Australian Catholic University
This month we take a closer look at Australian Catholic University - three years on from their deployment of StudyLink Connect.
We talked to Diana Stevens, Associate Director - International Admissions and Student Relations last week, about the changes that using StudyLink Connect have brought to ACU Admissions.
In brief
- Connect enabled ACU goal of 24 hour turnaround time
- 70% of all international applications online
- It has cut stress levels
- There have been measured cost savings
- Admissions team love working paperless
Consultants
Rachel Colaso
Rachel Colaso is an International Education Consultant who thinks that the key to effective and successful agent management is communication. She has found Studylink Connect to be a very effective tool.
"A number of my clients who use Connect have seen advantages such as the ability to update agents on activities, courses and news in real time, receive electronic applications quickly and easily. And then receive automated reports on the progress of those applications.
Most importantly my clients using Connect can easily identify high performing agents and offer additional support and incentives to strengthen the relationship without having to wait for the annual agent review. Connect has also decreased the amount of time and resources needed to ensure ESOS compliance."
Gabrielle Rolan, Managing Director of Worldstar International, says StudyLink Connect is an off-the-shelf solution that ticks all the boxes.
“It offers the bridge you need between institution and agent. And it does have all the tools you need for agent and admissions management - you really don't need much more.”
StudyLink also takes care of those agent training needs.
“I think Australia will definitely still rely on agents as a source of students. Especially in countries where it's part of the culture. But we need to work on our benchmark conversion rate - and a good quality application will always convert at a higher rate.”
Agents
SIEC help Indian students to achieve global success, through education and career counselling at their 22 offices in India, as well as offices in Australia and Singapore.
“We immediately saw that we could save time in getting a letter of offer with StudyLink's online application system,” says Kanika Bhugra, Relationship Manager for SIEC. “Being able to log onto the application manager was an attractive feature - it would save time in processing and save confusion.”
AUG Global Network (AusEd-Unied)
AUG Global Network (AusEd-UniEd) is an international education placement agency, with education agents and counselors in sixteen offices around Australia and Asia.
James Kon, Group Marketing and Recruitment Director, sees future benefit in StudyLink Connect, which allows direct access to application updates. “It does do some amazing things. It tells you who's waiting, who's been approved.”
And he certainly sees that the future of the education sector is online. “Everything is online these days. Anyone who want to be in business today needs to be online. It's what the market requires. It's the future of business.”
Client testimonials
"We definitely have the cutting edge application system we expected."
Malcolm Bullock, Senior Business Analyst
Australian National University
"The good news is that the Interface BPO Admissions Team, India is already fully trained in lodging applications for admission for all our clients using the StudyLink Connect system and we have been using this very efficient and effective StudyLink portal successfully for some time.
In fact, the StudyLink Connect system is the preferred online admissions lodgement method of the Interface Admissions Team."
Louanne Hancock
Chief Executive Officer
Interface International Education, India
