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. 

Key to a fulfilling student experience is the ability to strike a balance between study and life outside of university. Given the stereotype of students as social butterflies, the latter is rarely considered a roadblock but it should be considered by your institution to help nuture your student's wellbeing. 

Lead generation in higher education is the process of earning the interest of prospective students with measurable results. There are many tips, tricks, and best practices to improve the way your institution attracts and converts leads. However, a clever student recruitment strategy can support lead generation via various marketing channels, including events, social media promotion, website blogs, or paid advertising. 

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system for education can save you money by helping your institution do more with less.

A CRM is a powerful tool used to automate manual workflows to save on time and resources while delivering the essential insights you need. Cutting down administrative tasks provides not only savings in staffing costs, but the unified approach of a CRM system helps make the student recruitment process, as well as other areas of communications, more effective too.  

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. 

Email marketing can be used in many ways in higher education, whether engaging alumni, marketing to prospective students, or informing and engaging current students.  

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.