Aberystwyth University is the best university in Wales following the National Student Satisfaction Survey 2020, and of all the universities featured in The Times Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020, is one of the top 5 universities in the UK for overall student satisfaction.
Based on the west coast of Wales between Cardigan Bay and the Cambrian Mountains, the university offers a friendly, outward-looking community where the far horizon inspires ambition and aspiration. A place where students have been going since 1872, drawn by their reputation for teaching excellence and an exceptional student experience.
As part of Aberystwyth’s endeavour to provide the very best for their students, the university wanted to transform the experience for prospective students and applicants by offering one solution that manages initial enquiry through to enrolment and admissions. An in-house developed student record system (SRS) was being used for direct applications, admissions, and school’s liaison; a much wider range of tasks than it was originally intended.
The University’s strategy is to reduce the complexity of systems and to re-focus the SRS on student records while enhancing the experience to prospective students and applicants. In March 2020, the university implemented Tribal’s Student Marketing and Recruitment built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform. Tribal are delighted that the university are now moving into the second phase of the project which will focus on the move towards a single admissions system that can be used for all types of applicants. The university is set to become one of Tribal’s first UK customers to implement the new Tribal Admissions solution which is built on the Tribal Edge platform.
Tribal Admissions delivers staff and prospective students the solutions and tools they need to succeed in the ever-evolving world of education. Tribal Admissions is a fully integrated, standalone, and cloud-based SaaS solution for university admissions. The solution is powered by Tribal Edge, a platform that is not only superbly easy to use but is also designed from the ground up to power the future of education.
Looking to the future
The purpose of the new system is to allow greater efficiency, faster turnaround times for applications, and improved user experience. In addition, it would allow for more tailored and personalized communications to applicants to improve conversion.
The benefits of the new single system include:
- For direct applications, an improved customer experience through an easier to use system, reducing friction in both making and processing applications. This would take an applicant seamlessly from initial enquiry through to admissions. Typically, home undergraduate applicants will apply via UCAS.
- Easier to use system for staff as there is a single system for all types of applications that covers all parts of their journey from initial enquiry to accepting a place at Aberystwyth University.
- Ability to continue marketing and conversion activity to students throughout their application journey, including more personalized interactions.
- Single and comprehensive management overview of the entire student recruitment process from initial enquiry to an accepted application, providing greater insights on the student journey and reporting. It would enable more data-focused and evidence-based decision-making with the ability to see all enquirer, applicant and engagement data in one place.
- From a technical perspective, ease of support, maintenance and development.
Tim Davies, Director of Information Services, Aberystwyth University, on experience of working with Tribal so far and looking to the future said:
“In terms of our future direction, CRM is a central component of the University’s Digital Strategy, around improving the institution’s digital presence. Following the successful delivery of the first phase with Tribal, a second phase of the project has been approved that will further enhance our technology capabilities around student recruitment. We are very excited to be part of Tribal’s Early Adopter programme for Tribal Admissions built on the Edge platform and being one of the first UK Universities to use the product. These systems will improve the University’s ability to reach and recruit students to experience Aberystwyth’s sector leading teaching and research.”
Mark Wilson, Chief Operating Officer, Tribal concluded:
“We are immensely excited to continue working with Aberystwyth University and welcome them to Tribal’s Early Adopter programme for Edge Admissions. It is great that Aberystwyth University are implementing Tribal Admissions to create a fantastic student experience from initial enquiry right through to enrolment”.
TOPICS:
Student Marketing & Recruitment
