Not Just Bums on Seats

Michelle YoungerLizz Patrick

Martin ThomasMiriam Clift

Marketing and Recruitment

• Introductions

• Research

• Student Recruitment

• Marketing and Communications

• Admissions

• Question and Answer Session

Market Research

Are we offering the right seats to the right bums?

Michelle Younger

• Application and enrolment trends analysis – JACS code level (growing/declining?)

• Competitor analysis – who are our competitors? What do they offer?

• New course development

• Entry requirements – thorough analysis of how we sit in relation to our competitors (University and School level)

Demographic and Mapping Analysis

NE Mosaic Profile D -Ties of Community

MOSAIC GROUP % of NE households

A - Symbols of Success 5%

B – Happy Families 6%

C – Suburban Comfort 11%

D – Ties of Community 16%

E – Urban Intelligence 2%

F – Welfare Borderline 5%

G – Municipal Dependency 16%

H – Blue Collar Enterprise 11%

I - Twilight Subsistence 4%

J – Grey Perspectives 6%

K – Rural Isolation 6%

Z – Unclassified 12%

• Enquire/Apply/Accept/Decline – what do these groups look like? How do they differ?

• Surveys – ISB / SB, NSS, SSS, Website, Open Days, focus groups, other syndicated research with potential students

• New surveys – Acceptance? Interviewed? Entry profile

• Would/will they recommend us?

Are our students (customers) sitting comfortably in our seats?

Student Recruitment

Informed Choices or…

Choose the Best Seat for You

Lizz Patrick

Year 13*

Year 12*

Year 11

Year 10

Year 9

Year 8

Year 6STEM

ASC

Star Student

West Side Story Project

Tea-time Lectures

School Conventions

HE Journey

School Conventions

ACE Days

Talks in Schools Masterclasses

Presentations in Schools

Campus Tours Open Day HE Conventions Out of Region Activity

Evolve@Northumbria Student Shadowing Summer School

Presentations in Schools & Colleges Northern Ireland Tour

Open Day Presentations in Schools & Colleges

Campus Tours Post Application Open Days

Student Recruitment

What do we do?C

hoic

es T

oget

her (

Year

s 9

-11)

Scho

ol a

nd C

olle

ge V

isits

-in (Y

ears

9-1

3)

Pare

nts

Act

iviti

es (A

ll ye

ars)

Stud

ents

into

Sch

ools

Act

iviti

es (A

ll Ye

ars)

Pass

port

(Yea

r 12

and

13)

Aim

high

er A

ssoc

iate

s (Y

ear 1

0 an

d Ye

ar 1

2)

Stud

ent A

ssoc

iate

s (A

ll ye

ars)

DIS

cove

r Con

fere

nce

(All

year

s)

360°

Cam

pus

Pano

ram

as

Student Shadowing Taster Courses Advice and Guidance

Mature Students Induction Mature Students Study Skills Adult Learners Week

* Year 12 and 13 activities are also available to 1st and 2nd

year college students respectively

Adult (19+)

Marketing and Communications

Getting the Message out – an Excellent Seat of Learning

Martin Thomas

Today’s 17 year olds – born in 1991

In-school posters Direct Mailers

Recruitment Fairs

Website

Web Advertising

Search Engine Market

Interactive info on Friends

Photoshoot Video

VIP Pages and Social Networking

Facebook

Bebo

MySpace

General email comms

Subject

email comms

SMS and email prompts

Subject specific Telecentre Campaigns

Admissions

Application to Enrolment

The Role of Admissions in Student Recruitment

Miriam Clift

The Final Stage…

• Continue building the relationship• Speed and quality of response• Clear and concise decision making

• Impartial and accurate information and advice

• Fairness and Transparency

Who do we select and why?

• Decision Making – applying the Entry Requirements decided 18 months earlier

• Interviews – not only to select the right candidates but for them to select us

• Post offer information giving – a co-ordinated and coherent message. Post Application Open Days, Accommodation, Fees and Scholarships, Health Questionnaires, Placement Handbooks…the list is endless!

• Conversion work – email messages, birthday messages, good luck cards, telecentre campaigns

• Monitoring of acceptances against targets

Who do we select and why?

• Receipt of results – approx 600,000 in August!

• Matching results to conditional offers. Who gets in? Who doesn’t? Why?

• Clearing – are we in or are we out? What should our entry requirements be?

• Freshers’ Packs – those we accept need to know how to enrol and where to be on their first day!

• Enrolment – Job Done!

The Applicant Experience…

“Oxford Brookes … gave me an interview, which I was amazed at, because my grades (BCC) aren't high enough for there (BBC), so my personal statement must have been good. However, I didn't go to the interview because about 2 weeks before my interview, I found out...Northumbria (in Newcastle) - offered me a place 1 week after my interview! This means I must have gotten full marks in my interview, or I wouldn't have found out ‘til mid March!

So, I am a litttttttle bit stressed waiting for results from Swansea and Plymouth (esp Plymouth) but not as stressed as I would be if I hadn’t heard from Northumbria. At least I know I'm definitely going to uni now!”

The Power of the Internet…

“There I was in Costa Coffee in London (on my trip away for our 5th wedding anniversary)... I was on Facebook on my mobile and decided to check my emails - OMG have an email from UCAS saying my status has been updated…”

Some Facts and Figures…

UG Applications 2002 – 2008

UG Applications 2009

Competitor UG Applications 2009

Northumbria UG Applicants

Sector UG Applicants

Northumbria UG Conversion 2008

Sector UG Conversion 2008

+39%

+12.95%

+10.78%

+13.26%

+8.80%

36%

30%

Any Questions?