Content Matters: What Type of Social Media Content Attracts Students to Nursing Programs?

Abstract

The increasing reliance on digital platforms has transformed how higher education institutions (HEIs) promote academic programs, particularly in competitive fields such as nursing. This study examined the influence of social media content on students’ enrollment intentions in Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs, incorporating student engagement and perceived institutional image as mediating variables. Anchored on the Theory of Planned Behavior, a quantitative cross-sectional design was employed among 312 senior high school students in a semi-urban area in the Philippines. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire and analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to assess direct and indirect relationships among variables.
Findings revealed that career-oriented and testimonial content significantly influenced students’ enrollment intention, both directly and indirectly through engagement and institutional image. Informational content showed no significant direct effect, while interactive content demonstrated a modest influence primarily through engagement pathways. Among the mediators, perceived institutional image emerged as the strongest predictor of enrollment intention, highlighting the critical role of credibility and perceived quality in higher education decision-making. The proposed model explained a substantial proportion of variance in enrollment intention, indicating the robustness of the framework.
The study concludes that effective social media marketing in nursing education requires strategically designed content that is career-focused, authentic, and engaging. These findings provide evidence-based insights for HEIs seeking to enhance recruitment strategies and contribute to the growing body of literature on digital marketing in higher education.