According to ISC Research, the growth in number of K-12 international schools over the past two decades has been rapid and the pace is set to continue:
ISC Research Market Projections:
This rapid growth has led to increased competition for schools and poses one of their biggest challenges going forward. Parents face a greater choice than ever when looking at schools and therefore paying close attention to all touch points within the admissions journey is key. For the year 2017-2018 less than 60% of international schools managed to meet their enrolment needs, with 35% still enrolling students after the start of the academic year. A school’s operating costs are relatively fixed, meaning any unfilled places or unwanted student attrition has a direct impact on the income the school generates and ultimately, its long-term viability.
For newly established schools and those due to open, an effective and successful admissions strategy is of primary importance. The school website is a major marketing tool and plays an important role by informing prospective parents about the benefits to their children, but how easy is it for these parents to engage with the school from this point onwards? Can they easily complete an online form to request a prospectus, book a tour, attend an open day or even proceed with an application?
If a school’s admissions process is a manual procedure, then they should consider looking at our new online admissions solution. HUBapply will manage the whole process, from the first touch point right through to the enrolment stage. It is a complete student recruitment and admissions CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system that will operate the end-to-end application journey online. No need for the abundance of paper files that are difficult to manage and can face data protection risks. No unanswered phone calls or accidentally bypassed emails, everything is captured on an informative timeline held within the Administration Portal for admissions staff. Whatever a school’s processes and admissions route students take to enter the school, HUBapply will manage this with everybody automatically notified when actions take place.
The student’s journey starts with admissions and ends with alumni. Getting the admissions strategy right and operating effectively will help ensure a school’s alumni thrive for years to come.
Get in touch to discuss your admissions process and requirements with one of our consultants, please email information@wcbs.co.uk or call +44 (0)1458 833 344.