Project Overview

Queen’s University welcomes applications from international students. Over 25,000 students live and study at Queen’s, with over 90 countries represented globally. We also employ more than 650 international staff drawn from over 70 nationalities.

Prospective international students apply to study at Queen’s University directly. Prior to the launch of the new digital Undergraduate Direct applications process, applications were handled via telephone, email and paper-based processes. In November 2023, we launched a new online Undergraduate Direct applications process, providing prospective students with an enhanced experience when applying to Queen’s University and allowing staff to process applications more efficiently, offering a consistently high level of service. The new process makes use of APIs to retrieve and update information held on the Queen’s Student Information System (QSIS). This results in a more streamlined and robust application process and reduces the amount of manual intervention required by those processing applications.

Objectives

Assist Staff
Admissions staff have seen a reduction in the manual activities required to process applications and can carry out real-time analysis of applications through dashboards and reports, allowing for enhanced decision-making.

Convenience for Students
They can upload evidence in support of their application securely, track the progress of their applications and receive notifications or reminders when decisions are taken or action is required.

Deliverables

• Project management documentation
• An online portal to include:
  Access via Multi-Factor Authentication
  Application form
  Self-service portal
  Progress tracker
  Notifications
  Integration with QSIS using APIs
• Handover documentation including:
  Documented Processes
  User guides
  Training resources

Benefits

Improve the applicant experience by:

• Replacing a paper-based Undergraduate applications process with an online Portal to align with users’ expectations and allow Queen’s to compete in the global Higher Education market.
• Delivering a seamless experience for applicants providing them with access to information and support when they need it.
• Allowing applicants to track the progress of their applications and receive notifications or reminders as required.
• Providing an accessible interface compatible with mobile devices.

Improve the Admissions staff experience by:

• Enabling real-time analysis of applications through dashboards and reports, allowing for enhanced decision-making.
• Reducing the number of email and phone queries related to Undergraduate applications, and the associated cost.
• Enhancing data security, reducing compliance risk.
• Reducing the number of manual activities required to process applications.
• Reducing duplication of work by introducing more robust tracking of interactions between applicants and Admissions staff.