ADVERTORIAL
campusreview.com.au
Creative solutions
in uni admissions
W
orking part-time while at school,
umpiring their favourite sport
on the weekend, being involved
in a creative production and volunteering
are hallmarks of an all-rounder and a typical
high-achieving student.
These are the types of students that
Australian National University (ANU)
wants on campus. To achieve this ANU is
partnering with the Universities Admissions
Centre (UAC) to deliver a new admissions
solution, which will include co-curricular
activities as part of the assessment process.
‘We know students are more than just
a score. We know they are passionate, we
know they have unique skills, we know they
gain experience through community service,
volunteering, working part time, participating in
school leadership, excelling in sports, gaming,
performance, competitions and more,’ said
Vice‑Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt.
In an Australian first, the new admissions
solution will simplify the process for 2019
Year 12 students with a single online
application and offer, to cover admissions,
accommodation and scholarships, while
providing more certainty with earlier offers
and transparency over entry requirements.
This process is made possible by proven
technology developed by UAC, in particular
its UAC Connect solution, which offers a
bespoke, white-label portal for institutions.
The application is fully branded by the
university, but the intricacies of assessing
students are handled by UAC.
For over 30 years UAC has successfully
undertaken the higher education sector’s
application, assessment and offer needs
through its centralised services. Now
Australia’s largest tertiary admissions centre
is leveraging that experience and leading-
edge technologies to collaborate with
institutions to develop creative solutions.
Solutions can include a wide ranging
brief such as ANU’s, or more niche
initiatives like Macquarie University’s Global
Leadership Entry Program (GLEP).
The respected and well established
program is designed for the best and
brightest students and aims to inspire them
to be global leaders of tomorrow.
Macquarie planned to expand GLEP
to include over 100 degrees for 2019
admissions, but realised it needed to
streamline its application and assessment
processes, to admit students more
efficiently and cost effectively – and they
required this solution quickly.
They handed the brief to UAC with an
eight-week deadline from concept to
go-live. UAC’s agile processes ensured the
tailored online application and supporting
management system were delivered on
time and within budget.
‘UAC created a highly automated process
for us and one that enabled this project to
go live within our required timeframe,’ says
Brad Windon, Director, Academic Services,
Macquarie University. ‘The collaboration has
been so successful that we are looking at other
programs that could benefit from this process.’
A full-service application system was
created for Western Sydney University in
2015, and since its implementation has been
expanded and has successfully serviced more
than 17,000 applicants.
‘Not only has the system generated
efficiencies, but applicants have embraced
the opportunity to interact with Western
through the UAC Connect application
system,’ says Robyn Causley, Director Student
Administration at Western Sydney University.
The ability to create a fully university
branded application process, coupled with
a comprehensive assessment service, also
led CQU to select UAC Connect. The system
services applications to CQU’s Western
Australian campuses for applicants wanting
to study courses designed specifically to
meet industry demands unique to WA.
This financial year UAC is expecting to
process over 35,000 applications and more
than 110,000 course preferences on behalf of
its customers through UAC Connect.
UAC Connect can also offer seamless
integration with an institution’s student
management system and its customer
relationship management system.
A current collaboration with the University
of New England (UNE) involves system
integration with direct data transfer between
UAC and UNE, avoiding manual data
extraction and manipulation, enhancing
speed and accuracy.
‘The streamlining of our data capture
between UNE and UAC will make this a
seamless process for our admissions staff and
create even more efficiencies,’ said Barbara
Shaw, Director Student Success.
These creative solutions in university
admissions means students can continue
to work, umpire, create and volunteer and
focus on what matters in their journey to
tertiary study. ■
Contact UAC Connect, James Kevin,
james.kevin@uac.edu.au
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