This article focuses on one of the marketing mix elements – promotion (Kotler, 2012), and more specifically – the promotion of an educational institution and its impact on the functioning of a university. It examines the importance of promotional activities in making decisions concerning the selection and evaluation of higher education institution. It happens that improper promotion (including advertising) generates problems with the functioning in the education market. This is particularly important in times of demographic decline and decreasing number of potential students and the fact that every year there are approx. 20 thousand less secondary schools’ graduates. Due to the above mentioned demographic decline, which has affected recruitment in these institutions for several years, advertising is an important support, regardless of the cost, as university authorities seem well aware of the simple relationship: fewer students – fewer universities (especially those non-public ones). There are used different forms of promotion, mainly: information note, press release, poster, flyer, advertising stands at the education fair, tuition discounts, scholarships, gadgets (pens, shirts, caps and pendants).