From Clicks to Classrooms: The Role of Innovative Social Media Strategies in Shaping Higher Education Choices

In an era where students engage with universities through screens before ever visiting a campus, social media has become more than a marketing tool; it is a space where perceptions, trust, and decisions are formed. This study investigates how innovative social media strategies influence student engagement and the process of selecting higher education institutions. Using data collected from 164 students across diverse academic programs, Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) was employed to examine the effects of interactive content, immersive storytelling, and stakeholder feedback on cognitive engagement and knowledge-sharing behaviours. The results revealed a significant positive relationship, with interactive content emerging as the strongest predictor of engagement. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was further used to examine the mediating roles of trust, transparency, and content credibility in shaping institutional choice. The SEM model demonstrated a good fit (CFI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.058), confirming that these mediating factors significantly transform social media interactions into enrolment decisions. The findings highlight the importance of authentic communication, credible information, and meaningful student participation in strengthening institutional trust and influencing educational choices. The study contributes to the literature by integrating engagement theory with decision-making models and proposing a dual-pathway framework for understanding the role of social media in higher education selection.