The Full Story
Northumbria University has long operated its NU Entry Scheme to address social inequalities in higher education by supporting under-represented prospective students. Those completing the scheme receive NU Entry points equivalent to UCAS tariff points, helping them prepare for successful undergraduate study.
However, the program’s administration relied heavily on manual spreadsheets and processes, which consumed significant staff time. To scale and modernize, the university engaged Gecko, marking its third year of collaboration with the Entry Scheme.
With Gecko, Northumbria automated its workflows and communication. The team could now send personalized SMS and email reminders at each stage of the application, centralize student tracking, and generate exportable data for year-on-year and school-level insights.
Craig Davison, Wellbeing Practitioner focused on Inclusion, emphasized the transformation. The team could double time in schools to broaden outreach and ensure students complete their application and receive communications without delay.
He also noted the emotional impact. Adding personal communications enormously contributes to creating a sense of belonging and solidarity, while automated systems allow staff to focus support where students need it most.
As a result, completion rates rose by 37.2%, staff spent 50% more time engaging with students, the NU Entry conference saw 96% attendance, and administrative time was cut in half. The program now leans more on meaningful student interaction and less on paperwork.