Modernising Admissions & Enrolment in 2026

⏱ 5 minutes to read

Tertiary Tech Leader’s Challenge in 2026

As semester two of 2025 kicks off, now is the moment for IT leaders to get ahead of the admissions and enrolment challenges of next year.

One challenge sits at the centre of almost every discussion in tertiary education: doing more with less. Budget pressures, staff shortages, and rising student expectations have made admissions and enrolment two of the most critical and labour-intensive processes in the student lifecycle.

For tech leaders in New Zealand’s tertiary sector, the question isn’t just “how do we improve?”, it’s “how do we simplify, scale, and still deliver a great student experience?”

Here’s a breakdown of the key issues facing institutions today and the practical solutions modern platforms can provide.

The Core Challenge: Complexity and Capacity

Institutions are being asked to manage more applicants, more documentation, and more support requests with the same or fewer resources. This is especially painful during peak periods when volume spikes and turnaround times stretch.

Let’s look at what’s happening on the ground.

^{NZ tertiary tech leaders are focused on simplifying systems, scaling processes, and delivering exceptional student experiences.}

1. Complex and Confusing Application Systems

Students often struggle to complete their applications due to poorly designed forms, unclear instructions, and disconnected systems. This broken experience leads to a range of issues, including high abandonment rates, frequent helpdesk calls, and significant delays in processing applications.

‍Solution:
Build a student-centric platform that simplifies the application process. Layer in form logic and validation to reduce errors and confusion. Use custom-built Power Pages or modern frameworks like React to create flexible front-ends that integrate cleanly with backend systems.

2. Lack of Clear and Timely Communication

Applicants often don’t know what’s happening after they submit their application. Is it under review? Is something missing? This leads to uncertainty, anxiety, and a surge in support calls.

‍Solution:
Implement automated, timely communications triggered by key milestones. Use AI-driven communication triggers that send personalised messages (via SMS, email or in-app) based on workflow stages. Leverage Power Automate or integrate third-party platforms into custom-built student portals for smart, multi-channel comms.

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3. Incomplete Applications Delay Assessments

Assessors can’t move forward if students haven’t uploaded the right documents. Chasing these manually is time-consuming and frustrating for everyone.

‍Solution:
Automate follow-ups for missing documents. Trigger reminders with specific instructions and upload links. This removes unnecessary admin and speeds up decisions.  

^{From complex system integration to custom development and student-first design, Nodero helps tertiary institutions deliver smarter operations and standout digital experiences.}

4. Long Turnaround Times, Especially During Peaks

When applications flood in, staff can’t keep up particularly with international assessments or Recognition of Prior Learning cases.

Solution:
Automate low-value, repetitive tasks like data entry, verification, and status updates. Surface relevant information to staff through integrated dashboards so they can focus on complex assessments, not data wrangling.

5. Course Enrolment Errors and Churn

Even after admission, many students enrol in the wrong papers or make changes late. This creates bottlenecks in approvals and downstream impacts on class sizes and timetables.

‍Solution:
Guide students using rules-based enrolment forms that prevent common mistakes and flag anomalies. Embed help prompts, integrate support chatbots, and automate common change requests.  

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6. Lack of Early Visibility Into Student Progress

Without the right tools, it’s hard to know which students are progressing and which ones are at risk until it’s too late.

‍Solution:
Track key academic and enrolment data. Set up alerts for staff when a student misses a key milestone or drops below performance thresholds. This enables early intervention and better support outcomes.

^{Nodero has partnered with NZ universities to deliver human-centred digital systems that enhance learning, streamline administration, and support global student success.}

What the Future Looks Like

Imagine an enrolment experience where:
- Students can complete everything from a mobile device
- Communication is proactive, personalised, and channel-appropriate
- Staff only focus on the exceptions, not the routine
- Leaders have real-time visibility into the admissions funnel
- Support is delivered at the right time, without chasing paperwork

This isn’t theoretical. These are the kinds of modern experiences possible with AI, custom development, UX design, and M365 solutions, and they’re well within reach for NZ tertiary providers today.

Need help making it happen?

At Nodero, we bring together a powerful blend of developers, UX specialists, Microsoft 365 experts, and AI capabilities to help modernise your admissions and enrolment processes.

With over 13 years of experience partnering with higher education providers, we’ve helped institutions enhance productivity, reduce manual workloads, and create seamless student experiences.

Whether you’re ready to transform the student journey or need a targeted workshop to uncover quick wins, we’re here to help you move forward.