AI‑driven search tools and changing applicant behavior are forcing admissions offices to rethink recruitment: EducationDynamics reports that 78% of education queries now return AI Overviews and nearly 10% of applications are ‘stealth’—submitted without prior contact. The report warns that institutions risk losing visibility in AI overviews and that enrollment timelines have compressed, with 55% of prospects moving from consideration to inquiry in under three weeks. Separately, business schools reported a sharp decline—20% to 30%—in MBA applications this cycle, with international applicants dropping most steeply. The admissions slump compounds AI‑driven visibility risks by reducing pipeline predictability and increasing the value of first‑mover admits. Enrollment and marketing teams must optimize content for AI sourcing, accelerate decision timelines and redesign communications to capture rapid decisions and stealth applicants. Admissions leaders should audit institutional content for AI density (how often content is cited as a factual source), streamline application processing to shorten offer windows and deploy analytics to detect stealth applicant behavior earlier in the funnel.