The rise of Covid-19 has added immense pressure to what was already going to be the biggest clearing period the UK has ever seen. As students increasingly see clearing as a viable option, and the almost undoubted effect Covid-19 will have on international recruitment, marketing and digital leaders across the country need to understand the challenge they face in order to prepare for it. In 2014 there were 59,960 placements via Clearing, so the 2019 figure represents an almost 11% increase. It’s also a 6.2% increase on last year. (HESA.ac.uk) Join Toby Margetts, Strategy Director, and Asha Barwell, Higher Education Expert, as they share insights and best practices on how to bolster your recruitment drive this year. In this webinar industry leaders will share: - Why clearing is becoming students most preferred channel, even before the pandemic. - How a significant fall in international recruitment will affect domestic recruitment. - How to supercharge your student recruitment efforts with innovative solutions. - The legacy of Covid-19 beyond 2020.

1. Clearing during Covid-19
Strategies to help universities thrive during a
global pandemic
A webinar with Toby Margetts & Asha Barwell

2. 2Clearing During Covid-19
Today’s hosts
Toby Margetts
Strategy Director
Asha Barwell
Senior Account
Manager

3. 3Clearing During Covid-19
Who is Squiz?
● Global technology and digital services company
● We help our customers to create meaningful digital
interactions with their customers
● 20 years old
● Worked with 60% of HE institutions

4. 4Clearing During Covid-19
Clearing in Numbers

5. 5Clearing During Covid-19
495,620
placed applicants
2019

6. 6Clearing During Covid-19
66,410
placed via clearing
(13.4%)
495,620
placed applicants
2019

7. 7Clearing During Covid-19
Number of applicants placed via Clearing
59,960 60,610
63,640 63,290
61,596
66,410
6.2% increase
on 2018
10.8%
increase on 2014
*Includes placements via clearing, adjustment and ‘other’

8. 8Clearing During Covid-19
Number of applicants placed via Clearing
59,960 60,610
63,640 63,290
61,596
66,410
*Includes placements via clearing, adjustment and ‘other’
6.2% increase
on 2018
10.8%
increase on 2014

9. 9Clearing During Covid-19
Number of applicants placed via Clearing
59,960 60,610
63,640 63,290
61,596
66,410
*Includes placements via clearing, adjustment and ‘other’
6.2% increase
on 2018
10.8%
increase on 2014

10. 10Clearing During Covid-19
Number of applicants placed via Clearing
488,610 504,950
511,990 505,680 495,420 495,630
1.4%
increase on
2014

11. 11Clearing During Covid-19
Number of applicants placed via Clearing
10,720
11,560
12,490
13,640
14,410
15,760
47%
increase on
2014

12. 12Clearing During Covid-19
Clearing applicant behaviour

13. 13Clearing During Covid-19
When do students start researching clearing?
10,720
11,560
12,490
13,640
14,410
15,760
10,720
11,560
12,490
13,640
14,410
15,760
27%

14. 14Clearing During Covid-19
What information are students looking for?

15. 15Clearing During Covid-19
What information are students looking for?

16. 16Clearing During Covid-19
What information are students looking for?

17. 17Clearing During Covid-19
What information are students looking for?

18. 18Clearing During Covid-19
What information are students looking for?

19. 19Clearing During Covid-19
What information are students looking for?

20. 20Clearing During Covid-19
Why is clearing more popular?

21. 21Clearing During Covid-19
What information are students looking for?
There’s more
choice
Ability to self-release
online
Perception
shift

22. 22Clearing During Covid-19
Fewer 18-year-olds
+
No caps on recruitment
=
Buyers’ market

23. 23Clearing During Covid-19

24. 24Clearing During Covid-19
What information are students looking for?
There’s more
choice
Ability to self-release
online
Perception
shift

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Clearing During Covid-19
Universities would naturally
prioritise students that actually
want to go there
25Clearing During Covid-19

26. 26Clearing During Covid-19
What information are students looking for?
There’s more
choice
Ability to self-release
online
Perception
shift

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“Clearing used to be like a car boot sale,
where you can get some good stuff but not
always the best quality stuff.
Now it’s like the Boxing Day sales – you can
get exactly what you would have got a few
weeks earlier.”
– Andrew Carr
Admissions Manager
Bishop Grosseteste University

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Why is clearing so important?

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Bunce...

30. 30Clearing During Covid-19
£27,564Average value of a student
£17,269,106Average value of a student

31. 31Clearing During Covid-19
66,410 placed
via clearing
(13.4%)

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Clearing has become the Black
Friday of HE for marketers

33. 33Clearing During Covid-19
£3.4MMarketing Budget
2016 2017 2018 20192020

34. 34Clearing During Covid-19
Number of unconditional offers made to prospective
students
10,720
11,560
12,490
13,640
14,410
15,760
10,720
11,560
12,490
13,640
14,410
2,175%
increase in five
years
1.1%
4.5%
8.5%
12.9%
17.5%
22.9%
% of applicants
receiving at least one
unconditional offer

35. 35Clearing During Covid-19
What information are students looking for?
Cash bonuses Laptops Gym membership Free flights

36. 36Clearing During Covid-19
Three ways Covid-19 has
changed the game

37. 37Clearing During Covid-19
1. Mass Uncertainty

38. 38Clearing During Covid-19
Prediction
Lower and mid-tier universities’ commercial
viability will be threatened as a result of a
recruitment chain reaction

39. 39Clearing During Covid-19
133,595 (27%)
placed in
Russell Group
universities
362,035 (73%)
placed in non-Russell
Group universities
495,620
placed applicants
2019

40. 40Clearing During Covid-19
133,595 + 5% = 140,275 (+6,680)
6,680/106 =
Average of 63 students per university lost to a
higher ranking institution
£1,736,532
in lost tuition fees per university

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2. Students will hold even more power

42. 42Clearing During Covid-19
Prediction
There will be a record percentage of students
going through Clearing as they seek to exploit a
favourable market position.

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3. There will be a rebound

44. 44Clearing During Covid-19
Prediction
2021 will see record numbers of applications
and enrolments to UK universities as confidence
is restored globally and an unusually large
amount students that deferred enrolment by
taking gap years return to higher education.

45. 45Clearing During Covid-19
So how can Universities stand
out?

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Clearing During Covid-19
1. Start Early
46Clearing During Covid-19

47. 47Clearing During Covid-19
Start Early
● Students are starting earlier - so should you
● Brand awareness is key
● Gather data

48. 48Clearing During Covid-19
Start Early
● Students are starting earlier - so should you
● Brand awareness is key
○ 85% of clearing students have already heard of the university they
enrol with
○ 75% have visited the website of the institution before clearing
● Gather data

49. 49Clearing During Covid-19
Start Early
● Students are starting earlier - so should you
● Brand awareness is key
● Gather data

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Clearing During Covid-19
2. Know your personas
50Clearing During Covid-19

51. 51Clearing During Covid-19
Know your personas
● Don’t just focus on students who missed their offers
○ Traditional - 41%
○ Direct to clearing - 33%
○ Mind changer - 22%
○ Adjustment - 4%

52. 52Clearing During Covid-19
Know your personas
● Don’t just focus on students who missed their offers
○ Traditional - 41%
○ Direct to clearing - 33%
○ Mind changer - 22%
○ Adjustment - 4%
59%

53. 53Clearing During Covid-19
Know your personas
● Know what they want, how they want it, and where
they want it
Direct-to-clearing applicant
60%
38% 22.5 Close to
home
Instagram Youtube Snapchat

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Clearing During Covid-19
3. Track, measure, & optimise
54Clearing During Covid-19

55. 55Clearing During Covid-19
Track, measure, & optimise
● Demonstrate ROI
● Google Analytics
○ Goal tracking & attribution
● Social media ads
○ Impressions, likes, shares, comments, views,
& click-through rates.
● Custom landing pages
○ Drive customers from offline billboard ads.

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Clearing During Covid-19
4. Innovate
56Clearing During Covid-19

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58. 58Clearing During Covid-19

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Introducing
Matchmaker 2.0

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Introducing
Graduate Stream
Story

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Introducing
Chatbot

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Introducing
Covid-19 Hub

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Introducing
Virtual Open Day

68. 68Clearing During Covid-19

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Thanks for watching!
Questions? Thoughts? Feedback?
We’d love to hear from you!
Asha Barwell: abarwell@squiz.co.uk
Toby Margetts: tmargetts@squiz.co.uk
Greg Adams gadams@squiz.co.uk