Higher Education
Market Development
In order to assist New Zealand universities and schools to tap into the Indonesian education market, Education New Zealand (ENZ) has commissioned us to develop a market development plan for Indonesia. Deliverables include:
- Identifying initiatives to grow New Zealand universities’ Indonesian student numbers, and
- Providing recommendations and support options to implement initiatives.
Scholarship Review
For a Melbourne-based University, The 5Rs Partnership was commissioned by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement) to evaluate all scholarships and bursary programs for the domestic market including those covering access and equity categories.
Our method included extensive primary research, competitor university benchmarking and documentation perusal.
Review of Scholarships
For a major regional university in Australia we were commissioned to undertake a University wide review of Scholarships. Our approach addressed the University’s specific research objective to have ‘a deeper understanding of the value of prospective student domestic scholarships to generate genuine new student demand.’
The key research and strategy development areas of our input fell into five categories:
- Assessment of current internal scholarship processes
- The student response to scholarships
- Scholarship differentiation in the market
- Projected costs, benefits and value for the University
- Design of the optimal scholarship strategy for the University.
New Campus Course Portfolio
For a well-established New Zealand university planning to develop a new campus in a regional centre, we were commissioned to identify high value course offerings. This incorporated a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods to inform the short and medium terms course offerings and their configurations. The project also required a significant level of industry consultation to position future course offerings.
Post-graduate Review
Our client, a multi campus Australian university required further direction on where its efforts should be focused in terms of both markets and course portfolio design and offering at the post graduate level.
This incorporated both domestic and international course offerings/ products to be developed as a Postgraduate Strategy.
This project involved engagement with multiple stakeholders, and was linked to a recent rebrand of the University. The task being to provide a PG course portfolio that supported and is aligned with a recent brand positioning revitalisation.
The University required further direction on where its efforts should be focused in terms of both markets and course portfolio design and offering. The project also involved us in workshops with academics to develop staff capability around new course development and exiting course renewal from a market perspective.
New Program Testing in International Country Markets
We were commissioned by a UK university operating in Asia seeking to enhance the development of its course portfolio strategy.
Our specific brief was to assess the international feasibility and optimal configuration for two new proposed postgraduate courses.
Based on this, we undertook a combination of desk based and field research to provide cogent insights on the proposed postgraduate courses in both market feasibility and course configuration.
Postgraduate International Strategy Development
For an internationally-focused GO8 University in Australia and its alliance partner – a young Russell Group University in the UK, The 5Rs Partnership were commissioned to undertake PG research and strategy development to strengthen the alliance and provide a set of programs that could be jointly offered to the global market.
Our response approach involved extensive onsite and offsite analysis of the PG portfolio of both universities and potential student markets and employer to define a sub brand that could be mutually advantageous to both universities.
The project also required a high degree of sensitivity to understand the diverse and contextual aspirations of both universities to make the alliance work and generate a set of new programs and service initiatives that could be jointly offered to the market.
Our deployments included a strategy that would support the marketing of individual programs and cognate clusters to existing audiences for both universities but also newly identifiable market segments where the benefits of a dual offer could be optimal.
New Online Course Testing
For a regional Australian university with tropics related specialisms, The 5Rs Partnership was commissioned to test new online course concepts in both Australia and select Asian markets (Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand) to support course configuration and ascertain market potential.
Our methodology incorporated depth face to face interviews (from our extensive contacts in the respective markets) and consultation with relevant employers, prospective students, education agents and industry and government agencies across each market.
The key outputs included a market assessment for the potential in each market investigated, requirement for marketable course structure and features in terms of sustainability and success, and a market facing strategy for course launch into each market.
Market Positioning Strategy
For a young, internationally focused multi campus (Singapore, UAE) university based in Australia, The 5Rs Partnership was engaged to develop a clear and market directed positioning strategy that could support the enrolment and reputational objectives of the University.
The University by its admission has a loose confederation of campuses which lack unity and interplay to provide a compelling definition of the university to its markets. Part of the brief was to create a strategy to build a unified and cohesive brand proposition that could build both contextual local appeal at the campus level but also more widely for the university as an entity.
The investigation involved extensive analysis and stakeholder consultation at each of the universities campuses (Australia, Asia and Middle East) to provide an overarching brand positioning from which each campus could connect and provide the university with a set of high level recommendations for the university executive on its course portfolio and alignment to changing market circumstances in the local and international markets where it has a physical footprint and the regions from which it can draw.
Pricing and Market Segmentation Analysis
For a well-established Australian university that has also a physical campus well established S-E Asia, The 5Rs Partnership were engaged as subject experts to undertake pricing and market segmentation analysis that could support a more targeted, product and price point specific approach by the University to its diverse audiences.
Our approach included development of a summary paper from the literature and our own extensive experience and papers on higher education pricing strategy and market segmentation as it has been applied to the higher education sector globally. This provided the client with a depth of insight into the activity elsewhere and the options for strategic activity in each field. We then undertook primary research to establish a strategy specific to our client University requirements that would provide synergy between brand, product pricing and identifiable market segments.
The University was able to place the insights into an institute wide market strategy that went well beyond its previous understanding of itself and its products in the eyes of its diverse markets.
Program Evaluation
For a leading international university, The 5Rs Partnership were commissioned to undertake domestic market research for a large faculty to test and enhance program configuration, market positioning, and recruitment performance for two suites of undergraduate programs offered in Computer Science and Engineering. The analysis included review of enrolment trends and subject demand profile, internal and external stakeholder analysis including in selective private and government schools in four Australian states and territories.
Postgraduate Course Portfolio Analysis
The 5Rs Partnership was engaged by a regional university in New Zealand to undertake international PG course portfolio market analysis and assessment. The University engaged us to gather an evidence base to further increase international student enrolment and further align its PG program/discipline areas (both potential and existing programs) with market requirements and opportunity.The project involved both desk based and primary research (internal staff and external prospect perspectives).
Decliner Research
We were engaged by a private university to undertake Decliner Research for an internationally focused program which has low conversion rate from enquirers/ applicants. The research spanned Australia and North America and was undertaken through a combination of telephone interview and online survey methodology.
New Program Development
The 5Rs Partnership was commissioned by a Faculty of Science at a G08 University to support international development of a new undergraduate (UG) Science degree program themed around ‘innovation’.
The research identified the appeal and informed the viability of the new degree. It informed the optimal course configuration (from course title down) and market positioning for a proposed new UG Science degree. The method incorporated:
- Competitor offerings and market trends;
- Potential demand in the area initially proposed, including latent demand; and
- Key drivers of choice and value in the proposed program as perceived by stakeholders including prospective students, employers/professional bodies, and other potential influencers (school careers advisers, Science Departmental Heads).
New Campus Feasibility and Program Development
The 5Rs Partnership was commissioned by a well-established university in New Zealand seeking to establish a new campus and to develop a course portfolio offering that would provide for optimal success both domestically and internationally. The project commissioning involved substantial stakeholder research to identify high potential programs and services and then to provide counsel on both course configuration and market positioning and targeting for each course. The project culminated in a market facing strategy spanning many aspects of potential operation including courses, campus estate, HR, marketing, and community engagement.