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The only way to find out why students did (or didn’t) choose you.

Build a perfect picture of your strengths and weaknesses

  • Would you like to know what made you a student’s firm choice, second choice, or last choice?
  • Are there misconceptions about your campus or courses that need to be rectified?
  • What are your competitors doing that’s helping them attract more learners?

Every year – just after they accept or reject their main choices – more than 100,000 applicants answer these questions and more.

In 2024, we received around 116,500 responses to our survey

Gain insight to help you focus recruitment resource

The Student Decision Report – packed with qualitative and quantitative feedback – is the basis of a truly insight-led recruitment strategy that can help you decide where to focus your resource next.

Provided yearly with the same question set, you can also track your progress as weaknesses are strengthened and misunderstandings ironed out. With our unique access to students – there’s no other report like this.

Swansea University

'It’s become an embedded habit – every year we wait for it to arrive and there’s a full-on check, down to subject level. We review our approach using the feedback: we don’t assume we know the cohort – student recruitment is about listening to students.’

Find out what applicants think about you to inform and tailor your strategy

  • Discover what influenced them, in their own words, to choose you – or to go elsewhere.
  • Hear what they rate about your courses, the social life, or university experience.
  • Identify your strengths and make sure they’re front and centre in future marketing.
  • Find your weaknesses, address them, and track progress in the next cycle.
  • Uncover any misconceptions that might need to be explained and myth-busted.

Benchmark against your top five competitors, as well as your competitor group as a whole*

*Please note, not all higher education providers can get five competitor reports due to response numbers.

University of Manchester

"It is particularly useful to have the competitor benchmarking to highlight our strengths and/or areas where we are underperforming in terms of factors important to our prospective students."

Student quotes

Why is work experience important?
"I knew exactly the profession I want to be in and so only applied to universities offering a career pathway to my goal that incorporated work placement as part of the degree programme."
The importance of communication

"Continued correspondence from the university before or after applying is extremely important in portraying their enthusiasm for potential applicants and attendees."

What made them decline an offer

"I found the staff quite cold and not very enthusiastic. Having said this, the facilities were amazing."

Why was it an insurance choice?
"It reminded me of my firm choice and I thought I would fit it well there. it also offered a great course with the same opportunities as my firm choice."

How it works

Student Decision Reports are available from July each year, after applicants have replied to any offers they received.

Your report shape and size will depend on the volume of replies from your applicants - the more responses, the more detailed the reports. We'll let you know how many responses you received and the associated pricing. 

You can also benefit from additional insight on the findings, using our knowledge of the cycle, trends and your provider to create bespoke recommendations. Find out more about our Consultancy Team or take a look at our competitor package below. 

 

 

Let’s talk Student Decisions

Contact us to see an example Student Decision Report and talk about the filters and segments that will answer your questions.

Student Decisions Report – get in touch

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