How Asia Pacific universities can bridge student experience gaps to drive conversion

The next generation of university students live online and have higher expectations of their digital journey - from discovery and enrolment to learning pathways - than those that came before them. They are also poised to be the most educated of any generation.

While the Asia Pacific (APAC) region is home to some of the best universities in the world in terms of academic ranking, they’re currently navigating many challenges that are placing downward pressure on enrolment and completion rates. The expanding choice of education providers and formats and the growing desire for better-quality digital learning, are just some drivers behind increasing competition for enrolments.

Capturing the attention of today’s students begins the moment they visit the university website. If content is unclear or challenging to navigate, support is lacking, or forms are difficult to complete, that can deter prospective students. That extends to engaging newly enrolled students through to census dates.

To help universities evaluate the performance of their digital student experience, Adobe developed an industry-first framework known as the Digital Student Experience (DSX) Benchmark. The inaugural report reveals where crucial gaps lie, and the best-practice strategies adopted by sector leaders.

How does the benchmark work?

Adobe’s DSX Benchmark scores the performance of websites and online services across the sector. The scores are based on ratings from more than 600 prospective students who tested 34 university websites in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore to see how effectively they performed across four categories.

The first is how they Attract students with well-presented content that is easy to find and makes a good first impression. The second is how they Engage students with clear and compelling content that feels personalised and enables self-service. The third is how they Convert students with forms that can be completed online, and intuitive next steps. And finally, the Retain category is based on the positive overall experience and whether it’s likely to be recommended to others.

The digital experience gaps among APAC universities

According to the DSX Benchmark, Australia’s university sector achieved a total score of 82 out of 100. While this is a robust score, it conceals a mixed underlying performance on many metrics. Indeed, the scores indicate a number of universities still only have a basic level of digital maturity, and no institution is outperforming on all measures.

Even though websites are the first place a prospective student visits, it’s not just first impressions that matter. Straightforward course application processes and intuitive experiences are crucial, and are the areas where the study identified the biggest gaps.

Of the four categories that make up the DSX Benchmark, prospective students rated Australian universities lowest in the Convert category.

New Zealand’s university sector achieved an overall score of 80 out of 100. Like Australia, the feedback areas and results between universities reveal a mixed picture of website performance and ratings.

They too scored highest in the Attract category, but with variation among universities. Users still experienced challenges with search functionality and navigating an overwhelming amount of information on web pages. Again, of the four categories, the relative student experience bottleneck was the Convert category, where the ease of applying and intuitive guidance on next steps scored lowest.

Universities in New Zealand are, on average, doing a better job of attracting and engaging prospective students. Still, some are stumbling at the critical point of applications.

Meanwhile, the overall score for Singapore’s university sector was 76 out of 100. Continuing a consistent region-wide trend, Attract scores were highest, followed by Engage. Here, Convert scores were held back by issues with application completion, where all universities were seen to be in the earlier stage of maturity.

Building digital maturity over time

Universities across the region are fortunate to be approaching these issues from a strong position, with a high proportion of universities in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore appearing in the QS World University rankings in 2023.

Despite their enviable reputations, APAC universities must continue adapting to stay relevant and meet the expectations of modern students for intuitive digitally enabled education and support.

Universities are most certainly not resting on their laurels, but there are foundational tactics to consider whilst they continue to build their broader digital experience strategies.

For example, Sofia Lloyd-Jones, Executive Director of Marketing and Digital Experience at the University of New South Wales said, as the university transforms and scales legacy systems for the future, it will also focus on improving the student experience through solutions that support personalisation at scale.

“There’s a lot to do, and we’re really balancing that big picture with short term impact. So, the teams are continuing to optimise the student experience as part of business as usual; whether it’s content or really looking at behavioural insights to make those little tweaks on a day-to-day basis.”

When discussing the possibilities for AI, Sofia said it’s early days but as an institution it’s absolutely an opportunity they’re leaning into.

“We’re using AI to build our leads scoring model and we’re keen to explore how we can leverage some of Adobe’s generative AI tools like Firefly and GenStudio – not necessarily to replace creativity but to think about how we can use that to personalise content at scale.”

The next challenge and opportunity to shape how students learn

Delivering a modern and intuitive experience that is fit for the students of today and tomorrow relies on universities developing their internal digital capabilities.

To help universities further pinpoint areas for improvement, the DSX Benchmark identifies strategic best practices adopted by sector leaders. This includes evolving architecture and data capabilities, organisational and leadership endorsement, and becoming more advanced in personalising the student experience.

To learn more, you can download the full DSX Benchmark report here.