Unibuddy

Unibuddy is a peer-to-peer university recruitment platform that connects prospective students with current student ambassadors. The company's technology facilitates online messaging between potential applicants and enrolled students, providing an insider's view of what it's like to study, live, and socialize at a particular institution. This approach aims to boost confidence and empower prospective students to speak openly about their concerns and questions. Unibuddy's platform offers features such as searchable and filterable ambassadors, downloadable leads, access to a data dashboard, and conversation tracking. The company reports that 65% of students who chat with an ambassador through their platform convert into an application choice for that ambassador's institution. As of July 2021, Unibuddy had approximately 450 higher education customers across 35 countries, with over 80% of UK institutions using their services, including prestigious universities such as the University of Cambridge, Imperial College, and King's College London.

Key customers and partnerships

Unibuddy has partnered with UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) in the UK to integrate its services into the ucas.com platform. This partnership allows prospective students to access Unibuddy's features directly through the UCAS website, which is a central hub for university applications in the UK. The company also works with various universities and colleges globally, helping them to increase engagement and achieve their recruitment objectives. For instance, Imperial College reported that 47% of new prospects went on to apply after chatting with an ambassador through Unibuddy. The platform has seen significant growth, with a 190% increase in usage reported in July 2021, attributed in part to the shift toward digital recruitment strategies during the global pandemic.