Campus ID News
Card, mobile credential, payment and security
FEATURED
PARTNERS
Integrated Payments Dashboard screen

Data analytics: The new imperative for higher education's future

Transforming fragmented data sources – from financial metrics to student performance data – into actionable intelligence

Contributor   ||   Apr 02, 2025  ||   ,
By Ian Ashworth, Director of Product Management at Transact Campus

Higher education is facing a new reality. As enrollment numbers fluctuate and budgets contract, colleges and universities must either embrace data-driven decision-making or risk obsolescence. The implementation of sophisticated data analytics platforms has evolved from a mere advantage to an essential survival tool.

Modern universities compete not only through academic excellence but through operational innovation. This chasm between acknowledging data's importance and successfully implementing data-driven strategies threatens many institutions' viability. So much so that three important bodies in higher education, The Association for Institutional Research (AIR), EDUCAUSE, and the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) created the Change with Analytics Playbook to showcase the power of data and analytics to make better decisions and fulfill their institutional missions.

Breaking down barriers: The power of unified data

Modern analytics platforms transform fragmented information – from financial metrics to student performance data – into actionable intelligence. These systems demolish traditional departmental barriers, revealing crucial patterns that drive institutional success.

Western Washington University implemented a comprehensive data system to pinpoint inefficiencies, predict enrollment trends, and allocate resources more effectively.

Western Washington University exemplifies this transformation. By implementing a comprehensive data system, the institution has revolutionized both its day-to-day operations and strategic planning. Viewing its operations through the lens of aggregated data, they have been able to pinpoint inefficiencies, predict enrollment trends, and allocate resources more effectively.

The sophistication of these platforms extends beyond mere data collection. Advanced analytics engines uncover subtle patterns invisible to human analysts, from student success indicators to optimal financial aid strategies. This capability transforms university administrators from reactive problem-solvers into strategic planners, anticipating and addressing challenges before they materialize.

In today's fiercely competitive academic landscape, where institutions vie for students, funding, and prestige, this predictive capability proves invaluable. Universities leveraging comprehensive data analytics navigate changes with evidence-based confidence while enhancing student outcomes. Here are some examples:

Strategic enrollment management: Universities can deploy predictive analytics to identify and recruit high-potential students, diversifying their applicant pools and strengthening incoming classes. College administrators face a paradoxical challenge: while the Common App and test-optional policies have led to a surge in applications, overall enrollment continues to decline, making it crucial for universities to leverage predictive data analytics to identify candidates most likely to succeed at their institutions.

Only 76% of full-time U.S. university students persist to their second year of college, but patterns in tuition payments, class attendance, and campus engagement can help.

Enhanced student success: Through sophisticated analysis of academic performance, campus engagement, and payment systems, institutions identify at-risk students early and intervene before they drop out.

Only 76% of full-time U.S. university students persist to their second year of college. Predictive analytics allow schools to examine patterns in tuition payments, class attendance, and campus engagement, enabling timely interventions like financial counseling or flexible payment plans.

Optimized resources and campus services: Comprehensive facility usage analysis optimizes everything from classroom scheduling to energy consumption, generating substantial cost savings while improving campus operations. Meal plan and campus commerce systems with real-time tracking and inventory management capabilities allow colleges to make data-driven decisions on everything from what snacks to offer at the rec center to seamlessly integrating reusable container programs into dining services.

The road ahead

Ian Ashworth, Transact

Ian Ashworth, Director of Product Management at Transact Campus


Colleges and universities that fully integrate advanced analytics into their operational DNA will distinguish themselves as the educational innovators versus those who will be left behind in the coming decade. Success hinges on bridging the implementation gap between acknowledging data's importance and fully deploying systems. The good news is that emerging cloud-based, secure, easy-to-integrate and deploy data platforms can quickly turn this potential into measurable success.

The next decade will likely see a widening gap between institutions that successfully leverage data analytics and those that don't. While the implementation challenges are real, they're not insurmountable. As more universities bridge the gap between recognizing data's importance and actually deploying effective systems, they're discovering that the true value lies not in the technology itself, but in how it transforms decision-making and student outcomes.

|| TAGS:
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

RECENT ARTICLES

Apex Order Pickup Solutions locker with student

Stronger together: Tech integration for campus dining

Today's students move fast. Their schedules are packed. Their expectations are high. For them, convenience isn't a perk, it's a necessity. That’s why campuses around the country are embracing smart food lockers as a solution to streamline campus dining. But what makes smart locker implementations really work isn't just what you can see, it's the […]
Nancy Langer, CEO, Transact+CBORD
May 15, 25 /

CEO Nancy Langer departs Transact + CBORD for new opportunity

In August of 2024, news hit that Roper Technologies had acquired Transact. Roper already owned CBORD, and it was announced that the Transact would be combined with the CBORD business. In October of that year Langer, who had served as Transact’s CEO since 2021, was named CEO of the combined company. Days ago, via LinkedIn, […]
Emily Dieker, George Washington University
May 14, 25 /

GWU campus card office plays key role in incident response and lockdowns

In this episode of CampusIDNews Chats, Emily Dieker, Director of the GWorld Card Program at George Washington University, discussed the critical role her team plays in campus emergency response and lockdowns. When she assumed the director role in 2019, she realized that despite having system capabilities to initiate lockdowns, the university lacked coordination among emergency […]
CIDN logo reversed
The only publication dedicated to the use of campus cards, mobile credentials, identity and security technology in the education market. CampusIDNews – formerly CR80News – has served more than 6,500 subscribers for more than two decades.
Twitter

Attn: friends in the biometrics space. Nominations close Friday for the annual Women in Biometrics Awards. Take five minutes to recognize a colleague or even yourself. http://WomenInBiometrics.com

Feb. 1 webinar explores how mobile ordering enhanced campus life, increased sales at UVA and Central Washington @Grubhub @CBORD

Load More...
Contact
CampusIDNews is published by AVISIAN Publishing
315 E. Georgia St.
Tallahassee, FL 32301
www.AVISIAN.com[email protected]
Use our contact form to submit tips, corrections, or questions to our team.
©2025 CampusIDNews. All rights reserved.