University of Bristol

Our research proved instrumental in providing robust and evidence-based insights to enable the University to make their final decision on possible recruitment tactics.

Background

The University of Bristol is a prestigious Russell Group University in the West of England.

The University needed research to provide evidence for an important internal discussion about the University’s offer strategy.

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

The Challenge

Institutions need to balance their growth (more accepted applicants) with maintaining the highest academic standards, but getting this balance right can be challenging.

When Bristol decided to review its offers process, the recruitment team needed to understand how the volume of offers influenced perceptions of the University for applicants.

Our approach

We ran an online community with 16 applicants who matched very specific profiles, as specified by the University.

Participants were given a variety of tasks to conduct over the course of three days. They interacted amongst each other, as well as with our moderators, sharing personal stories and opinions regarding university applications.

We explored how participants felt about the offers they received from different universities, perceptions around competitors, and attitudes towards communications sent by the universities.

The outcome

The findings were disseminated throughout the University via a project debrief presentation. It was led by our senior researchers, and featured a diverse group of around thirty stakeholders from various departments.

Our research provided robust, evidence-based insights, which were instrumental in making their final decision on possible recruitment tactics.

The decision taken after our presentation has now been fully implemented and embedded in the University’s offer strategy.

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

We need high quality research, presented in a clear and concise way. That’s what YouthSight gave us. We’re now looking at working with them again, and would recommend them with no hesitation

University of Bristol