In international admissions, waiting often feels like the safest option.
When teams are stretched and the next intake is already looming, “not yet” can feel responsible, a way to protect people and focus on what’s immediately in front of you.
The reality, though, is that waiting rarely makes things easier. It just makes the next cycle harder.
In the UK higher education sector, I’ve seen one constant truth: universities care deeply about getting it right. About delivering a compliant, transparent and positive experience for every international student who joins them.
But with that care often comes caution.
A sector that isn’t standing still
Over half of UK universities now use Enroly to manage international student enrolment. That figure isn’t about early adoption anymore, it’s about a sector that’s modernising fast. And as that shift accelerates, the gap between institutions who have modernised and those who haven’t becomes harder to ignore.
Every cycle, these universities are processing more efficiently, giving their teams better visibility, and delivering the kind of smooth, simple experience international students now expect as standard.
Meanwhile, for the few institutions still relying on spreadsheets, emails, and manual checks, each intake feels tougher than the one before.
Volumes rise. Rules change. Student expectations grow.
"For my team, it's going to be a game-changer. Instead of juggling multiple spreadsheets and hunting for information across different platforms, everything will be centralised in one place." - University of Derby, Gemma Plant, Admissions Enquiries Manager.
Why ‘not yet’ feels safe - and why it rarely is
Most universities I speak to aren’t resistant to change, far from it.|
They see the value. They know where the inefficiencies lie.
But fear of disruption, limited IT capacity, and the pressure of “just getting through this intake” often delay the decision.
That caution makes sense. But every cycle deferred is another where:
- Manual work compounds
- Compliance checks rely on human oversight
- Teams are stretched thinner
- Students experience unnecessary friction
And for students, particularly those entering higher education today - digital experiences are the baseline.
Many manage their lives through real-time apps, where progress is visible, updates are immediate and next steps are clear. In that context, even small inefficiencies stand out.
Research reflects this shift. 67% of students say they expect their digital experience at university to match the standard set by platforms like Netflix and Amazon, and 50% say digital experience is among their top three factors when choosing a university*.
They expect visibility. They expect certainty. And they increasingly expect the same clarity they get when they book a flight or track a delivery.
"We used to spend hours emailing applicants for visa application details and decisions. Now CAS Shield does this for us and has helped streamline our pre-CAS process" - UEL, International Student Advice Team.
The cost of waiting
When universities pause change for “one more intake”, the impact shows up in predictable places:
Processing time - Manual work and re-checks delay CAS issuance
People - Overwork, burnout, and turnover
Compliance- Higher sponsor risk from fragmented oversight
Experience- Students and Agents frustrated by uncertainty
IT- More patching, less progress, technical debt grows
By the time change finally happens, it’s often under more pressure and with fewer resources than before.
That’s why I encourage institutions to ask a simple question “How much longer can we afford to keep things as they are?”
Change that fits reality
The good news is that this isn’t a leap of faith anymore.
CAS Shield is part of the infrastructure of UK Higher Education - proven, stable, and built around the sector’s needs.
Implementations are fast and light-touch, designed for busy admissions cycles and limited IT capacity.
Most universities go live within weeks, not months, and the impact is immediate:
- Teams regain time for higher-value work
- Students move faster through the process
- Compliance and visibility improve across departments
"There was a really big understanding from the Enroly team about how Universities actually work. If you follow their guidance any fears around the onboarding process will quickly evaporate." - Bobby Mehta, PVC, University of Portsmouth
Reframing risk
I’ve spent years working with universities at every stage of this journey, from early adopters to those just beginning to explore new systems. One pattern is always clear: the biggest risk isn’t change. It’s hesitation.
The reasons to wait are familiar - capacity, timing, caution. But with every intake deferred, the cost of waiting keeps growing.
Change isn’t about disruption anymore.
It’s about restoring control, confidence and clarity, for staff and for students alike.
The risk isn’t starting.
It’s staying paused.
*Source: Quoted by AWS Executive Lead for UK Education, based on research conducted by Great State in 2023 about digital experiences with UK universities and students.
.png){kind=small}
