Brandwave

How popular isUCOL?

In September 2026, people searched for UCOL by name about 3,860 times in New Zealand, a 17.2% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 3% of all New Zealand polytechnic searches, placing UCOL tenth out of 14 polytechnics. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about polytechnics, UCOL appeared in one of the five answers and was the 14th most recommended of the 14.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

UCOL is the tenth most searched of 14 competitors and the 14th most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Open PolytechnicShare of searches 33.1%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  2. Otago PolytechnicShare of searches 9.7%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  3. UnitecShare of searches 9.6%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  4. Toi OhomaiShare of searches 8.8%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 13th
  5. UCOLShare of searches 3%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 14th

+9 more

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Top polytechnics in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, UCOL was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. UCOL is the 14th most recommended of the 14.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Unitec1st
  2. Ara Institute of Canterbury2nd
  3. Otago Polytechnic3rd
  4. Manukau Institute of Technology4th
  5. Open Polytechnic5th
  6. Whitireia6th
  7. WelTec7th
  8. +4 more
  9. NorthTec12th
  10. Toi Ohomai13th
  11. UCOL14th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Unitec5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Otago Polytechnic4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Ara Institute of Canterbury4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Open Polytechnic3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Wintec3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • SIT3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Manukau Institute of Technology3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Whitireia2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • WelTec2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • UCOL1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

+4 more

See every answer about polytechnics

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Which polytechnics compete with UCOL?

UCOL against polytechnics in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Open Polytechnic, Otago Polytechnic, Unitec, Toi Ohomai, Ara Institute of Canterbury, Wintec, SIT, Whitireia, Manukau Institute of Technology, UCOL, NMIT, WelTec. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthOpen PolytechnicOtago PolytechnicUnitecToi OhomaiAra Institute of CanterburyWintecSITWhitireiaManukau Institute of TechnologyUCOLNMITWelTecNorthTecEIT
Oct 202530.6%10.7%8.8%6.6%7.4%7.2%6.7%6.6%4.7%3.3%2.6%2.6%1.8%0.26%
Nov 202533.1%9.5%9.6%6.8%7.2%7.8%7.2%5.3%4.2%3%2.3%2.1%1.6%0.22%
Dec 202538.5%9.1%9.2%6.6%6.1%6.2%8.5%2.7%4.1%3.4%2.2%2%1.3%0.26%
Jan 202634.5%10%8.2%7.1%6.7%6.8%9.2%2.6%4.4%3.8%2.5%2.3%1.5%0.34%
Feb 202628.3%9.9%10%8.4%8.4%8.2%6.1%5.1%4.4%3.8%3%2.5%1.7%0.24%
Mar 202627.9%12%9.8%8.6%8.9%6.6%6%6.1%4.3%3%2.4%2.4%1.7%0.2%
Apr 202635.7%10.3%8.5%6.3%8.1%7%6.4%5.2%3.8%2.6%2.1%2.1%1.7%0.21%
May 202630.6%10.9%8.9%7.8%8.1%8.9%6.8%5.5%3.9%2.7%2.2%2%1.5%0.26%
Jun 202630.9%10.9%9%7.9%7.8%7.4%8.3%4.8%4%2.8%2.2%2.3%1.6%0.27%
Jul 202630.3%10.7%10.8%6.7%8.6%7.2%6.6%4.8%4.7%3.3%2.2%2.3%1.5%0.24%
Aug 202630.3%10.8%8.8%8%8.6%7.2%6.6%5.1%3.9%3.4%2.6%2.5%1.8%0.23%
Sep 202633.1%9.7%9.6%8.8%8.4%6.5%5.9%5.1%3.5%3%2.3%2.3%1.6%0.24%

  1. 1.Open Polytechnic

    33.1%

    Held 1st. 43K estimated branded searches, +0.33% vs prior month. Share +2.8 points.

  2. 2.Otago Polytechnic

    9.7%

    Held 2nd. 12.5K estimated branded searches, -18% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.

  3. 3.Unitec

    9.6%

    Held 3rd. 12.5K estimated branded searches, -0.24% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.

  4. 4.Toi Ohomai

    8.8%

    Moved from 5th to 4th. 11.4K estimated branded searches, +0.09% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.

  5. 5.Ara Institute of Canterbury

    8.4%

    Moved from 4th to 5th. 10.9K estimated branded searches, -10.6% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  6. 6.Wintec

    6.5%

    Held 6th. 8.4K estimated branded searches, -17.5% vs prior month. Share -0.7 points.

  7. 7.SIT

    5.9%

    Held 7th. 7.7K estimated branded searches, -17.9% vs prior month. Share -0.7 points.

  8. 8.Whitireia

    5.1%

    Held 8th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, -8.8% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  9. 9.Manukau Institute of Technology

    3.5%

    Held 9th. 4.5K estimated branded searches, -17.9% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  10. 10.UCOL

    3%

    Held 10th. 3.9K estimated branded searches, -19.4% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  11. 11.NMIT

    2.3%

    Held 11th. 3K estimated branded searches, -18.7% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  12. 12.WelTec

    2.3%

    Held 12th. 3K estimated branded searches, -15% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  13. 13.NorthTec

    1.6%

    Held 13th. 2.1K estimated branded searches, -20.7% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  14. 14.EIT

    0.24%

    Held 14th. 310 estimated branded searches, -3.1% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between UCOL and its closest rivals

Every comparison with UCOL

13 comparisons

How has branded search demand for UCOL changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for UCOL in New Zealand fell from 4.7K to 3.9K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, UCOL’s share of searches among polytechnics in New Zealand peaked at 3.8% in February 2026 and was lowest at 2.6% in April 2026.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand polytechnics in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Toi Ohomai overtook Ara Institute of Canterbury to rank 4th among polytechnics in New Zealand, with 8.8% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Open Polytechnic gained share of searches among polytechnics in New Zealand, from 30.3% to 33.1%.

  3. In September 2026, Unitec gained share of searches among polytechnics in New Zealand, from 8.8% to 9.6%.

  4. In September 2026, Otago Polytechnic lost share of searches among polytechnics in New Zealand, from 10.8% to 9.7%.

  5. In September 2026, Wintec lost share of searches among polytechnics in New Zealand, from 7.2% to 6.5%.

  6. In September 2026, SIT lost share of searches among polytechnics in New Zealand, from 6.6% to 5.9%.

How are UCOL’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using UCOL’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • ucol
  • ucol courses

Do you work for UCOL? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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