Unifying student data to drive smarter recruitment for The University of Exeter

The University of Exeter is a leading UK institution committed to improving its understanding of student interactions and return on investment (ROI) in marketing and recruitment. As part of this mission, they sought to establish a unified student data framework that would allow them to track engagement across multiple platforms and systems used throughout the student journey.

The Challenge

Exeter had previously tried and failed to connect marketing activity with student enrolment. They faced several challenges:

• Technical Limitations: A unique user ID could not easily be maintained across all systems, particularly their core student database. Any new approach also had to work with existing digital tools already in use.
• Data Privacy & Compliance: Evolving regulations (GDPR, cookie deprecation) made traditional tracking methods less viable.
• Fragmented User Journeys: Prospective students interacted across multiple devices, browsers, and communication channels, making it difficult to create a unified view.
• Cost Barriers: Extracting and integrating data from existing systems using standard third-party tools was prohibitively expensive.
• Limited Internal Resources: The university lacked the in-house technical capacity and expertise to deliver such a solution without significant external support.

The Solution

In close collaboration with Exeter University’s teams, Measurelab developed a scalable, compliant, and cost-effective data integration approach that connects new and existing marketing and recruitment tools while maintaining a consistent user identity across platforms.In close collaboration with Exeter University’s teams, Measurelab developed a scalable, compliant, and cost-effective data integration approach that connects new and existing marketing and recruitment tools while maintaining a consistent user identity across platforms. This ‘student recruitment intelligence platform’, provides a comprehensive view of the user journey.

The approach centred around securely linking user interactions across systems to enable end-to-end tracking of marketing influence on student applications. Data, including the Student information system (SITs), was consolidated within the intelligence platform, where it could be matched with application and enrolment records. This enabled visibility into the full student journey from initial engagement to conversion.

The resulting dataset was visualised in a custom reporting dashboard, aligned with Exeter’s branding and built to be easily used by marketing and recruitment teams. A clear measurement framework and a set of agreed KPIs were also established to ensure ongoing focus on the most actionable insights.

The Results

With this solution in place, Exeter University now has significantly improved visibility into which marketing activities drive applications and enrolments, enabling accurate cost-per-enrolment tracking. The integration supports data-driven decision-making, ensuring marketing budgets are directed toward the most effective channels. By linking applicant data across multiple systems into a scalable student recruitment intelligence platform, the university can now measure marketing ROI with confidence and continually optimise future campaigns for better performance.