Student Testimonials for Education Brands (5 Examples Included)

When considering a new course, school, or university, prospects often question whether they can trust a particular education brand.

To find answers, they turn to reviews and testimonials.

These firsthand experiences give prospective students and parents a glimpse of what they might expect, making testimonials a key part of their decision-making process.

But the true impact of testimonials goes far beyond a few positive words.

Positive academic testimonials and reviews can boost your education website's SEO, helping it rank higher on search engines like Google. This improved visibility can increase enrollment rates as more people find and trust your site.

But how do you gather testimonials and showcase them to the prospects?

In this post, we will cover everything you need to know about gathering, crafting, and placing student testimonials for your education brand.

The Benefits of Student Testimonials for Education Business (Online Courses, Higher Education and Schools)

Student testimonials make your education business more personable and relatable.

When you share your students' success stories, you highlight their achievements and demonstrate the value of your educational programs, academic quality, and resources.

Hence, they’re essential for colleges, universities, and online course creators who want to attract the right applicants and stand out from competitors.

Here’s how testimonials benefit education businesses:

1. Student Testimonials Build Trust For Your Education Business

Hearing students share their personal experiences, challenges, and wins in their own words creates a genuine connection. It makes prospective students feel more confident in their decisions.

2. Supports Marketing and Branding of Your Educational Business

Using testimonials as part of your marketing strategy strengthens your brand. They provide a human interest angle that helps prospects develop a connection.

Most importantly, you can achieve the same level of traction by sourcing great testimonials without spending hundreds or thousands on glossy advertisement campaigns.

3. It Helps You Differentiate From Competitors

Testimonials from students and parents are an untapped source of competitive advantage in recruitment marketing.

They provide authentic insights into the experiences of your current students but also highlight what makes your education brand unique, giving prospective students reasons to choose your courses over others.

This connection between real-life experiences and your brand's identity makes testimonials powerful in influencing decisions and driving enrollment.

4. As A Result, It Increases Enrollment Rates

When students and parents search online for the best university, school, or college, they first turn to Google. So, if you have a Google Business Profile with positive reviews, it serves as social proof and reassuring prospects.

Testimonials guide prospects, students, and parents during the decision-making stage. This trust, built through the shared experiences of others, makes them more likely to fill out the application form and enroll.

How to Gather Student Testimonials to Add to Your Website to Build Trust

Prospects turn to the experiences of existing and past students to help them decide. So, to encourage more people to enroll, you must gather more testimonials.

However, if you find this task overwhelming, a higher education marketing agency can also help you build trust, attract more students, and convince them to sign up by leveraging the power of testimonials.

Here’s how education businesses can reach out to existing and past students for testimonials:

• Personalized emails to students asking for their feedback
• Share links to your course’s social media profiles where students can leave reviews
• Create short surveys, ask them to rate their experience, and share feedback
• Provide a simple form for students to submit at the end of each course, program, or session

Pro Tip: Use multiple approaches for gathering student testimonials, as some might feel comfortable giving ratings while others may require open-ended forms.

Schools Testimonials Examples

1. Harker Middle School

It is a fantastic idea to feature a high school testimonial page where students answer personal questions about their favorite books, subjects, and what makes their school special.

Here’s an example of how Harker offers a glimpse into the students' personalities and experiences, making the school more relatable and engaging for prospective students and parents.

2. Convent of the Sacred Heart

As the longest-established independent all-girls school in New York City, the Convent of the Sacred Heart students have many experiences to share.

This page is a great example of how schools showcase their student’s journey, highlighting personal experiences from their time at the school, detailing favorite moments, friendships, and personal achievements, and offering a genuine review.

It helps prospective students and families understand the unique atmosphere and community at Sacred Heart.

This approach showcases the school's strengths and builds a stronger emotional connection with prospects.

Online Course Testimonials Examples

1. Beginner Body Restoration Online Course

Leveraging testimonials allows you to capture the essence of your course from the student's perspective, serving as a powerful decision-making tool.

Here’s a compelling example of student reviews from one of our clients on their checkout page.

These reviews help build credibility and trustworthiness when students are about to make purchase decisions.

2. Unicorn Digital Marketing Assistant Course

Mentioning specific opportunities that students can benefit from in a testimonial is a great way to showcase the outcomes they have achieved.

Here’s an amazing example of a testimonial that talks about how the student has received 90% of their clients from the course, demonstrating the benefits and effectiveness of the course.

Talking about specific outcomes in testimonials, like having proposals and upcoming discovery calls, adds credibility and detail to the testimonial.

It shows prospective students that the course provides valuable skills and connects them with real-world job prospects.

Higher Education Testimonials Examples

1. Ulster University

Featuring video-based reviews from students across various fields of study and from different backgrounds on the Ulster student review page is a powerful strategy.

Videos allow prospective students to hear firsthand experiences and gather real-life perspectives, making the feedback more relatable.

Read more: How to use video marketing for education brands.

2. The University of UTAH

Student success stories are always motivational in boosting a prospective student’s morale.

The University of Utah has dedicated a landing page to its students' success stories.

They have talked about the resilience of individuals while also giving them a platform to promote talent. This shows that the University empowers students and supports their ideas from the start.

Where to Place and Present the Testimonials Collected?

Where and how you show testimonials can greatly impact how students and parents feel about your institution or course.

To attract the right prospects and make them sign up, you must:

• Show testimonials in places where people will see them
• Make sure the testimonials are clear and easy to read
• Show testimonials at the right time to get the best results

To make sure your testimonials and success stories are shown in the best way, follow these strategies.

1. Showcase an Inspiring Video Testimonial on Your Landing Page

Landing page testimonials produce great results as they increase conversion. Usually, you can check which testimonials work best for your course through A/B testing.

However, putting a face to your testimonial on a landing page can do wonders.

Prospective students and parents are likely to trust the testimonials you choose to post, so adding a video can add a layer of reliability.

Of course, this will require a bit more work, but it will be worth the effort.

For example, SPI, an online course platform, included a video testimonial on the landing page, making it instantly more vibrant and human.

The testimonials feel more honest and are likely to have a more meaningful impact.

Also, these don’t have to be simple talking-head videos. A higher education market agency can help you get creative and make interesting and authentic testimonials.

Also, check out our guide on landing page optimization for education brands.

Enhance Email Marketing Campaigns with Powerful Testimonial

When you send that first email, be sure to include a testimonial.

Because testimonials from satisfied students can help prospective students feel more confident regarding their decision.

Here are some tips for using testimonials in email marketing:

• Choose relevant testimonials that resonate with your target audience (email list)
• Testimonials must be concise and easy to read
• Highlight the most impactful parts of the testimonials to grab attention

Algonquin College's email provides a great example of how to use testimonials in an email header.

The image of the student grabs the reader's attention, captivates prospects with what they can expect at the college, and encourages them to learn more about the program.

Boost Conversions by Incorporating Testimonials in Paid Ad Campaigns

When you feature testimonials in your ad campaigns, you allow your existing students to speak directly to prospective students, creating a more personal and relatable message.

Take a look at this testimonial Facebook ad example from Biola University featuring a freshman nursing student in which she shares how the admission officer played a key role in helping her through the admission process.

The testimonial highlights the university's supportive admission process, instilling trust and confidence in potential applicants.

What to Include in Student Testimonials

As someone in the education industry, you’ve probably tried to write testimonials about successful students after taking your online course or graduating from the university.

To inspire people to sign up for your course, you must showcase testimonials that are easy for prospects to understand and relate to.

When you’re crafting testimonials about students, it’s important to:

• Be specific and avoid vague statements and information
• Talk about the learning problems and gaps they had before this program or course
• Show how your education business helped them solve those problems
• Explain how your school, college, or university is valuable for them
• Keep it concise, as well-chosen words can be more effective than a lengthy paragraph

Here are some techniques that you can follow when writing testimonials:

1. Share Academic Success

Identify students who have faced academic difficulties such as personal setbacks or financial constraints while studying at your institution. Ask open-ended questions and encourage them to share strategies they have used to overcome obstacles.

For example, in this testimonial below, the student discusses how the resources and supportive community at the academy enabled him to overcome challenges and help him achieve academic success.

2. Real-Life Achievements

Reach out to alumni who have achieved success, whether it provided significant milestones in their careers or personal lives.

Here’s an example of a graduate’s real-life achievement where education contributed to his success and enabled him to establish a successful business.

The testimonial includes direct quotes from the alumni, making the story more impactful for prospects.

Moreover, highlighting a graduate's success story and real-life achievements may demonstrate the impact of education on success. Still, it isn’t the only way to showcase your students' diverse experiences.

Here are some more diverse experiences you can share to attract more students:

• Stories of students who achieved significant career growth
• Stories of students who met their personal development goals
• Stories of professionals who advanced their careers with new skills
• Stories of students from various backgrounds and regions
• Stories of students who overcame financial challenges
• Stories of students who increased their earnings by applying what they learned

For example, Coursera has created a separate stories page that showcases diverse student stories and testimonials, with advanced filters to search for stories in different domains/courses.

Conclusion

The true power of testimonials lies in their authenticity—the more genuine the testimonial, the more impactful its influence on decision-making.

Therefore, testimonials should be shared across multiple platforms for a wider reach and increased brand awareness.

Make sure you are requesting students’ reviews at the appropriate time of their experience with your brand to get optimal response.

When gathered at the right time and used well, these real-life stories can build strong connections between current and future students.

And, like it or not, we’re all pretty easily influenced by others.

We highly suggest utilizing different forms of testimonials as there is plenty of opportunity in written and video form to represent your education brand in the best possible way.

There you have it—make the most of testimonials to enhance your education brand’s appeal and drive enrollment.