Remember days long ago when it was positively heinous to be a university caught in Clearing? And, if you were, you would say it under muttered breath, hoping desperately, that you would avoid it on next cycle; it’s a fascinating transition from slur to slogan, it is usually the opposite trajectory, isn’t it? For instance, someone called me a frittata the other day, and they meant it in the most devastating way possible, and it hurt just as much. Even though I love frittatas.  

Anyway, Clearing, yes, here we are again, amidst quite the backdrop; dwindling international student numbers, the depressed worth of UG tuition fees, a cost-of-living crisis, not to mention some minor details like a new UK government, and an utterly banal, mundane, couldn’t-be-lower stakes US election looming. With the 18-year-old demographic growth failing to pull through proportionately into student application numbers, we are poised for a Clearing that couldn’t be more vital. With high-ranking universities looking to shore up undergraduate numbers, we are going to see downward pressure on the market expressed on mid and low-ranking universities. And, anecdotally (cue more comments under muttered breath), offers are up, but conversions down, compounding said downward pressure. 

These market behaviours are all as you would expect given the political and economic self-immolation of the UK (all views my own 😉) over recent years. Collective sighs of relief abound when you simply have confirmation that things will remain the same, that we are not lurching into another round of self-inflicted pain.  

Logically, given the current predicament with international recruitment, you would see this and place your bets on the home postgraduate audience, but one of the biggest barriers to entry for postgraduate study is the cost-of-living crisis. It is something that affects students especially hard, but imposes a significant and particularly acute barrier to entry for the PG cohort; the choice between a postgraduate degree or rent does not really enter the fray of real consideration.  

It is hard to know exactly what the sector’s future looks like over the coming years, especially with each week bringing fresh new fiscal drama from ballooning treasury deficit to potential NHS collapse. All of this makes for a gloomy outlook, and the higher education sector is facing its own set of stark realities; under mounting pressure to “sort themselves out” with anecdotally 70 out of 142 universities represented by UUK making cost saving measures.  

So, what to do? Well, with a government that is championing devolution, there is a good opportunity for universities to further strengthen local partnerships and engagement. Nothing new for institutions nationwide; long have universities been seen as bastions of civic care and community. But an opportunity nonetheless; creating closer ties with local industry, ingratiating students, and local economies with one another, allowing for closer skills development and employment. A chance for many who have been having internal conversations about maximising the lifelong learning allowance to re model their offering to reflect audience demand for modular learning. 

Universities have had a tough time in the media, since what feels like forever, but it is this sort of community driven transformation that is critical and should be central to a public facing brand. For most colleagues, this sector is considered home because of the shared belief that education, and its transformative power, are critical in the fabric of a progressive society. I have said these words so many times, they have gone so far beyond buzz words that they have started to register again but with the gravity they deserve.  

And so, often, the best way out is through, and I was reminded recently by fellow Cube Will Greeves, of a wonderful bit of brand marketing 101; a straightforward recipe That hit home given this context:  

Differentiation (recognition) + Salience (articulation) + Meaningfulness (connection) = a potent, front-of-mind Brand 

It is notoriously difficult to differentiate on an institution brand level, even harder to find cut through on a course level. The battleground lies in the meaningfulness and saliency of a university brand.  So, why the drastic back drop prior? Well, the stakes are as high as ever. It is moments like these that are worth taking stock and for universities to put their best foot forward; embracing identity and complexity, harnessing them into a differentiated, salient, and meaningful brand strategy. 

“Know thyself” a maxim for the ages.  

BEN FARQUHARSON

Head of Partnerships