{"id":13820,"date":"2025-05-08T12:37:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T12:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.watchmycompetitor.com\/resources\/?p=13820"},"modified":"2025-05-08T13:01:46","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T13:01:46","slug":"winning-the-2025-clearing-battle-with-market-intelligence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.watchmycompetitor.com\/resources\/winning-the-2025-clearing-battle-with-market-intelligence\/","title":{"rendered":"Winning the 2025 Clearing Battle with Market Intelligence"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

As policy changes impact revenue for UK universities and clearing becomes more significant, we explore the rising role of market intelligence.<\/em><\/p>

UK universities are under intense pressure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Over the past 18 months, <\/span>policy changes on student visas<\/span><\/a> have severely <\/span>dented the number of international student applications<\/span><\/a>, creating a huge financial problem for many universities.<\/span><\/p>

That decline is being exacerbated by the government considering a change which would require graduates to secure a \u2018graduate-level job\u2019 to remain in the UK after their studies. With <\/span>48% of graduates in the UK<\/span><\/a> struggling to find a role at that level, it\u2019s little wonder that international students are considering other options.<\/span><\/p>

With <\/span>72% of UK universities<\/span><\/a> facing deficits in 2025\/26, this is a challenging time.<\/span><\/p>

Several higher education institutions have taken measures such as staff cuts, course removals and reduced investments to navigate these uncertain times. While there are growing fears over the reputational damage these measures could have long-term.<\/span><\/p>

University leaders are banding together to call for \u201c<\/span>a long-term, sustainable funding settlement for the higher education sector.\u201d But until then, they\u2019re in a fight for revenue \u2013 and clearing has become an important battleground.<\/span><\/p>

The Clearing Battle<\/b><\/h2>

As you well know, for universities, clearing is more than a \u2018back-up\u2019. It\u2019s become an integral part of their strategies. And as we near the summer months, open days, incentives, promotions and marketing messages are all being planned in a bid to attract students and bolster revenues.<\/span><\/p>

But with so many universities facing the same commercial challenges, many are in direct competition for the same, shrinking pool of students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

To win clearing, they need to stand out and outsmart the competition \u2013 and, to do that, they require intelligence.<\/span><\/p>

Overwhelmed by Data. Short on Intelligence.<\/b><\/h2>

As with any strategic or creative endeavour, the ability to use data to inform or validate ideas and actions is extremely valuable. When the right insights are gathered and harnessed effectively, it presents a huge advantage over competitors.<\/span><\/p>

In the last year, we\u2019ve spoken to many UK universities. While some are on top of their data, the vast majority are feeling overwhelmed by it.<\/span><\/p>

They\u2019re doing their best to track details on courses, fees, scholarships, bursaries, marketing campaigns and clearing in general. But most of it is being gathered manually from a wide selection of sources, including competitor websites, press, anecdotal feedback and social media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The lack of structure to this data means noise overwhelms actionable insights. It\u2019s hard to keep up.<\/span><\/p>

Coupled with the sheer volume of data that\u2019s out there, key competitor actions are easy to miss. Using manual processes, it\u2019s virtually impossible for a university team to know about every change a competitor makes. Let alone those made by multiple competing universities.<\/span><\/p>

University marketing and insight teams long for structure. Yet the only organised data they have is the same, retrospective UCAS insights that <\/span>every<\/span><\/i> university has access to. While useful for understanding the bigger picture over the last two years, many are finding it hard to turn that data into actions that give them an advantage right now.<\/span><\/p>

So what\u2019s the answer?<\/span><\/p>

The Clearing Advantage: Real-time Market Intelligence\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>

If you\u2019re running a clearing campaign on behalf of a university, you\u2019ll know that at any given time, a competitor could be making changes to their courses, introducing new incentives and promotions, launching open days, creating marketing campaigns, tweaking messaging or more.<\/span><\/p>

Unless you know what those actions are in a timely manner, make sense of them from a strategic point of view and act upon them swiftly, your position is vulnerable. Each move could give them the advantage and make it harder for you to compete.<\/span><\/p>

The window and margin of error during clearing is small. Smart decisions made quickly are the best way to gain and protect an advantage. So competitor data that\u2019s vague, outdated, sporadic, complicated or incomplete will never be enough.<\/span><\/p>

Instead, university teams need market intelligence that\u2019s:<\/span><\/p>