I’m Abbas Sajid, a higher education marketing consultant who helps universities and colleges turn marketing spend into enrolled students. I audit what you are doing today, build an enrollment-led marketing strategy, and stay with your team until the numbers move: more qualified applications, a lower cost per enrolled student and a brand that students and parents trust.
The journey I manage
Abbas has worked with universities, skill missions and education brands including
Student recruitment has become harder and more expensive. Students compare more options, research for longer, and expect quick, personal answers. Advertising costs rise every admission season, while new private universities, online programmes and international options compete for the same students. Many marketing teams are working harder than ever and still cannot say which activity actually produced an enrolled student.
Institutions usually call me when they recognise one or more of these signs:
A good higher education marketing consultant brings an outside view, a proven method and the experience of having solved these problems for other institutions, without the cost of a full senior hire.
Every engagement starts with evidence. I review your enrollment data by programme and source, your advertising accounts, website and programme pages, CRM and lead handling, agents and partners, social media, and the admissions process. You receive a written audit that shows where prospective students are being lost and what each fix is worth in applications.
Most higher education marketing strategies start with channels: “we need more Instagram” or “let’s try Google Ads”. Mine start with the enrollment target. We work backwards from the number of students you need in each programme to the applications, enquiries and audience reach required, and then choose the channels and messages that can deliver them at an acceptable cost.
I build a budget that ties every rupee, pound or dollar to an expected outcome. That includes the split between paid search, social, SEO, events, agents and partners, and a monthly plan aligned with your admission calendar. When a channel does not perform, the budget moves.
The right strategy fails without the right people. I help you decide what to keep in-house, what to give to an agency and what to automate. I write briefs, set KPIs for agencies and vendors, and sit in their review meetings so you get honest reporting.
You get one dashboard that leadership can read in five minutes: enquiries, applications, offers and enrollments by programme and source, with cost per application and cost per enrolled student. If you need help building it, my enrollment analytics and landing page service covers the set-up.
Not sure where your recruitment is leaking? Request a marketing audit and get a written action plan.
Institutions often ask whether they should hire a consultant, an agency or more staff. The honest answer is that each has a role.
Most of my clients keep their team and their agency. I make both more effective. If you need hands-on execution rather than advice, my page on working with a higher education digital marketer explains that option.
A full marketing and recruitment audit, followed by a 90-day enrollment marketing plan with targets, budget, channel mix and team responsibilities. Best for institutions that have a capable team and need direction.
Regular strategy sessions, agency and vendor reviews, campaign and funnel feedback, and a monthly performance review with leadership. Best for institutions that want senior guidance through a full admission cycle.
I lead your marketing function part-time: planning, managing the team and agencies, reporting to leadership, and hiring your permanent marketing head when you are ready. Best for institutions between marketing leaders, or launching something new.
Before consulting, I built offline counselling centres, a franchise network and a channel partner model from zero. I know what happens after a lead arrives: the call, the campus visit, the parent’s questions, the fee discussion. My strategies are designed for that reality.
Clicks and followers are useful signals, but your board measures students and revenue. Every plan I write is judged on cost per application, application-to-enrollment rate and cost per enrolled student.
Many consultants know only digital or only agents. I work across Google, Meta, SEO, WhatsApp and CRM, and also across education fairs, school partnerships, franchise centres and international agent networks. That breadth lets me find the cheapest route to each student group.
I understand the Indian admissions calendar, the role of parents, entrance exams and counselling rounds, and regulatory signals such as NAAC accreditation and NIRF rankings that influence student choice. I also work with institutions recruiting from South Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
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Your consultant
Abbas Sajid has worked with 200+ institutions across 12+ countries, supporting over 50,000 student enrollments. He built offline, franchise and channel education businesses before moving into consulting, and founded HighEdInfo, a platform for education marketers. He works with universities, colleges and education brands in India and internationally.
Fees depend on the scope and the length of the engagement. A strategy sprint is a fixed project fee, while advisory and fractional roles are monthly. On a strategy call, I will recommend the smallest engagement that can reach your target and give you a written quote.
Audit findings often produce quick wins within weeks, such as faster lead follow-up or pausing wasted ad spend. Larger gains from new campaigns, SEO and partner networks show over one to two intakes.
No. My role is to give your team and agency a clear strategy, measurable targets and better reporting. I recommend changes to people or vendors only when the data shows they are needed, and the decision stays with you.
I work with universities, colleges and other higher education providers. For institutions with university-specific challenges, see my work as a university marketing consultant. For smaller institutions, see college marketing consulting.
Conversion from enquiry to enrolled student, including counselling, yield and melt reduction.
Positioning, messaging and brand experience that make your institution the clear choice.
Programme page SEO, technical fixes, international SEO and visibility in AI search.
Tell me your enrollment target and the programmes that matter most. In a 30-minute call we will review your current numbers and agree three actions you can take this month.
Prefer WhatsApp? Message Abbas on WhatsApp