The Enrollment Index 2026, Meritto’s second edition, aggregates 4.3 crore anonymised student inquiries, nearly double the 2.3 crore used in the 2025 edition.
AI‑generated discovery platforms (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini) deliver a lead‑to‑enrollment conversion rate of 6.11 %, about six times higher than the digital average of 0.94 %.
Overall lead‑to‑enrollment conversion baseline in India is 1.06 %; Tier 3 states achieve 1.84 % (outperforming Tier 2 at 0.99 % and Tier 1 at 0.95 %). North and East regions each record 1.24 % conversion, while Central lags at 0.61 %.
Re‑engaged leads constitute 14 % of total lead volume but generate 40 % of enrollments, converting at 3.00 % versus 0.74 % for first‑time inquirers.
Same‑day response to inquiries doubles conversion rates compared with responses delayed a week.
Among paid channels, Google campaigns achieve 1.8 × the national conversion baseline.
Publisher and aggregator campaigns provide the largest share of lead volume but a disproportionately smaller share of enrollments.
Analysis of organic search traffic for leading public universities shows declines of over 37 % and up to 49 % for one institution after the rollout of Google AI Overviews, indicating a shift toward AI‑generated answers.
Meritto’s platform, part of NoPaperForms (backed by Info Edge), serves over 1,000 educational customers across India, the UAE, and Southeast Asia.
