet.ac.uk
  • ntu.ac.uk
  • open.ac.uk
  • law.ac.uk
  • lse.ac.uk
  • roehampton.ac.uk
  • lsbu.ac.uk
  • uwl.ac.uk

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Arden.ac.uk’s impression share fluctuated, peaking at 10.26% on August 31. Sussex.ac.uk ended strong at 8.34%. Londonmet.ac.uk saw a rise, closing at 6.77%. Roehampton.ac.uk’s share surged mid-month, finishing at 1.52%.

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.

Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for UK Education & Training Universities - Last month
  1. 1
    Cardiff Met University https://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk

    Study in Cardiff — Check out Cardiff, one of the most affordable and exciting student cities in the UK. Clearing Campus Tours on 29 July, 15 & 19 August. Book Your Place.

  2. 2
    London School of Economics https://www.getsmarter.com › lse › programmes

    LSE Courses — See Which Premium Courses Are Trending in the LSE Online Course Portfolio. Grow Your Network. Proactive Support

  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
    Purpose-Driven Leaders | Scale Social Impact | EMSBE at LSE https://www.lse.ac.uk

    A programme designed for leadership, influence and real-world application. At LSE, ideas meet practice to shape organisations and the wider world. Apply Now. Register Now. Information Sessions.

  5. 5
    Advance with Ophthalmology MSc | University College London https://www.ucl.ac.uk

    UCL ranks 8th globally (QS World University Rankings 2026). Central London location. 1st in the UK and EU for ophthalmology (SCImago Institution...

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Cardiff Met University highlights affordability and vibrant student life, while LSE and GetSmarter emphasize premium courses and networking. The University of Law explores psychology’s significance, and UCL showcases top global rankings in ophthalmology. Each ad uniquely appeals to prospective students’ aspirations.

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