The verdict in three sentences
For a private university in Manchester, the website is no longer a brochure: it is the first admissions desk, with more than 80% of visits on mobile from prospective students, many of them international, and their parents. A redesign built around the applicant journey (programme pages, fee calculator, online application, chat) costs, as a 2026 order of magnitude, EUR 20,000 to 37,000 (about GBP 17,000 to 31,000), delivered in 16 weeks in English, French and Arabic. The target is 2,000 applications submitted online a year and a 40% lower cost per application than fairs and paid campaigns.
What drives applicants away today
Private institution websites often show the same blockers: programmes described in PDFs, tuition fees missing or hidden, a generic contact form and no reply for several days. During the admissions window, every friction point sends the applicant to a competitor in the UK or abroad.
| Friction point | Common situation | Measured effect (order of magnitude) |
|---|---|---|
| Programme sheets as PDFs | 5 to 10 MB download | 40 to 60% mobile drop-off |
| Tuition fees not shown | Phone call required | 1 applicant in 3 never follows up |
| Paper or email applications | Documents sent in bulk | 3 to 5 days processing per file |
| English-only site | French- and Arabic-speaking international families left out | 15 to 25% of audience lost |
| No chat during admissions | Reply within 48 to 72 h | Conversion halved |
Redesign budget by work package
| Work package | 2026 range (EUR excl. VAT) | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant journey workshop, SEO audit and architecture | 1,850 to 3,250 | 2 weeks |
| Design system and mockups (home, programme, admissions) | 3,250 to 5,550 | 3 weeks |
| Site development and CMS for 30 programme pages | 6,450 to 11,100 | 5 weeks |
| Fee calculator (programme, scholarship, payment plan) | 1,850 to 3,700 | 2 weeks |
| Online application with document upload and tracking | 4,150 to 8,300 | 3 weeks |
| Trilingual Arabic (RTL), French, English and chat | 1,850 to 3,700 | In parallel |
| Testing, data protection compliance and training | 600 to 1,400 | 1 week |
| Total | 20,000 to 37,000 | 16 weeks |
The high end includes a connection to the student records system, online payment of application fees and an applicant portal with SMS notifications. Compliance with UK GDPR must be planned from the start, since the form collects ID documents and transcripts.
The applicant journey that converts
An effective site guides the visitor in four steps: find the programme, understand the real cost, submit an application in under 15 minutes, get a fast answer. The fee calculator is the most profitable tool: it answers the question parents ask first.
| Metric | Before redesign | 12-month target |
|---|---|---|
| Online applications per year | 600 | 2,000 |
| Programme visit to application conversion | 0.8% | 2.5% |
| First reply time | 3 days | Under 4 hours (chat and automatic acknowledgement) |
| Cost per application (fairs and ads) | EUR 83 | EUR 50 |
| Share of mobile traffic with pages under 2.5 s | 30% | 90% |
| Languages available | 1 | 3 |
Mini case study
David, admissions director at a private university in Manchester (4,500 students, 30 programmes), spends EUR 148,000 a year on fairs, outdoor and online ads for about 1,800 applications, nearly EUR 83 per file. With a EUR 28,700 redesign, the 2,000 online application target and a cost brought down to EUR 50 per application put the acquisition budget at about EUR 100,000 for a higher volume. The annual saving is close to EUR 48,000. If 25% of the extra applications turn into enrolments with annual fees of EUR 5,500, 50 more students mean EUR 275,000 in tuition revenue. The redesign pays for itself from the first intake.
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FAQ
Should we really publish tuition fees?
Yes, at least as a range or a calculator. Institutions that show their fees usually see 20 to 30% fewer information requests but better-qualified applications.
Does the Arabic version complicate the project much?
It requires a right-to-left layout and native proofreading, around 10 to 15% of the development budget. It matters for reaching international families who often make the final choice.
Can we collect application fees online?
Yes, through a payment gateway accepting cards, with fees of 1.5 to 2.5% per transaction. This reduces incomplete applications and speeds up processing.
How long to be ready before the admissions campaign?
Allow 16 weeks of project time. To open applications in March, the project must start by early November at the latest.
Does the admissions team have to staff the chat?
An automated assistant answers 60 to 70% of common questions (fees, dates, entry requirements), the rest goes to an adviser. Two people are then enough during peak admissions.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your number of programmes, target languages and application opening date: we will price the redesign and applicant journey package by package, with an indicative budget and a 16-week schedule. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
