We know that where students are going to live, particularly in their first year, plays an important role in young people’s decisions about which university to attend. The research we conducted in 2019 evidenced how crucial accommodation decision-making was within the university selection process and in this new project for 2023 we will update our evidence and understanding of how prospective students’ thinking is being shaped by current factors, including the cost-of living crisis and student accommodation availability.
Why join this project?
- Inform your accommodation strategy and enhance the effectiveness of your marketing, communications and engagement with prospective students during the cost-of-living crisis and beyond.
- Identify opportunities for new programmes or initiatives that could better attract students and maximise your occupancy and retention during the next few years.
- Provide an evidence base to secure the necessary funding for accommodation planning and residential service development
What will the project explore?
The survey and online community guide will be shaped in conjunction with the universities and accommodation providers who choose to participate in this research project, based around the following crucial questions:
How does is work and what are the costs?
The strategic national collaborative insight costs £3,750 + VAT to participate in and includes:
- A quantitative survey of 1,000 prospective UK undergraduate students, primarily 16-18 year olds intending to attend university in the next few years
- A two-day online research community, recruiting 25 prospective UK undergraduate students to share their thoughts experiences and views in more depth
- A smart, succinct, highly visual report with practical recommendation to help you engage with prospective students more effectively.
- Demographic and widening participation differences will be highlighted where appropriate
- We’ll contextualise the findings using our previous research conducted in 2019.
- We’ll bring together participating institutions in online events to shape the project and to discuss the findings and ideas for action
In addition to joining the national project, you can also choose to add on bespoke options to tailor the research engagement even further to your own institution.
The project will commence in March 2023 and complete by June 2023 so get in touch now to arrange to talk if you’re interested to hear more.
For more information about how to join and a copy of the project outline click here to email Sharon Steele, Marketing and Client Communities Director, at sharon.steele@alterline.co.uk.