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UAL

Maximising applicant conversion

The findings also highlighted students’ concerns about London living costs, which UAL then used to communicate the support it offers students to assist with these issues.

Background

University of the Arts London (UAL) is a collegiate university in London, specialising in art, design, fashion, and the performing arts.

According to QS World University Rankings 2022, UAL is a top-2 university for art and design.

This research was originally conducted by YouthSight, now part of Savanta.

The Challenge

Maximising applicant conversion is a high-priority task. As with all universities, every year many applicants either withdraw before being offered a place, or are offered a place, but decline it.

In most cases, the university will never hear from these applicants again, but UAL wanted to uncover what makes students pull out, and understand how the picture differed between the University’s six colleges.

They also wanted to explore the impact of other factors such as study level and demographics.

Our approach

Using UAL’s database, we conducted a quantitative study of people who had withdrawn or declined offers, where we asked about the application process, including reasons for applying, barriers to enrolling, and thoughts on the application experience.

We also conducted a “deep dive” into issues such as the interview process.

After running the research successfully in 2016, we were invited to repeat it the following year, this time incorporating our SnapMe video research approach, with respondents filming their answers to important questions.

The outcome

The research revealed how seemingly trivial matters could have a decisive impact on an applicant’s view of the institution. These insights have helped each of UAL’s colleges improve the experience for applicants at open days and interviews.

As well as informing UAL’s recruitment strategy, the findings highlighted students’ concerns about London living costs, which UAL could then use to communicate the support it offers students struggling with these issues.

Overall, the news was very good, including a 10% increase in the number of applicants saying they had a positive experience with UAL.

This research was originally conducted by YouthSight, now part of Savanta.

We have a really nice, collaborative relationship with YouthSight. We’ve been impressed with how professional they are, but at the same time, they’re very friendly and approachable

University of the Arts London

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