As businesses evolve in the digital ecosystem, the cloud becomes a cornerstone for efficient operations, scalability, and innovation. However, making the leap brings challenges and objections, especially when considering moving the biggest and, arguably, hardest of them all - your Student Information System.

In an era where technology underpins almost every facet of the educational landscape, the spectre of cyber threats looms large over institutions of higher learning. From social engineering attacks to sophisticated ransomware, educational institutions are increasingly finding themselves in cybercriminals' crosshairs. 

In the age of digital transformation, educational institutions are facing an imperative question: how much are they really spending on their on-premise Student Information Systems (SIS)? For many Senior IT leaders, understanding the annual costs of running such systems is critical for strategic planning, especially when considering the pivot to cloud-based solutions. 

Research from UNIQUEST has revealed the volume of student enquiries to UK universities that go unanswered, and the manner in which others are followed up. It’s perhaps unsurprising when we consider that in 2015, just 3% of institutions utilised a CRM to support the full student lifecycle from initial enquiry, and many universities are yet to make the most of their solutions. The key findings that Uniquest uncovered demonstrate the gaps in student expectation versus experience and shows that international students are typically enjoying a better experience than domestic students.

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is software used to manage and automate marketing campaigns utilising customer data, engagement, and insights.

When adapted for Higher Education, CRM systems can be used to supercharge student recruitment as it provides a platform for the entire campaign, including data collection, communication, and reporting. A CRM system’s strength lies in the automation of workflows, freeing up internal resources to focus on other elements of student recruitment. 

In a post-pandemic world, student expectations for the higher education experience have evolved. Institutions now recognise that student recruitment strategies require fine-tuning and realignment to stay relevant and effective, particularly as their provisions have also transformed.

In this two-part blog series, we look at what it takes to attract university students to your institution. Here, we explore five ways in which to optimise your student recruitment to attract domestic students. If you want to explore five ways to attract international students, check out our next blog here.

The most impactful international student recruitment strategies will ensure your institution engages prospective students with the right message at the right time. Good student recruitment strategies identify and react to changing trends, but they also naturally rely on strong foundations such as internal processes and administrative systems. Inefficient processes often lead to inefficient campaigns, so the challenge lies in both refining background processes before turning your attention to relevant campaigns and impactful messages.

In this two-part blog series, we look at what it takes to attract university students to your institution. Here we explore five ways in which to optimise your student recruitment to attract international students. If you want to explore five ways to attract domestic students, check out our next blog here.

Key ways to differentiate your student recruitment and marketing campaigns to attract international students to the Asia Pacific region.

Recruiting international students was challenging prior to the global pandemic, but since the outbreak of Covid-19, marketing teams in APAC’s higher education institutions must be even smarter in the way they develop campaigns for prospective students. With a global focus on attracting international students, listening to the student voice, and reflecting it in finely tuned, hyper-relevant marketing and recruitment programs, has never been more important.

In this blog, we summarise the key takeaways from the recently published, must-read International Student Barometer whitepaper for marketing and recruitment departments targeting international students. This blog takes a deep dive into international student groups and what elements they care about most.