Time flies when it comes to AI. In just over two years since its public launch, ChatGPT has exploded in popularity, now boasting over 300 million weekly active users—67 million of those from the U.S.
Chances are, you’ve used it yourself for problem-solving, content creation, or just offloading grunt work to free yourself up to do more things you love. Fast forward to 2025, and ChatGPT has officially launched its own search platform, with other major players following suit. Google’s Gemini is integrating AI-generated answers into Google’s traditional search results, Perplexity is quickly rising in the AI-search ranks, and X’s Grok isn’t far behind.
With more users relying on AI-powered search, now is the perfect time to examine how these AI platforms display student housing-related search results.
For this experiment, I ran two prompts across the two most popular AI search platforms at the moment: ChatGPT and Google Gemini. I grabbed screenshots and sources from each to compare what they’re pulling in and how they’re structuring responses.
Let’s dive in!
"I’m going to be a student at LSU next year. What are the best off-campus apartments in Baton Rouge?"
For the first prompt, I kept it simple—no fancy filters, no price ranges, no location specifics. Just a plain, straightforward question about off-campus housing options.
ChatGPT kicked things off with a friendly “Congrats on becoming an LSU student!” and then provided a list of five properties it categorized as “popular among students.” Wildwood Baton Rouge (GRO client) popped up first. Some properties had photos, others just logos, and the only extra details provided were office hours. At the end, ChatGPT tossed in a few things to consider when choosing a student apartment and stressed the importance of checking them out in person before signing a lease.
Gemini also started its response with a congrats message but then went in a different direction. Instead of a straightforward list, it displayed properties based on two categories: luxury living and student-focused communities.
Luxury living highlighted communities with rooftop pools, yoga studios, and premium finishes.
Student-focused communities showcased apartments with fast maintenance, friendly staff, and study lounges.
Both categories mentioned proximity to campus or Tiger Stadium.
The response felt more conversational and engaging than ChatGPT’s.
Unlike ChatGPT, Gemini didn’t provide direct source links or individual websites. Instead, it vaguely mentioned:
To dive deeper, I submitted a follow-up prompt with more detailed questions:
"Which one is cheapest? Which one has the best amenities? Which one is closest to class?"
ChatGPT leveled up its response by displaying an impressive table breaking everything down by:
Apartment Name
Starting Monthly Rent
Notable Amenities
Distance to LSU
The table was followed up by fantastic insight on affordability, best amenities and proximity close to campus…just as I requested. The info was solid—not overwhelming, just enough to compare options quickly. The only downside? Distance to LSU was a little vague. A quick follow-up asking for specifics would’ve provided more clarity.
Gemini wasn’t as helpful this time. The response started with another friendly intro, then got way too vague in its answers. The only specific piece of info was a “10-minute walk” reference in the closest-to-campus section.
That said, Gemini did provide helpful context, mentioning:
Nice touch, but overall, Gemini fell short compared to ChatGPT’s structured table.
Again, Gemini provided the same vague sources as prompt #1—just general source categories, no specifics. I pressed Gemini to provide sources. Its response was more detailed and mentioned possible sources, but it didn’t provide the actual sources.
Alright, so now that we’ve seen the lay of the land on ChatGPT and Gemini when it comes to student housing searches, what do we make of all of this?
AI search is rewriting the rules of discovery, and student housing operators need to adapt—fast. It’s no longer just about Google rankings and website optimization—it’s about how AI platforms are gathering and structuring their answers. If you want your property to win in AI search, you need to show up in the right places with the right data, but also create raving fans by providing a top-notch living experience.
So—is your property AI-search-ready? If not, the time to start is NOW.
