Higher ed marketing: How to boss the five essential stages in your student recruitment strategy

Want to add some oomph to your student marketing campaigns and take your applicant recruitment numbers to the next level? While recruiting students for your university is not a linear process, these key ingredients are vital to your success – research, brand awareness, nurture/engagement, lead generation and applicant conversion.

While we know you’re already aware of these stages, we have some performance-boosting ideas for you. We’ll also show you how our new offering, UPP Unlimited, weaves seamlessly into your existing strategy, enhancing the impact of activities at every stage of the student journey.

What is happening in postgraduate recruitment?

Last year, we predicted that the pandemic would cause a spike in postgraduate numbers for the 2020/21 cycle, before returning to trend when the economic situation improves. Indeed, domestic postgraduate taught numbers increased by 16%, significantly above the usual growth trend. So will this continue?

This latest blog will look at the current landscape for postgraduate recruitment, covering global and domestic influences, when to promote postgraduate campaigns or events, why students are considering postgraduate study, key trends and why funding is still a key barrier for prospective students.

open days masks

Will applicants attend your university open days?

As the colder months draw in and seasonal bugs rear their ugly heads, we wondered – do students feel safe attending student recruitment events? Covid-19 levels across the country are high, prompting worries that those harmless coughs or sniffles could be something more sinister. So is this putting students off from attending open days?

We included additional questions in our October TSR Asks survey to get a snapshot of student sentiment and find out what universities can do to adapt open day events.

What teaching experience do university students want?

A new academic year has started, pandemic restrictions have lifted and university rankings have been released. After years of education disruption, 2022 applicants will be paying close attention to the experiences of the 2021 cohort and how well universities are adapting to student needs. So what should you be shouting about to stand out from your competitors?

In this blog, we share findings from our monthly student research survey (TSR Asks) and our online student polls to shed light on what 2022 applicants expect from their university teaching experience.