Deep Dive Report · Admissions Journey
Where Confidence Drops in the Admissions Journey
In September 2026 we read the admission pages of 187 Indian private and deemed universities. The median scored 72 out of 100. 46 had no fee page we could find, and only 67 had an eligibility page. Here is where students hesitate, and what to fix first.1
Cohort Snapshot
The numbers that set the scene
We read a 75-page sample of each university’s website in September 2026, fetching admission pages first. We scored 187 of the 194. Seven sites could not be read, so we left them out rather than score them 0.
A correction to our February edition. The January crawler did not clear its page list between universities, so each site was credited with pages from sites crawled before it. We fixed the crawler and re-read every site. September 2026 is the first clean reading. The lower scores correct our own measurement. Universities did not get worse.
130
of 187 score GOOD or EXCELLENT (65+)1
19
of 187 score below 501
25–90
Range of admission scores1
55.4
Point gap, top 10 vs bottom 101
Tier thresholds: GOOD/EXCELLENT 65+, FAIR 50–64, NEEDS IMPROVEMENT/POOR <50. n = 187; seven unmeasured universities are left out. Source: September 2026 snapshot (v2).
Friction Points
Where Confidence Drops
The moments of hesitation in the admission journey that cause students to abandon or choose competitors.
Buried Fees
A fee page states what a programme costs.
46 of 187 (25%) had no fee page in our sample1
When students can’t find fee information, they assume the worst. Some move to a university that shows its fees.
141 of 187 (75%) have a fee page we could find.1
Unclear Eligibility
An eligibility page tells a student whether they can apply.
At least 67 of 187 (36%) have an eligibility page1
Students can’t self-qualify. They don’t know if they’re eligible before investing time in the application.
Many universities state eligibility inside each course page. Our count does not read those, so the true figure is higher. A student still has to open every course to find it.
Mobile Friction
Lighthouse scores how fast a page loads on a phone, out of 100.
88 of 189 (46.6%) score under 50 on mobile (Lighthouse)2
Parents browse at dinner tables, students browse between classes. Slow sites lose attention in seconds.
The median mobile Lighthouse performance score is 51 out of 100.2
Too Many Steps
An entry point is a link that leads into admissions content.
Median 33 entry points into admissions content1
Decision paralysis. Too many paths, no clear direction. Students don’t know where to start.
106 of 187 universities have between 31 and 50 entry points.1
Campus Ambiguity
Multi-campus universities create confusion
“Which campus am I applying to?” Different locations, different fees, different programmes, and no clear answer.
Multi-Campus Brands:
- XIT (multiple campuses)
- Xorvpol (multiple locations)
- Xvity (pan-India presence)
- X.Y. Xotvl (multiple institutes)
Early Document Demands
Forms ask for documents before commitment
Asking for 10 documents upfront creates friction. Students aren’t ready to commit that early.
Progressive Disclosure Fixes This:
- Stage 1: Basic info only
- Stage 2: Academic details
- Stage 3: Documents after interest
- Stage 4: Full application
Eligibility is a lower bound: pages inside course listings are not counted. Source: September 2026 snapshot (v2).
Counted within a 75-page sample of each site. Source: September 2026 snapshot (v2).
88 of 189 university websites score under 50 on mobile Lighthouse performance. Phones are where parents and students browse.2
Lighthouse mobile performance, 189 universities, September 2026
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Root Causes
Why These Issues Persist
Structural and organizational reasons why universities struggle to fix known problems.
The Ownership Gap
Who owns the “admissions journey”? Everyone… and no one.
Admissions Office
Owns application processing
IT Department
Owns website infrastructure
Marketing Team
Owns brand & content
Journey Owner
Nobody owns the flow
Content vs Journey Thinking
Universities publish a lot of content but rarely design the path through it. Application pages are close to universal: 175 of 187.1
Insight: fees, deadlines and eligibility are where the path breaks. Each appears on fewer sites than the application page.
Technology Fragmentation
Admissions content sits in systems owned by different teams. Small changes queue behind other IT work.
Insight: on a custom CMS, every change needs developer time.
Recommendations
High-Impact, Low-Disruption Fixes
Changes that reduce friction without replatforming, rebranding, or rewriting everything.
Requirements means an eligibility page, and 67 of 187 is a lower bound. It trails the other four by at least 36 points. An eligibility page is one of the highest-leverage fixes.
Create a Single Admissions Hub
One landing page that answers: What do I need? How much? By when? Replace dozens of entry points with one clear path.
One-Click Fees & Eligibility
Surface fee information prominently. Add an eligibility checker that lets students self-qualify instantly.
Clear Deadline Display
Add a deadline tracker widget on the hub page. No hunting across program pages for important dates.
Mobile-First Prioritization
Fix the hub page for mobile first. Optimize images, reduce JavaScript, improve load times.
Campus Selector Upfront
For multi-campus universities, add a campus selector before any content. Remove ambiguity immediately.
Staged Form Design
Don’t ask for 10 documents upfront. Use progressive disclosure: basic info first, documents after commitment.
The top 10 universities average 88.1 on admission pages. The bottom 10 average 32.7. That is a 55.4-point gap.1
Admission score analysis, 187 universities, September 2026
Role Models: Universities Getting It Right
These five universities have all five critical page types in our sample and score 60 or more on mobile Lighthouse performance.1
NIIT University
All five page types found, 74/100 mobile
Banasthali Vidyapith
All five page types found, 72/100 mobile
BML Munjal University
All five page types found, 72/100 mobile
Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research
All five page types found, 65/100 mobile
JK Lakshmipat University
All five page types found, 63/100 mobile
If You Only Do One Thing
The One Thing to Do This Month
If you could make just one change to improve admissions outcomes, what should it be?
The Decisive Recommendation
“Create a single ‘Start Your Application’ page that answers the 3 questions every applicant asks in their first visit.”
What do I need (eligibility)? How much (fees)? By when (deadlines)?
Why This Works
- Fills the eligibility gapWe found an eligibility page at 67 of 187 universities. Course pages may hold more, but students must dig.1
- Surfaces buried infoFee pages exist at 141 of 187 universities and deadline pages at 135. Students still have to find them.1
- Reduces complexityA median of 33 entry points becomes one clear path.1
- No replatforming neededJust one new landing page with existing content.
The Quick Wins Framework
A 4-week implementation plan:
Week 1
Create one admission hub page as the single entry point.
Week 2
Show fees and deadlines on the hub page.
Week 3
Add an eligibility checker so students can check they qualify.
Week 4
Fix mobile loading issues on the hub page.
The Performance Gap: Top 10 vs Bottom 10 Universities
Admission score out of 100, 187 measured universities, September 2026.1
Key Numbers to Remember
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Data notes
- Study of 194 Indian private and deemed universities (90 private, 104 deemed), September 2026 snapshot (v2). Crawl: 18–19 Sep 2026, up to 75 pages per site, admission page types fetched first. Seven universities could not be crawled or returned fewer than five pages. They are left out, not scored 0, so n = 187. Admission score is out of 100: median 72, range 25–90. Tiers: EXCELLENT 80–100 (41), GOOD 65–79 (89), FAIR 50–64 (38), NEEDS IMPROVEMENT 35–49 (14), POOR 0–34 (5). The top 10 average 88.1 and the bottom 10 average 32.7. A page type counts as found when the sample holds a page of that type. Found: application 175, fees 141, deadlines 135, financial aid 145, eligibility at least 67. Eligibility is a lower bound, because many sites state it inside each course page and this count does not read those. Entry points are links into admissions content found within the sample: median 33. Role models have all five page types and a mobile Lighthouse score of 60 or more (note 2). Manav Rachna University and MRIIRS also qualify but share one website, so we leave them out. Updated 19 Sep 2026 (was an average score of 68.4; 167 GOOD or EXCELLENT, 18 FAIR and 9 below 50; top 10 average 73.3 and bottom 10 average 13.9; application 176, fees 175, deadlines 176, eligibility 167 and financial aid 176 of 194; an average of 32 entry points; role models BML Munjal, LNCT, D Y Patil International, JIS, Pravara and Dayalbagh, February 2026 snapshot). Reason: count corrected. The January crawl mixed pages between universities; September is the first clean reading. Research hub. Source report. ↩
- Same study and snapshot as note 1. Google Lighthouse mobile performance score out of 100, run on 18 Sep 2026 on the 189 sites Lighthouse could test. Median 51. 88 of 189 (46.6%) score under 50, and 101 of 189 score 50 or more. Updated 19 Sep 2026 (was 112 sites scoring 50 or more, February 2026 snapshot). Reason: new Lighthouse run on every site in September 2026. Source report. ↩
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ
Questions we hear from university Vice-Chancellors, marketing leaders, and admissions directors about the admissions journey.
What is an admissions journey analysis and why does it matter?
It checks whether a prospective student can find what they need on your website. In September 2026 we read a 75-page sample of each university’s site. The median admission score was 72 out of 100 across 187 universities. At least 67 of 187 had an eligibility page, and 88 of 189 scored under 50 on mobile Lighthouse performance.
Where do students lose confidence during the admission process?
At six points: fees they cannot find (46 of 187 had no fee page in our sample), eligibility they cannot check (at least 67 of 187 have an eligibility page), slow mobile pages (88 of 189 score under 50 on Lighthouse), too many entry points (median 33), campus ambiguity, and early document demands.
How do we compare to other universities in the study?
The median admission score is 72 out of 100 across 187 universities, with a range of 25 to 90. 130 score GOOD or EXCELLENT, 38 score FAIR and 19 score below 50. The top 10 average 88.1 and the bottom 10 average 32.7.
How many Indian universities show their fees online?
In September 2026, 141 of 187 Indian private and deemed universities (75%) had a fee page in a 75-page sample of their site. 46 did not.1
How was the admissions journey measured?
We read up to 75 pages of each university’s website on 18–19 September 2026, fetching admission pages first, and scored 187 of 194. Seven sites could not be read, so we left them out rather than score them 0.1
Why does our website have high content scores but low conversion?
A content score says the pages exist somewhere on the site. It does not say a student can find them. Application pages are close to universal (175 of 187), but fee, deadline and eligibility pages are fewer. Better journey design joins them into one path.
What quick fixes can improve the admission experience immediately?
Create a single admission hub page, make fees visible on web pages, add eligibility checkers, fix mobile performance, reduce entry points, and use progressive disclosure in forms.
Who in our university should own the admissions journey?
Today it is usually split between admissions, IT and marketing, with no single owner. We recommend one cross-functional owner for content, UX and technology decisions.
How does the admissions journey analysis relate to other reports?
It connects to technical performance (slow sites kill journeys), SERP visibility, Reddit sentiment (frustrated students share experiences), and AI visibility (AI summarises your admission process).
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