CampusConnect - Built for UK UG recruitment and conversion

Our UK UG partner university teams consistently achieve 80%+ enrolment conversion with CampusConnect - because home applicants feel supported, connected, and confident in their choice when part of their university community.

Built in close collaboration with undergraduate recruitment teams over a period of several years, CampusConnect now offers a set of proven workflows, from applicant days through to onboarding, that new university partners can plug straight into. There’s no major upheaval; the model is already established in practice, and consistently delivers conversion and retention impact for our partners.

In this piece, we have reviewed the most common features our UK UG partners lean on, to highlight where the greatest value lies for home recruitment teams.

1. Own-Brand Communities

Principle - Your brand is your identity - don’t dilute it. 

In a competitive domestic market, sending students to a third-party or generic space weakens the bond they have with you, the admitting university. Home undergraduate applicants identify with your university brand first and foremost - it’s the identity they’ll carry with them throughout their journey.

Tactic - Build your community under your brand from day 1. Be sure your university community gives applicants a consistent, branded experience at every interaction, strengthening belonging and directly supporting conversion.

2. Niche Groups that Strengthen Belonging

Principle - Belonging means finding people like me.

Rather than a single large UG applicant community, our partners succeed by creating a series of micro-communities via niche groups that reflect the real-life commonalities students care about most.

We give undergraduate applicants the opportunity to suggest their own micro-communities, giving them a sense of belonging and a sense of ownership of their space. Examples include course, accommodation (especially important for UG students), shared commonalities such as mature students, commuters, LGBTQ, caregivers, or sometimes shared interests such as gaming, Taylor Swift fans etc. All of these examples can become dedicated spaces where applicants find people like me.

With the right approach, applicants will arrive on campus already connected, with a ready-made support network, strengthening both conversion and retention.

Tactic - Map niche groups to your context and encourage applicants to suggest and join micro-communities. Authentic spaces like this reduce anxiety, strengthen bonds/friendships, and give students a sense of ownership.

3. Applicant Days & Live Chat Events

Principle - Events are most effective when they extend before/after the day itself.

In-person events remain central to UG recruitment and our UK partners use CampusConnect to amplify their impact. Building out events via the platform allows for pre-event support, applicants can ask questions, connect with their cohort, and prepare for the day. During the event itself, QR codes link them straight into dedicated programme chats where ambassadors and staff are ready to respond, and afterwards, the conversations continue with questions handled within the community rather than filling inboxes. 

 Tactic - Think about your live events in three stages:

• Before: Allow applicants to connect, ask questions and prepare.

• During: Link directly to a space for staff/ambassadors to respond in real time (e.g. using QR codes).

• After: Provide space for conversations to continue in the community - reduce inbox overload, keep applicants engaged and supported. 

Case study -Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) have shown how this model deepens engagement, reduces team workload, and keeps applicants firmly on track to enrol.

👉 See how the team at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) build engagement around their applicant days

4. Engaging Parents, Caregivers, & School Liaison Staff

Principle - Don’t focus only on applicants - engage their influencers.

Parents, caregivers, and school liaison staff are central to shaping applicant decision-making. Our UK partners leverage their CampusConnect community to support them directly, which pays dividends at the conversion phase. 

We’ve built dedicated workflows for these groups that focus on community-building, communication, and practical advice around finance, application processes, and programme choices.

For school liaison in particular, universities like Winchester are creating structured access flows, feeder school contacts are identified and invited into a peer community that sits under the admitting university’s brand. This strengthens links with catchment schools/colleges, while creating a community space for school liaison personnel to network, share best practice and receive key information - all under your university’s brand.

Parents are supported through live chats and moderated groups, giving families a trusted place to ask questions and feel reassured. And for widening participation cohorts, CampusConnect makes engagement more inclusive by offering an accessible, convenient way to connect. 

Together, these workflows widen the funnel, build stronger relationships and trust with key influencers, and reduce leakage at the crucial conversion stage.

Tactic - Create dedicated workflows to engage key influencers.

5. Multi-Team Transition & Early Retention

Principle - Successful recruitment is a whole-university responsibility.

Admissions, Marketing, Faculty Schools, Student Services, Careers and others all play a key role in supporting applicants toward successful enrollment. The challenge lies in bringing those efforts together in a coordinated way.  

Our partners use CampusConnect as a shared community platform structured around lifecycle stages, with filters and integrations that progress students as they move from enquirer to applicant, offer-holder, and enrolled student. At each stage, new areas of the community open up, giving students access to the information, events, peers, staff and teams they need at that moment.

Tactic - Make it easy for colleagues to contribute in a time-limited way that doesn’t require ongoing resource. Unlock new areas of the community based on students’ stage of progression - giving them timely access to different teams at the right moment, without duplication or confusion. 

Case Study - Staffordshire University has used this model to design structured onboarding and transition programmes.  By guiding students through registration, accommodation, and induction, they have been able to boost confidence, reduce anxiety, and strengthen early retention outcomes.