214+ admission enquiries in a tight intake window, from ₹31,740 of Meta ads

An engineering and nursing college in Thiruvananthapuram had a short intake window and several competitive programmes to fill: BSc, GNM and Engineering. We split an audience of students and parents into 13 segmented Meta ad sets, gave each programme its own instant form, and opened a WhatsApp route for families who wanted to ask a question before sharing their details.

Inside the window, the college received 214+ admission enquiries across forms and messages, on a total ad spend of ₹31,740.34. The strongest campaign on its own brought in 124 leads at ₹92.73 each.

At a glance

The client

Our client is a college in Thiruvananthapuram that teaches technical, nursing and allied health programmes, including BSc, GNM and Engineering. These courses could hardly be more different. A student who wants to become a nurse and a student who wants to become an engineer want quite different things from their college, so an advert aimed at one barely speaks to the other.

Its places, as at most colleges, are filled in one season. Admissions open, families weigh up their options, and within weeks most of the decisions have been made. After that, the chance to win a student for this year has largely gone.

The buying journey in this niche usually involves more than one person. The student tends to pick the course. Parents frequently think about fees, how far away the college is and what work the course should lead to. Both have questions, and they do not always ask them in the same way.

The challenge

The college wanted admission enquiries for a number of competitive programmes, and they had to arrive within a short seasonal intake window. Timing is everything here. If a family has already settled on another college, their enquiry comes too late to count.

Two things made the job harder.

• Two decision makers. The campaign had to reach students and parents, who care about different things.
• Two ways of asking. Some people happily fill in a form in seconds. Others prefer to ask someone a question before giving out their name and number.

The common approach for colleges is one broad audience, one general advert for "admissions", and one way to respond, usually a form on a website. That approach blurs the programmes together, gives no clear view of which groups are interested, and loses the families who would rather talk first.

What we did

Thirteen segmented ad sets, not one broad audience

We created 13 segmented Meta ad sets, reaching both prospective students and parents. Dividing the audience into so many parts served two purposes. Each group could be shown the programme that suited it, and the college could see how each group was responding before the intake window closed, rather than afterwards.

In a short season, that second point matters a great deal. There is no time to wait for an end-of-season report to find out what worked.

An instant form for every programme

Every programme was given a separate instant form. With one form per course, each enquiry came in already tagged with the course it was about. Nobody at the college had to call back and ask, "which course were you interested in?" before the real conversation could start.

Instant forms also open inside the Meta app the person is already using, so a student can enquire in a few taps without being sent to a website.

WhatsApp and messaging for families who would rather ask

Next to the forms, we offered direct WhatsApp and messaging enquiry funnels. With a message, a parent or student can open with whatever they want to ask, in their own words, on an app they check many times a day. It still counts as an admission enquiry, and for many families it feels far less formal than a form.

We have seen messaging work for a very different audience too: a startup raising angel funding used private messages to start conversations with investors.

The results

Spending ₹31,740 on adverts produced more than 214 enquiries about places from students and parents, all inside the intake window. Forms brought in some and messages brought in others, and every one of them counted towards the same total.

The best campaign stands out: 124 leads at ₹92.73 each. Because the account was split into 13 ad sets, that strong performer was easy to spot rather than hidden inside one combined average.

Why it worked

Two ways in, one target. A student who has already chosen a course is happy with a form. A parent with a question is happier sending a message. Because both options were there, everyone could get in touch in the way they liked.

Programme forms suit a short window. Every form enquiry named its course from the start. In a season measured in weeks, removing that extra step means the college can get straight to the useful conversation.

Splitting the audience revealed demand. With 13 ad sets, it was easy to see which groups were responding. One campaign delivered 124 leads at ₹92.73, and that kind of signal only shows up when the audience is split.

A form for the student, a message for the parent: each one is an enquiry.

How to apply this to your business

• Give each programme its own form, so every enquiry tells you which course it is about.
• Add a messaging route, such as WhatsApp, for people who want to ask a question before they commit.
• Plan your adverts for two readers: the student who chooses the course and the parent who helps decide.
• Split your audience into clear segments, so you can see which groups are responding while the season is still open.
• Count enquiries from forms and messages together, and make sure someone answers messages quickly.

Questions business owners ask

Should colleges use WhatsApp for admission enquiries?

It is worth offering. Many parents and students would rather ask a question in a chat than fill in a form. In this case WhatsApp and messaging ran alongside instant forms, and both counted towards the 214+ admission enquiries.

How many ad sets does a college campaign need?

There is no fixed number. It depends on how many programmes and audiences you have. This college used 13 segmented ad sets across its student and parent audiences, which made it easy to see which groups were answering.

What does a college admission lead cost on Meta?

It varies with the course, the place and the season. Here the best campaign produced 124 leads at ₹92.73 each, from a total spend of ₹31,740.34.

Is it worth splitting ads by course?

Usually, yes. A nursing student and an engineering student want different things. A specialised college in South India also ran a separate funnel for each programme.

Is your admission season coming up? Book a 20-minute call.