Student Recruitment Policies in Higher Education: A Comprehensive Perspective

1. CRM in HE 2019 CRM and Student Recruitment

2. The Policy Context:

3. Policy Perspective: How we got here • Shared national policy goals: • Quality Education • Skills • Social Mobility • Competition and Choice (2010)

4. Policy Perspective: How we got here “our proposals put students at the heart of the system. Popular HEIs will be able to expand to meet student demand. Students will be better informed about the range of options available to them. Their choices will shape the landscape of higher education.” The Browne Review 2010

5. Policy Perspective: How we got here • Policy Instruments to drive competition: • Freedom of entry and exit for providers • Comparable information to inform consumer choice – KIS/Unistats and CMA guidance; TEF Ratings • Ability to charge increased fees (2012) • Gradual liberalisation of student number controls.

6. Policy Perspective: How we got here • Sector responses to competitive pressures: • Marketing • Offer-making strategies • Confirmation and clearing strategies • Incentives • Access to accommodation • Discounts and waivers • Preferential offers • Giveaways • Bursaries/Scholarships

7. Policy Perspective: How we got here • Higher Education and Research Act (HERA): new policy instruments to drive competition

8. OfS Regulatory Framework objectives All students, from all backgrounds, and with the ability and desire to undertake higher education: • are supported to access, succeed in, and progress from, higher education; • receive a high quality academic experience, and their interests are protected while they study or in the event of provider, campus or course closure; • are able to progress into employment or further study, and their qualifications hold their value over time; • receive value for money

9. OfS Conditions of Registration A: Access and Participation Plan B: Quality, Reliable Standards and Positive Outcomes for Students C: Protecting the Interests of all Students D: Financial Sustainability E: Good Governance

10. Policy Perspective: How we got here

11. Augar Review • Strengthening Technical Education • Increasing Opportunities for Everyone • Reforming and Re-Funding the FE College Network • Bearing Down on Low-Value HE • Addressing HE Funding • Increasing Flexibility and Lifetime Learning • Supporting Disadvantaged Students • Ensuring Those Who Benefit from HE Contribute Fairly • Improving the Apprenticeship Offer

12. Key Recommendations (I) • A Single Lifelong Learning Loan (2.1), which could be fragmented to Module Level (2.2), with one or more Intermediate Qualifications for all (2.3) • Resource per FTE for HE Students should be frozen for a further three years, until 2023/4 (3.1), and Reduced to £7,500 wef 2021/22 (3.2) • The T Grant should be increased to Sustain Sector Funding at the Current Unit of Resource (3.3) and Re-Distributed to Reflect Subject Costs (3.5) • Revise the Student Premium Grant to capture Individual level socio-economic disadvantage (3.6)

13. Key Recommendations (II) • Unless addressed by 2022/23, a Minimum Entry Threshold, Number Cap or both should be applied to courses which have poor retention/graduate employability/long-term earnings benefit (3.7) • Support for Foundation Years should be withdrawn, with a possible exemption for Medicine (3.8) • Funding for L6 and above Apprenticeships should only be available for those who have not previously undertaken a degree (5.3) • Ofsted should be the Lead Responsible Body for all inspection of Apprenticeships and at all Levels (5.4).  No independent delivery should be permitted pre-inspection (5.5)

14. Key Recommendations (III) • From 2021/22, students entering HE should commence repayments on reaching the median non-graduate earnings level - c£23,000 (6.2) – with the Repayment Period extended to 40 years (6.3) • Remove ‘Real Interest’ during the period of study (6.4) but sustain the RPI +3% measure thereafter (6.5) with a ‘real-terms’ repayment cap at 120% of the sum loaned plus interest (6.6) • Restore Maintenance Grants to £3000+  for Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Students (7.1); make parental contribution ‘requirements’ explicit (7.2), and total loan should equal the National Minimum Wage at 21 multiplied by 37.5 hours per week and 30 week pa (£7.70 x 37.5 x 30 = £8662 (actually below the current maximum loan…)) (7.3), index linked (7.4) • HMG should take steps to ensure that all qualifications supported through the maintenance package are high quality and deliver returns for the individual, society, economy and taxpayer (7.5) • Student accommodation costs should be examined (7.6)  

15. Student Repayments • Current system   (9% above £25,725 x 30 years) – based on an index-linked graduate salary of £30,000 pa =  £4,275 x 0.09 x 30 = £11,543 repaid • Proposed New System  (9% above £23,000 x 40 years) – based on the same salary =   £7,000 x 0.09 x 40 = £25,200 repaid • i.e. the proposed new system is more than 2x more expensive for a graduate with moderate earnings.  It particularly discriminates against a typical female graduate.  

16. Demographics and Applications:

17. Declining 18 Yr Old Population

19. Declining UCAS Applications

21. Offers and Acceptances:

22. Offer rates: 2008 - 2018 Proportion of applicants by number of offers received Offer rate for main scheme applications by age group

23. Offer rates: 2008 - 2018 Offer rate for main scheme applications by predicted A-level grades for English 18-year-old applicants predicted exactly three A-levels

24. Offer rates by provider, 2008 - 2018 Offer rate for main scheme applications by provider tariff band for 18-year-old UK applicants

25. Unconditional offers, 2013 - 2018 Number and proportion of offers to 18 year old applicants from England, Northern Ireland, and Wales that were unconditional, by year

26. Unconditional offers, 2013 - 2018 Percentage of 18 year olds from England, Northern Ireland, and Wales with an unconditional offer, by predicted A level points and year

27. Unconditional offers, 2013 - 2018 Number of providers by the proportion of offers to 18 year olds from England, Northern Ireland, and Wales that were unconditional by year

28. Unconditional offers, 2013 - 2018 Percentage offers 18 year olds from England, Northern Ireland, and Wales that were unconditional, by JACS subject group and year

29. The role of CRM in Recruitment:

30. 1. Evidence informed: • Knowing yourselves: • Ambitions • Opportunities • Competition…. • Knowing your likely applicants (and feeders): • Profile • Trends • What they’re looking for

31. 2. Delivering sector-leading experiences • In person… • Onsite/offsite… • Online… • Adding value… • Giving your brand narrative…

32. 3. Having an established customer journey • Recognising whose journey it is • Identifying the critical interactions and stage-managing those experiences • Processes which facilitate better decision-making

33. 4. Creating moments that matter • Moments of truth • Emotional connections • Thinking beyond the transactional and telling our story

34. 5. Communicating their way • Student voice, front and centre • Channels/style/content preferences • Real-time and meaningful • And personal…

36. 6. Being easy to do business with • Easy processes • Flair and personality (being distinctive and memorable) • Doing more (and adding value)

38. 7. Organising for success • Organised to deliver the end-to-end experience • Developing skills, architecture, digital connection and sponsorship to deliver excellence (every time)

39. Thanks for listening