How can international schools attract NRI and expat parents?
Expat and returning NRI parents research schools online before they move, often from abroad. Rank for curriculum and city searches such as IB or IGCSE schools in your city…
When should a school start its admissions marketing campaign?
Quick answer
Most Indian schools should start admissions marketing four to six months before applications open, which usually means August to October for the following academic year. Begin with awareness and parent content, run open-house and campus-visit campaigns in the peak months, and keep a smaller campaign running for late admissions.
How parents plan school admissions
Parents start researching schools long before forms open. For nursery and kindergarten, many families shortlist schools a year in advance. For higher classes, transfers and relocations create a second wave of demand closer to the academic year. Starting early means you are on the shortlist before decisions are made.
A typical admissions calendar
- August–October: awareness. Share campus life, teaching approach, results and parent testimonials. Build your enquiry list.
- October–January: peak. Promote open houses, campus tours and application deadlines. Increase ad spend and follow-up capacity.
- February–April: conversion. Remind families who visited, handle fee questions, and push final seats.
- May–July: late admissions and relocations, especially in cities with high job movement like Bengaluru and Chennai.
What to run in each phase
- Early: Instagram and YouTube content showing classrooms, activities and teachers.
- Peak: Google Search for “best CBSE schools in [area]” and Meta lead campaigns for open-house registrations.
- Conversion: WhatsApp reminders, retargeting and personal calls from the admissions team.
Prepare before you launch
- An admissions landing page with fees, process, deadlines and a short form.
- A trained admissions team that can respond the same day.
- A CRM or sheet that tracks every enquiry to visit and admission.
Do not stop after peak season
Keep a small always-on campaign and keep posting campus content. Families relocating mid-year and parents researching for the next cycle will find you when your competitors have gone quiet.
Plan follow-up capacity early
Decide before the season who will call every enquiry and how quickly. A campaign that generates hundreds of enquiries is wasted if the admissions office can only respond to a few each day.
| Months | Phase | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Aug–Oct | Awareness | Campus content, enquiry list |
| Oct–Jan | Peak | Open houses, search ads, lead forms |
| Feb–Apr | Conversion | Visits, reminders, fee questions |
| May–Jul | Late admissions | Relocations, always-on ads |
Key takeaways
- Start four to six months before forms open.
- Promote open houses and campus visits at the peak.
- Keep a small always-on campaign for relocations.
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