US Education & Training Universities - PPC Market Share Analysis April 2026

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

Universities – US

Google AI Overview visibility for Education & Training Universities US

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 48.2462252636
51.7537747364
48%

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 41
59
41%

Search Intent Distribution

Breakdown of search queries by their underlying goal.

Intent Distribution
Investigational 18%
Transactional 1%
Navigational 2%
Seasonal 0%
Local 2%
Problem Solving 5%

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Market Exposure

Share of Clicks for top 10 US 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
phoenix.edu 14.27
collegeboard.org 10.55
asu.edu 9.62
wgu.edu 8.27
snhu.edu 5.58
gcu.edu 3.09
capella.edu 2.7
devry.edu 2.18
chamberlain.edu 1.56
strayer.edu 1.12
others 41.06
  • phoenix.edu - 14.27%
  • collegeboard.org - 10.55%
  • asu.edu - 9.62%
  • wgu.edu - 8.27%
  • snhu.edu - 5.58%
  • gcu.edu - 3.09%
  • capella.edu - 2.7%
  • devry.edu - 2.18%
  • chamberlain.edu - 1.56%
  • strayer.edu - 1.12%
  • others - 41.06%

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In the education sector’s PPC landscape, Phoenix.edu leads with 14.27% click share, followed by Collegeboard.org at 10.55%. Others collectively dominate with 41.06%, showcasing diverse competition.

Market Exposure

Share of Spend for the top 10 US 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 asu.edu snhu.edu phoenix.edu devry.edu capella.edu liberty.edu gcu.edu wgu.edu chamberlain.edu waldenu.edu
2026/04/01 12.04% 7.96% 7.43% 5.02% 3.2% 2.09% 2.9% 2.32% 2.05% 1.69%
2026/04/02 11.88% 7.83% 7.42% 4.42% 3.96% 1.77% 4.7% 3.12% 1.45% 1.63%
2026/04/03 11.5% 7.78% 6.92% 3.49% 3.77% 1.99% 3.98% 2.57% 1.39% 1.94%
2026/04/04 11.71% 8.51% 6.67% 2.64% 3.22% 1.88% 3.78% 3.66% 1.71% 1.69%
2026/04/05 10.6% 6.76% 5.34% 3.4% 3.42% 2.75% 3.88% 4.76% 1.42% 2.1%
2026/04/06 11.17% 7.25% 7.41% 3.67% 3.36% 2.8% 4.5% 3.15% 1.4% 2.33%
2026/04/07 12.17% 7.03% 7.97% 5.13% 4.13% 2.17% 5.02% 2.47% 2.25% 2.59%
2026/04/08 13.25% 6.97% 7.5% 5.7% 3.55% 1.93% 4.14% 2.53% 1.63% 2.22%
2026/04/09 12.48% 8.36% 6.53% 4.92% 3.47% 1.79% 4.16% 2.69% 2.02% 2.14%
2026/04/10 13.98% 7.07% 6.31% 6% 3.86% 1.52% 4.3% 2.17% 1.47% 2.33%
2026/04/11 14.59% 8.2% 6.4% 3.39% 2.91% 1.55% 3.72% 3.31% 1.06% 2.38%
2026/04/12 13.5% 6.83% 6.26% 4.2% 3.76% 1.37% 3.83% 3.89% 1.82% 3.06%
2026/04/13 13.46% 5.99% 5.97% 3.42% 4.85% 2.01% 4.36% 2.99% 2.3% 2.86%
2026/04/14 13.64% 7.89% 6.61% 4.41% 3.99% 1.62% 4.93% 2.53% 2.62% 1.52%
2026/04/15 12.82% 9.52% 7.63% 4.72% 3.71% 1.5% 4.33% 2.46% 2.82% 2.52%
2026/04/16 15.69% 8.22% 7.04% 3.13% 3.85% 1.5% 4.82% 3.03% 3.15% 2.3%
2026/04/17 14.11% 7.29% 7.67% 3.1% 3.97% 1.9% 4.36% 2.93% 3.33% 2.7%
2026/04/18 13.83% 7.47% 6.79% 2.64% 2.97% 1.78% 3.91% 3.73% 2.57% 1.74%
2026/04/19 14.33% 5.73% 6.35% 2.1% 3.39% 2.15% 4.67% 3.93% 2.19% 2.46%
2026/04/20 15.18% 4.56% 7.12% 3.15% 3.39% 1.81% 3.95% 3.63% 3.09% 2.36%
2026/04/21 14.77% 8.67% 6.99% 3.24% 3.71% 2.16% 4.25% 2.84% 2.38% 1.69%
2026/04/22 14.91% 8.56% 6.95% 2.6% 4.55% 1.91% 4.05% 2.47% 2.99% 1.91%
2026/04/23 11.58% 7.71% 5.98% 2.47% 4.34% 2.16% 3.23% 3.46% 3.4% 1.84%
2026/04/24 9.58% 5.67% 6.89% 1.86% 3.42% 2.41% 2.78% 3.45% 3.15% 2.61%
2026/04/25 12.42% 6.3% 6.39% 2.18% 2.55% 2.41% 2.71% 3.51% 2.95% 1.35%
2026/04/26 11.71% 5.22% 6.03% 2.63% 2.46% 3.05% 2.57% 4.37% 3.3% 1.04%
2026/04/27 12.88% 4.36% 6.91% 2.71% 3.06% 2.78% 2.88% 3.48% 3.26% 1.54%
2026/04/28 14% 4.54% 7.29% 2.99% 3.66% 2.89% 3.43% 2.4% 2.42% 2.38%
2026/04/29 13.72% 7.15% 6.84% 3.62% 4.43% 3.25% 3.28% 2.56% 2.46% 2.31%
2026/04/30 12.95% 8.88% 8.42% 4.01% 3.99% 2.5% 2.44% 2.41% 2.05% 1.87%
  • asu.edu
  • snhu.edu
  • phoenix.edu
  • devry.edu
  • capella.edu
  • liberty.edu
  • gcu.edu
  • wgu.edu
  • chamberlain.edu
  • waldenu.edu

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

April saw ASU.edu’s PPC spend share rise from 12.04% to 12.95%, peaking mid-month at 15.69%. SNHU.edu fluctuated, ending at 8.88%. Phoenix.edu and Devry.edu showed modest gains, while Liberty.edu and GCU.edu experienced declines.

Market Exposure

Competitor Count for US 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
2026/04/01 938
2026/04/02 944
2026/04/03 981
2026/04/04 977
2026/04/05 980
2026/04/06 1021
2026/04/07 1001
2026/04/08 976
2026/04/09 967
2026/04/10 967
2026/04/11 954
2026/04/12 956
2026/04/13 985
2026/04/14 948
2026/04/15 964
2026/04/16 917
2026/04/17 909
2026/04/18 926
2026/04/19 937
2026/04/20 943
2026/04/21 952
2026/04/22 963
2026/04/23 961
2026/04/24 954
2026/04/25 960
2026/04/26 961
2026/04/27 983
2026/04/28 938
2026/04/29 949
2026/04/30 918

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

April saw fluctuating advertiser numbers, peaking at 1,021 on April 6. The month concluded with a slight decline, ending at 918.

Campaign Efficiency

Market Loss & Market Gains for US 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
phoenix.edu 2.9%
asu.edu 1.47%
calacademy.org 1.46%
wgu.edu 1%
chamberlain.edu 0.57%
bellevue.edu -0.17%
nu.edu -0.19%
gcu.edu -0.37%
devry.edu -0.49%
collegeboard.org -10.81%

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Phoenix.edu soared with a 2.90% increase, while collegeboard.org plummeted by 10.81%.

Campaign Efficiency

US 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 asu.edu phoenix.edu snhu.edu devry.edu capella.edu wgu.edu gcu.edu waldenu.edu csuglobal.edu collegeboard.org
2026/04/01 8.07% 8.91% 5.93% 4.78% 2.88% 2.97% 2.63% 1.32% 2.63% 3.82%
2026/04/02 8.27% 9.14% 5.78% 4.38% 3.62% 3.38% 4.35% 1.35% 1.36% 3.35%
2026/04/03 7.87% 8.57% 5.47% 3.33% 4.11% 2.72% 3.57% 1.49% 2.31% 4.04%
2026/04/04 8.01% 8.09% 5.91% 2.72% 3.19% 3.77% 3.47% 1.36% 2.77% 3.14%
2026/04/05 7.24% 6.42% 4.82% 3.08% 3.39% 4.49% 3.73% 2.04% 2.39% 3.8%
2026/04/06 7.72% 8.83% 5.2% 3.56% 2.53% 3.5% 4.52% 2.45% 1.68% 3.55%
2026/04/07 8.29% 9.82% 5.09% 5.17% 3.17% 3.07% 5.02% 2.33% 1.65% 3.3%
2026/04/08 8.89% 8.71% 5.3% 5.99% 2.45% 3.03% 4.15% 1.82% 1.89% 3.48%
2026/04/09 8.87% 7.89% 6.08% 5.07% 2.44% 3.23% 4.16% 1.93% 1.36% 3.45%
2026/04/10 9.24% 7.8% 5.79% 6.39% 2.81% 2.42% 4.34% 2.45% 2.18% 3.09%
2026/04/11 10% 7.83% 6.15% 3.39% 2.03% 3.48% 3.62% 2.35% 2.5% 4.58%
2026/04/12 9.56% 7.72% 5.16% 4.63% 2.96% 3.88% 3.48% 2.94% 2.06% 2.67%
2026/04/13 9.42% 7.47% 4.63% 3.6% 3.39% 3.42% 4.26% 2.72% 1.87% 1.95%
2026/04/14 9.54% 7.95% 6.45% 5.06% 2.91% 3.17% 4.91% 1.36% 1.32% 2.11%
2026/04/15 8.96% 9.51% 7.52% 5.58% 2.77% 3.14% 4.53% 2.2% 1.18% 2.61%
2026/04/16 12.08% 9.04% 6.38% 3.24% 2.98% 3.45% 5.37% 2.32% 1.37% 2.05%
2026/04/17 9.97% 9.65% 5.43% 3.39% 3.48% 3.12% 3.97% 3.01% 2.21% 2.41%
2026/04/18 10.04% 8.19% 6.06% 3.01% 2.35% 3.69% 3.77% 1.42% 2.32% 1.98%
2026/04/19 10.74% 7.39% 4.42% 2.46% 2.7% 3.84% 5% 2.49% 2.57% 0.28%
2026/04/20 11% 8.67% 3.59% 3.71% 2.6% 4.01% 4.02% 2.39% 1.96% 0.39%
2026/04/21 11.29% 8.76% 7.08% 3.72% 2.78% 3.37% 3.84% 1.49% 1.75% 0.84%
2026/04/22 10.89% 8.42% 6.7% 3.03% 4.03% 3.07% 4.03% 2.33% 1.57% 0.07%
2026/04/23 8.16% 7.62% 6.02% 2.8% 3.29% 3.73% 3.15% 1.93% 1.52% 1.45%
2026/04/24 8.08% 8.37% 4.1% 1.82% 2.34% 3.6% 2.72% 2.76% 2.11% 0.94%
2026/04/25 9.03% 7.83% 4.58% 2.11% 2.17% 3.75% 2.75% 1.09% 3.07% 2.02%
2026/04/26 9.49% 7.63% 3.76% 2.99% 1.94% 4.88% 2.5% 0.75% 2.43% 0.3%
2026/04/27 9.97% 8.55% 3.51% 2.93% 2.44% 3.68% 3.13% 1.37% 1.73% 0.68%
2026/04/28 10.67% 8.56% 3.7% 3.12% 2.98% 2.96% 3.63% 2.26% 1.72% 0.3%
2026/04/29 10.3% 8.21% 4.99% 3.98% 3.87% 3.06% 3.25% 2.19% 1.81% 0.66%
2026/04/30 10.25% 10.22% 6.36% 4.29% 3.15% 2.99% 2.32% 1.58% 1.23% 0.01%
  • asu.edu
  • phoenix.edu
  • snhu.edu
  • devry.edu
  • capella.edu
  • wgu.edu
  • gcu.edu
  • waldenu.edu
  • csuglobal.edu
  • collegeboard.org

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

ASU.edu’s impression share surged from 8.07% to 12.08% mid-month, ending at 10.25%. Phoenix.edu fluctuated, peaking at 10.22%. SNHU.edu and Devry.edu showed volatility, while Capella.edu and WGU.edu remained steady. Collegeboard.org’s share plummeted, closing at 0.01%.

Campaign Efficiency

Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for US 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 US Education & Training Universities - Last month
  1. 1
    Arizona State University https://asuonline.asu.edu › asu-online › degrees

    ASU Online — 350+ Bachelor's & Master's Degree Programs Offered Online. Explore Top-Ranked Programs Offered Online, Taught by Notable Faculty.

  2. 2
    BetterHelp Online Therapy - Average Session Rating: 4.9/5 https://www.betterhelp.com

    Therapy To Help You Feel Your Best. Take The First Step Towards Happiness With BetterHelp.

  3. 3
    University of Phoenix® https://www.phoenix.edu

    Online University Programs — Have Your Training Evaluated and You Could Potentially Earn College Credits. Learn More. Don't...

  4. 4
    SNHU® - Southern NH University https://degrees.snhu.edu › online

    Choose from 200+ Programs — Learn More & Apply 100% Online Now! Offering One of the Lowest Online Tuition Rates in the Nation. Start Your Journey at SNHU®. ACBSP Accredited.

  5. 5
    WGU.edu https://www.wgu.edu

    WGU - Official Site — Advance based on what you already know. Graduate faster with our competency-based model. Respected by employers, designed for you. Get a degree in Business, IT, Health, or Ed.

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In the competitive landscape of online education, Arizona State University shines with over 350 programs, emphasizing top-ranked faculty. Meanwhile, Southern New Hampshire University highlights affordability and accreditation. WGU promotes a competency-based model for faster graduation, while University of Phoenix offers credit for prior training.

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