Announcing the First-Ever Connected Student Report
Higher education institutions today are facing a new wave of transformation shaped by increased competition, reduced government funding, declining enrollment numbers, and, in the United States, rising tuition costs. As a result, institutions are tasked with reimagining how they engage with students across the entire lifecycle.
Salesforce.org worked in partnership with market research firm radius|illumination to survey more than 1,000 students and staff from institutions across North America and Europe (U.K., Netherlands, Germany, and France) to better understand how technology can drive more connected engagements across recruitment and admissions, student experience, and advancement operations.
The first edition of the Connected Student Report reveals what college and university students are looking for from their experience, gaps that exist between student & staff perceptions, and how institutions are innovating to meet the needs of today’s students.
Key findings from the report include:
- Students Expect a Connected Experience
- Students expect their institution to know who they are. They are frustrated with having to supply the same information to different university departments multiple times. In fact, 63% of students report having to sign into two or more platforms to get the answers they need.
- Students expect their institution to know who they are. They are frustrated with having to supply the same information to different university departments multiple times. In fact, 63% of students report having to sign into two or more platforms to get the answers they need.
- A Meaningful Online Presence Matters
- Prospective students are researching institutions across multiple digital channels including social media, online rankings, and the news. Staff report that a strong social media presence is one of the top reasons (19%) for past-year enrollment increases, even higher than the influence of a student’s friend attending the same institution (9%).
- Belonging is Key to Student Success
- Creating a sense of belonging starts with tailored communications at the beginning of the student journey and continues throughout their experience. Students who feel they have had a fair/poor university experience say the top reasons were feeling disconnected from other students (34%) and a lack of feeling of belonging (33%).
- Creating a sense of belonging starts with tailored communications at the beginning of the student journey and continues throughout their experience. Students who feel they have had a fair/poor university experience say the top reasons were feeling disconnected from other students (34%) and a lack of feeling of belonging (33%).
- Technology Enables a Supportive Community
- Access to self-service help is one area where technology can have the biggest impact on creating a supportive community. 47% of students want a self-service chat for support, but only 26% say this is available at their institution.
- Innovating to Support Today’s Student
- Institutions are looking to digitally transform in order to best serve the needs of today’s students at scale. In fact, (69%) of staff currently use or plan to use AI in the next two years.
The findings outline the implications of shifting student demographics, including the rise of the new traditional student in higher education.
To get all the detailed insights, head over to the Salesforce.org blog, and download the complete report today.
