Saving two minutes of processing time per application doesn’t sound like much but, when you consider the number of international students applying to higher education institutions across the globe, it’s a saving that really adds up.
Since StudyLink’s English language test verification integration was launched in 2023, admissions teams have saved over 35,000 hours of valuable time. Not only does the integration deliver significant ROI, but it is also a lesson in how listening to your clients and delivering a robust solution to a very real problem makes a huge difference to their experience and process.
The StudyLink platform provides universities with a comprehensive agent and admissions management solution, supporting the process from application submission to enrolment, thereby reducing application turnaround times and improving conversion rates. But one critical step in the application process—English language test result verification—remained highly manual and time consuming.
The full-scale impact of this problematic process was uncovered during discussions on thoughtful use cases for AI at a StudyLink user forum. While the process clearly caused delays in application processing, the consensus from users was that they didn’t want AI to take over completely. Instead they wanted feature developments to automate as many steps in the process as possible.
The resulting development, the StudyLink integration with IELTS, TOEFL, Duolingo and Pearson means admissions teams can verify English language test results in just one click, directly within the StudyLink platform. Doing so eliminates manual data input and the need to switch between different systems, reducing errors and saving two minutes of processing time per application.
Verification can be automated with the StudyLink guided English assessment feature which allows users to set their own entry requirements, check and verify the scores at source and then confirm they meet the minimum entry requirements, all on submission of the application. Admissions are presented with a simple report to show whether English test results have been verified and if they meet the entry requirements. They also have the option to manually review applicants who failed to achieve the required English language test scores but who may be considered for other reasons.
Data integration, between the English language testing systems, StudyLink and student management systems, means users also benefit from improved data quality and streamlined end-to-end workflows.
Commenting on the success of the integration, Jason Howard, Flywire’s Global Head of Recruitment and Admission Solution said, “through this partnership with IELTS, TOEFL, Duolingo & Pearson we've been able to free up significant time for admissions and deliver this important information earlier in the process to help verify test scores and filter out fraudulent applicants.”
In just one year, admission teams have saved over 35,000 hours while verifying the results of 1,055,623 English tests within the StudyLink portal, a noticeable saving that has created time for admissions teams to spend providing better outcomes and experiences for future students.
“Thank you for this great development! No more logging into different systems and flicking between screens. One click and the test result is there... magic!,” said Linda Pham of UTS College.
About StudyLink
Part of Flywire’s comprehensive portfolio of solutions for the global education industry, StudyLink is an application, agent and admissions management platform that helps institutions to manage applications, agents and admissions more efficiently to reduce turnaround times and improve conversion rates.
Used by the majority of universities in Australia, StudyLink is the preferred method for recruitment partners to submit and manage applications to their education partners and is used by 20,000+ agents worldwide.