Managing a decentralized student recruitment initiative in a higher education institution: the experience of using a double-adoptive approach

In 2017 the Higher Education and Research Bill was introduced in the UK to ‘deliver greater competition and choice’ for HE students ‘while safeguarding institutional autonomy and academic freedom’ (Dept. for Business Innovation & Skills, 2016: 2). At an institutional level1 this meant an increased pressure to maintain and increase the number of undergraduate students recruited for the 2017-18 academic year. Post clearing (a period prior to the start of the academic year whereby students can be accepted on courses that have under-recruited, thus enabling students to change institutions) it became apparent that the institution in question had significant recruitment issues. Lower than expected 2017/18 student admission rates had arrived following: 1) a decrease in student application numbers across the sector; 2) an inconsistent institutional commitment to student recruitment and retention; and 3) a broadly ineffective clearing strategy that could not respond in time to aggressive competitor institution recruitment tactics. Thus, with the encumbrance of unrealistic institutional growth projections of 5% each year (based more on historical growth data rather than a realistic understanding of current environmental pressures), the virility of current strategic recruitment plans became a prioritized staff focus.