How does your type of institution actually perform online compared to the other?
It’s a question every university leadership team asks but rarely gets an honest, data-backed answer to. Private and deemed universities compete for the same prospective students in many markets, but they operate under different regulatory structures, funding models, and institutional histories.
Digital presence is one of the few areas where the playing field is theoretically level. A well-optimised website costs the same regardless of university type. Yet our research across 194 universities (90 private and 104 deemed) shows the gap is substantial on certain metrics and nearly invisible on others.
The Scorecard: Head-to-Head
Here is the comparison from our 194-university dataset:
Private and deemed universities on three measures, September 2026
On two rows the dots nearly touch. The AI row is where the two groups part.
The Biggest Gap Moved From Google to AI
On Google, private and deemed universities now look alike. 96.6% of private universities and 93.9% of deemed ones own their name. Either their site ranks first or the knowledge panel is theirs.
The gap opens when a student asks for options without naming anyone. ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI Overview named 72.2% of private universities and 44.2% of deemed ones. A deemed university can win every search for its own name and still miss the shortlist a student builds before they know it.
Where Deemed Universities Win
Deemed homepages have the higher median mobile performance score, 53.5 against 48 for private. Both sit near Lighthouse’s poor band, and neither group is close to Google’s 2.5-second target for main content.
Decision rule: Technical performance is necessary but not sufficient. Speed without visibility is a fast website nobody visits.
What Drives These Gaps
Across our engagements, three factors come up again and again:
What Drives the Digital Presence Gap
These gaps reflect resource allocation choices. Choices can change.
Institutional Resources
Private universities have dedicated digital marketing teams and larger technology budgets. That investment shows in AI answers.
Regulatory Focus
Deemed universities often prioritise compliance and academic processes. Digital marketing gets less strategic attention. Result: strong credentials, less visibility in AI answers.
Content Investment
Private universities tend to publish more content: programme pages, blog posts and admission guides. This strengthens both SEO and AI visibility.
None of these gaps are permanent. They reflect resource allocation choices that can be changed.
What This Means for University Leadership
For deemed university leaders: your name is safe on Google, at 93.9%. The work is being named when a student does not know you yet. Across our engagements, that starts with the programmes you want to be known for: clear pages, in your own words, that AI assistants can quote.
For private university leaders: you lead on AI naming at 72.2%. But 25 private universities were still named in none of our questions. The lead is real and it is not universal.
For both: the median admission page scores 72 out of 100. Being found is half the job. The pages a student reads next decide whether they apply.
This is Part 6 of a 12-part series based on Thrivemattic’s 194-university digital presence research. For the full head-to-head comparison, see the research overview. For specific metric deep dives, see the SERP report, technical report, and admissions report.
Where does your university stand?
Google search, AI answers, admission pages and mobile speed across 194 private and deemed universities.
Read the full studyWe have individual benchmark reports for each of the 194 universities, showing exactly where your institution stands on Google, in AI answers, on admission pages and on mobile speed. If you want a university-specific view, request your report.
Find Your University’s Digital Ranking See how we work with universities
