Overview
Kingston University had invested significant time in improving its international admissions operation and creating a smoother experience for applicants. But as volumes grew, two areas remained difficult to scale: managing pre-CAS credibility interviews and supporting students efficiently through the journey to CAS issuance.
Working with Enroly, Kingston implemented CAS Shield with Automated Interviews, Interview Assessment and Data Insights to create a more structured and scalable approach to supporting international applicants.
Within weeks of going live, the University had reduced manual administration, improved operational visibility, given more time back to their staff and created a clearer, more guided experience for students - all without a major transformation programme, large project team or significant technical overhead.
The Challenge
Kingston had already done much of the hard work. Admissions processes had been refined, qualification requirements reviewed and teams were continually improving how they supported international students.
However, some parts of the journey still relied heavily on manual effort. Pre-CAS interviews had become one of the clearest operational pressure points. Interview identification, scheduling, attendance management, scoring and audit tracking all required significant coordination and relied on a small number of trained staff.
As volumes increased, that approach became increasingly difficult to sustain. As Ben Stone, International Admissions Manager at Kingston University, explains:
“We absolutely did not have a robust mechanism to deliver those interviews at scale.”
At peak periods, the operational pressure became very real.
“On our final day of interviews, the team was determined to get through every single applicant. We were interviewing from 4am until 5pm, back-to-back, because we didn't want anyone to miss out”
Alongside interviews, Kingston also wanted to strengthen the journey through to CAS issuance. The team wanted students to have clearer visibility of what was required, while reducing the amount of manual coordination and communication required internally.
The goal wasn’t to replace existing systems. It was to create a more scalable way of supporting students through to CAS issuance, reducing friction, improving visibility and creating a smoother experience for applicants along the way.
Why CAS Shield
Kingston selected CAS Shield to create more structure, consistency and scalability across the offer-to-CAS journey. In addition to CAS Shield, Kingston implemented Automated Interviews and Interview Assessment to create a more scalable approach to pre-CAS interviews.
Students could complete interviews through a guided digital experience within the platform, reducing the need for live coordination, while teams gained a simpler way to review outcomes and support applicants through to CAS issuance.
By moving away from spreadsheets and manual administration, Kingston transformed one of its most resource-intensive processes into a more structured and scalable journey.
One of the biggest changes for Ben and the team has been the ability to support students more consistently throughout the journey.
“The way in which we can now nurture people through CAS Shield, we just didn’t have that before.”
Rather than relying on manual follow-up and fragmented communications, students can progress through a clearer process with greater visibility of what is required next.
For teams, this creates a more manageable way to support applicants while maintaining confidence and oversight.
Onboarding Without the Transformation Headache
One of the biggest concerns universities often have when introducing new technology is implementation effort, particularly where integrations, internal resources and competing priorities are involved.
At Kingston, the team chose to bring together a small dedicated group - a project manager, an admissions lead, a systems lead and a business analyst to map the business process and ensure a smooth integration.
As Ben Stone, International Admissions Manager at Kingston University, explains:
“While this wasn’t a requirement, we felt this would make sure that we were able to really use Enroly CAS Shield effectively straight away.”
The project was delivered with admissions, compliance and technical stakeholders working closely together to align processes, configure workflows and prepare teams for adoption, ensuring the platform was embedded properly from day one rather than bolted on.
“The integration and the work with colleagues at Enroly, honestly, was fantastic. It added real value throughout the journey.”
The Impact
Just a few months after going live, Kingston had already started seeing benefits across both operational delivery and student experience.
Pre-CAS interviews, previously reliant on spreadsheets, manual scheduling and significant administrative coordination, are now delivered through a more structured, scalable digital journey within CAS Shield.
Features such as automated interview invitations, configurable interview journeys and a more consistent interview experience removed much of the operational burden previously placed on teams, reducing manual effort, improving consistency and removing the need to coordinate large volumes of interviews manually.
At the same time, Kingston has transformed the way it supports students through to CAS issuance. For new international students, the university has removed the need for a shared inbox and instead manages communications and progression through CAS Shield - creating a clearer, more consistent experience for applicants and reducing duplicated communications internally.
Kingston has also used the flexibility already built into CAS Shield to shape the experience around its own approach to supporting students. Ben describes this internally as creating a more “gamified” journey, not through rewards or scoring, but by helping students better understand their progress, what remains outstanding and what they need to do next.
The result is a journey that feels clearer for students and easier for teams to manage, with staff spending less time coordinating processes and more time supporting applicants.
Turning Data into Decisions
Alongside implementation, Kingston ensured it had access to Enroly Data Insights in time for its first intake using the platform.
The objective wasn’t simply additional reporting, it was to give teams access to live, benchmarked insight to support operational decision making and understand performance in context.
Using Data Insights, Kingston can track conversion and admissions activity against sector trends and comparable institutions, helping teams identify opportunities, monitor progress and make more informed decisions throughout the cycle.
For Kingston, the value extends beyond operational efficiency. It is about creating a journey that is easier for teams to manage and easier for students to navigate, while giving the university greater confidence in the decisions it makes along the way.
As Ben explains:
“We know that if there’s a student that wants to get here, they will get here, and we won’t lose them because of any difficulties navigating our administration process.”
For universities looking to strengthen international admissions operations and the student experience, Kingston’s experience shows that improving the journey to CAS doesn’t need to mean replacing systems, standing up large project teams or committing to lengthy implementation programmes - meaningful change can happen quickly while continuing to work within existing environments.
See what CAS Shield could make possible for your team
CAS Shield helps universities create a clearer, more scalable journey from offer to CAS - reducing manual administration, improving visibility and giving teams more time to support students.
Explore CAS Shield and book a conversation with our team.
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