Overview

The University of Chichester, committed to offering a high-quality, personalised, and aspirational student experience, recognised the importance of nurturing a strong sense of community among its prospective students. As part of their strategic goals to enhance their student body's diversity and increase its size, they aimed to address challenges related to improving conversion rates and engaging applicants in meaningful ways. The university's ethos of building connections perfectly aligned with the capabilities of CampusConnect's community platform.

Standing out to increase conversion 

Improving the offer to enrolment conversion rate was a key focus for the University of Chichester. As a smaller campus, the University strives to ensure Chichester stands out in a crowd of larger campuses and more well-known cities. Chris Rogers, Student Recruitment and Outreach Manager, explains:

“The challenge we face as an institution is showcasing Chichester and all it has to offer. It’s a small city with a laidback feel, and we want to make sure students know that there’s still plenty to do, and nightlife for those that want it.” 

While Facebook groups saw initial traction, meaningful interactions remained scarce and sustaining engagement required considerable work from the team. This prompted the University to explore more effective avenues to facilitate connections. Chris Rogers continues:

“We’d previously used Facebook groups and, while a lot of students would join, we noticed that only a minority would actually post or engage. Even then, most would quickly move to other platforms, and others didn’t want to join the social media platform at all. This made it difficult to reach offer holders through a consistent channel.”

Communicating key information by email proved tricky too, with messages often getting lost in junk folders or ignored in a busy inbox.

A university-branded community space

In the pursuit of a solution, the University of Chichester discovered CampusConnect, a platform designed to create bespoke, tailored communities through a dedicated app. Bob Savill, Head of Student Recruitment and Admissions, recalls the process:

“We came across CampusConnect a few years ago when our marketing team had been researching ways to improve conversion rates. We followed CampusConnect’s progress on social media, and their focus on community chimed with Chichester’s approach. When the opportunity arose, we met with the team to explore the potential.” 

Chichester recognised the importance of providing a bespoke, university-branded space to support the relationship between the University and its incoming students. Chris Rogers explains: 

Showcasing the benefits of a close-knit campus 

Demonstrating all that the University has to offer proved key to enhancing conversion rates among their offer holders. Kaffe Locke expands: 

“The ChiUni community provides a dedicated avenue for communication. We can take a staggered approach to dropping notifications to offer holders, whether that’s a key update or something for them to get excited about. It means all information is held in one place, making it easier for students to access and digest.” 

As a smaller university, Chichester’s ethos revolves around belonging and community. This message is key to the team’s recruitment efforts, and is promoted even in the early stages of outreach. Chris Rogers elaborates: 

“Our Outreach team works with students from Year 9 upwards. While these students wouldn’t be invited onto the CampusConnect app, we talk about the platform during campus tours to showcase how important community building is to us, which helps to plant the seed early on.” 

Supporting every student to find relatable peers 

One of the standout advantages was the creation of niche interest groups facilitated by CampusConnect. This feature allowed the University of Chichester to cater to specific interests and needs, resulting in more tailored discussions and connections. Chris Rogers emphasises:

“We take pride in welcoming and integrating groups that are often more nervous about going to university, such as LGBTQ+ students, mature students, those with disabilities, or commuter students. We aim to hone in on their individual experiences, without separating them or putting them in a box. The CampusConnect team supports us to create relevant groups for all.” 

The ChiUni community space helps these students to identify themselves, join multiple niche groups and discuss their experiences, all while remaining part of the bigger picture. As a result, students find themselves in groups that resonate with their personalities, driving deeper conversations and forging more meaningful connections compared to the broader conversations often found on other platforms.

Virtual connections becoming in-person friendships 

Perhaps the most rewarding outcome is the establishment of relationships among students. The University aims for their online community to echo the experience that an applicant would have at an open day or offer holder day. This includes replicating the close-knit, friendly feel. The team have already witnessed this atmosphere translating into on-campus encounters, as Kaffe Locke details: 

“I look forward to spotting new conversations on the app every single day. The mature students group has been hugely engaged and they’ve even arranged to meet up for a BBQ when they arrive.” 

Students can request new groups in the online space based on their interests. Kaffe Locke has already witnessed these feed into the in-person experience that students have on campus:

“We made a book club group as lots of students wanted to discuss their reading with others. This has led to a new book club society on campus, so students can continue to bond over this shared interest once they start their course.”  

ChiUni CampusConnect has successfully transformed into a thriving community hub for students to actively contribute and shape their university experience.

Empowering Ambassadors to drive engagement

The University values the experience of their current students, providing opportunities to take on Ambassador roles. CampusConnect offers an additional role for those interested in digital engagement, allowing them to lead groups related to their personal experiences. Kaffe Locke highlights: 

“We’ve worked hard to represent everyone and got a great mix of ambassadors. When we were using Facebook, we only had a couple of ambassadors and it was all quite vague. On CampusConnect, they’re in themed groups, so it’s easier for applicants to direct relevant questions to them.” 

The integration of student ambassadors within the platform plays a pivotal role in driving engagement levels. These ambassadors provide authentic insights, answer queries, and offer guidance, effectively bridging the gap between prospective students and the university.

A dedicated support team

The University staff work closely with the CampusConnect team to monitor and drive engagement in the community. CampusConnect provide dashboards and reports to give an insight into which students have been most engaged and the key conversation topics, helping the ChiUni team to tailor communications and Q&A sessions. Chris Rogers underlines the value of CampusConnect’s unique support: 

“The monthly reports are really useful, and having Adele as a dedicated Community Manager is a real advantage. While we check the app frequently, we’re reassured by knowing that Adele is there to flag anything we need to know. You don’t get that level of support with other platforms.” 

Visions for cross-team engagement 

The Recruitment and Outreach team are now working to embed the Student Union into the community space. Doing so supports the team’s objective of acquainting incoming students with the dynamic social aspects of university life. Kaffe Locke explains: 

“Integrating the SU is currently our biggest goal as we’ll be able to showcase the clubs, societies and events on offer to incoming students. We can start to detail Fresher’s events and build excitement around joining the University of Chichester.” 

Anticipating a user base of up to 1,000 by the beginning of Freshers' week, the University of Chichester's partnership with CampusConnect is poised to make a profound impact on the prospective student experience.

The collaboration between the University of Chichester and CampusConnect has demonstrated the transformative power of community and personalised engagement in enhancing student conversion and fostering meaningful connections.