‘Match Made in Salford’ created by digital transformation company Squiz, offers essential, informative content about clearing in a playful and innovative way.
Delivered across mobile, desktop and tablet, the digital clearing tool asks prospective students to ‘swipe left’ or ‘swipe right’ when they are provided with personalised course recommendations based on their grades achieved, course and career of interest.
Any ‘match’ can be explored in more detail within the service, with information provided about the course and University of Salford. Any ‘matches’ are then added to a shortlist that can be viewed in full once the user has exhausted all course recommendations.
John McCarthy, Director of Marketing and Student Recruitment at University of Salford commented: “Usually students are faced with lengthy lists of available courses, but with this tool we’re making our clearing process student driven and much more interactive. Because users are recommended a course based on their interests and long term goals, it means that when they telephone us they feel more informed about the course they are enrolling on.”
Salford saw over 10,000 unique visitors using the matchmaker to find courses, with site engagement (measured by time spent on site) increasing by 264%. Prospective students have also been encouraged to share their ‘matches’ on social media through the app using #MatchMadeInSalford.
‘18 year olds use mobile apps daily so it makes sense for universities to offer an experience of clearing which echoes other popular services’
Roger Warner, Head of Strategy at Squiz added: “18 year olds use mobile apps daily so it makes sense for universities to offer an experience of clearing which echoes other popular services. The University of Salford is leading the way in how institutions should be interacting with students during this busy, and sometimes stressful, period. Offering this service as ‘digital first’ allows the university to make the clearing process enjoyable, more personal and engaging.
“With the cap being lifted on the number of university places this year, universities are dealing with more enquiries, but are also facing higher competition for students to sign up to their courses. This digital service allows the University of Salford to quickly see which courses are being filled and where there is space available, as well as differentiating their clearing process and communication with students through a highly engaging experience.”