As the African continent experiences rapid changes in higher education enrollment, institutions face the challenges of managing increasing application volumes while striving for efficiency and enhanced applicant experience. Ashesi University, a leading institution in Ghana, turned to DreamApply to address these challenges in 2018.
The results they report show that they achieved their goals: administrators noticed a significant increase in student enrollment, drastically reduced processing times, and gained improvement in administrative efficiency.
Boosted student enrollment and quality of applicants
The launch of the application portal marked a timely and strategic intervention to enhance the user experience for both applicants and admissions officers. From the moment an application is initiated through to final submission, students can clearly track their progress at every stage of the application funnel. Features such as status labels and timely, automated updates kept applicants informed and engaged throughout the process.
“By tracking each submitted application and enabling targeted communication for specific demographic groups, we’ve improved enrollment yields. This tailored engagement throughout the admissions funnel has ultimately led to higher conversion rates and student enrollments.”
For the Admissions Office at Ashesi University, the portal’s key features, particularly targeted messaging, proved instrumental. By reaching out to applicants with incomplete submissions, the team was able to drive conversion from partial to fully submitted applications. This not only increased the volume of completed applications during the recruitment cycle but also contributed to improved enrollment yields and acceptance rates.
Since the implementation, each year, Ashesi sees a 25% increase in applications on average, without having to invest additional resources.
The portal’s capacity for personalized, stage-specific communication from initial inquiry to final enrollment has been crucial in attracting and securing top-tier candidates, making it a valuable tool in Ashesi’s commitment to operational excellence and student-centered admissions.
Drastically reduced processing times
The turnaround time for processing applications has improved significantly with the implementation of the new admissions portal. One key enhancement is the use of automated timestamps, which allow admissions officers to prioritize and process applications in the order they are received, ensuring fairness and efficiency.
All applicant documents are now centrally stored and clearly linked to individual profiles. This streamlines the review process, enabling officers to easily access and assess materials, while also making use of built-in tools like the notepad feature for internal comments and decision tracking.
The introduction of application tags has added another layer of efficiency. Applications can be categorized and moved through various stages of the admissions funnel, allowing different administrators to focus on specific groups of applicants. This division of labor significantly enhances processing speed and accountability.
In addition, the journal feature ensures that no application is overlooked. It generates real-time prompts and notifications (e.g. when a new document is uploaded or an application is submitted) so that administrators can respond swiftly.
The portal also supports parallel processing, even during peak admissions periods. This allows the team to manage high volumes of applications quickly and effectively, marking a significant leap forward in operational efficiency. Many of our partner institutions worldwide see the same results after implementing DreamApply, one of them being a recent video testimonial from a Project Manager at TUBS, Germany, Phuong Hien Tran, who notes that DreamApply allows them to focus on engaging with students rather than process information for hours or even days without a tool like DreamApply.
Enhancing administrative efficiency and collaboration
One of the key operational KPIs for Ashesi’s Admissions Office is leveraging technology to drive efficiency and DreamApply has delivered exactly that. Staff now spend significantly less time on manual tasks, such as transferring data from paper applications to spreadsheets, and more time on strategic activities like applicant engagement, data-driven decision-making, and process improvement.
With everyone working from the same system in real time, the entire admissions team remains informed, aligned, and responsive.
Key features such as dynamic data tables, bulk messaging, and funnel tracking tools have streamlined daily operations, enabling faster, more accurate communication and follow-up. The platform also promotes collaboration and transparency among team members through a centralized dashboard and integrated communication tools.
What specific DreamApply features made the biggest difference for Ashesi?
User-Friendliness
The platform’s intuitive interface made it easy for both applicants and staff to navigate. Applicants found it simple to upload documents and track their progress, while staff benefited from seamless monitoring and management through the application funnel and offer/reply features. Extracting data for reporting also became simpler, contributing to better strategic decision-making.
Automation
Automation has become a standout feature in Ashesi’s admissions process, drastically reducing manual workloads and enhancing operational efficiency. The system seamlessly manages routine yet essential tasks such as sending invoice payment reminders, notifying applicants of incomplete tasks, and issuing confirmation messages upon submission. This not only ensures timely and consistent communication but also allows the admissions team to focus on more strategic, high-impact engagement with prospective students.
Communication Tools
DreamApply’s integrated communication tools have transformed the way Ashesi engages with prospective students. Features such as bulk messaging allow the admissions team to send hundreds of personalized emails to targeted groups within the admissions funnel efficiently and at scale. The ability to track message opens and store entire email threads within each applicant’s profile has proven invaluable, enabling seamless follow-up, better organization, and a more personalized experience for every applicant.
Analytics and Insights
The customizable data tables within DreamApply’s analytics tools have been instrumental in supporting data-driven decision-making at Ashesi. With the ability to export data into platforms like Excel or Power BI, the admissions team can gain deeper insights into applicant trends, demographic breakdowns, and gender parity.
These insights directly inform recruitment strategies, helping to optimize outreach efforts and refine the admissions process for greater impact.
Integration of Payment Gateway
A major milestone in Ashesi University’s digital transformation was the successful integration of a payment gateway within the DreamApply platform. This advancement enabled real-time tracking of applicant payments and delivered accurate, up-to-date financial reporting, significantly improving transparency and streamlining financial processes across the admissions cycle.
Ashesi’s experience underscores DreamApply’s commitment to supporting institutions through continuous innovation and platform enhancements. By leveraging the full capabilities of DreamApply, Ashesi has not only optimized its admissions workflow but also set a new standard for efficiency, accountability, and applicant experience in the region.
About DreamApply
Founded in 2011 in Estonia, DreamApply is an innovation-driven EdTech organization that improves access to education around the globe. DreamApply’s admissions software helps more than 300 educational institutions across 40 countries improve admissions, marketing, financial and other internal processes.
DreamApply’s easy-to-use and customizable software increases student enrollment by 30% and reduces application processing time by 40%. With features designed with and for educational institutions, and integrations with commonly used systems, DreamApply empowers teams to get more done with less effort.