What is Outreach Evaluator?
Outreach Evaluator is a data service, run by UCAS, that aims to link a dataset of named individuals to the UCAS database.
This means you can receive information about these individuals on the following:
- Their application journey – from application to acceptance.
- Specific universities, or groups of universities, they’ve applied to.
- Which year they will start their studies in.
- Further information from your own variables.
You’ll receive an independent assessment of your outcomes, which will highlight where statistically significant results have been achieved. You’ll be supplied with aggregated statistics, rounded to the nearest five. This avoids personal disclosure, and allows you freedom to publish the results.
You can gather even more information about your selected group of individuals by linking your Outreach Evaluator output to our EXACT data service.
What can I use Outreach Evaluator for?
Outreach Evaluator can be used for a number of charitable and commercial purposes. The two most common uses for this service are as follows:
- Widening participation impact evaluator UCAS has carried out work with a charity that aims to increase the number of disadvantaged young people accessing higher education. The charity sent UCAS a list of young people who had been in touch with them, and UCAS was able to report that contact with this charity meant the young people were significantly more likely to apply to – and be accepted at – a highly selective university. The charity was then able to publish this information in their marketing, and report it to those funding their work.
- Open day evaluator UCAS worked with a higher education provider following one of their open days. Outreach Evaluator imported the list of named individuals, and was able to demonstrate that the provider had converted 37% of the available market through their open day. Through Outreach Evaluator, the provider was also able to identify two competitors that, between them, had converted 44% of the available market. This helped the provider understand the competition, which in turn informed its strategic planning.
Other uses of Outreach Evaluator include:
- evaluation of direct contact with prospective students during Clearing
- use of higher education access rates, alongside estimates of graduate earnings, to demonstrate the lifetime value of an intervention for an individual
- evaluation of mailing campaigns geared to increase interest in higher education
As the sector becomes more creative, we will see further uses of this data service.
What other benefits are there?
Outreach Evaluator is available ‘in-cycle’, meaning you don’t have to wait for A level results day for application information.
From receipt of the data, we will provide your outputs within one week.
Pricing
There are three pricing structures for Outreach Evaluator:
- Small datasets – a high resolution service, priced at £5 per record submitted. This includes the full Outreach Evaluator functionality.
- Large datasets – a low resolution service, available at a flat fee of £2,000, as a price per record strategy is not feasible for large numbers. Full Outreach Evaluator functionality for large datasets requires a link to EXACT – email strobe@ucas.ac.uk for more information.
- For charitable interventions, we offer a public benefit service, where under certain circumstances, Outreach Evaluator can be accessed at no cost. Email strobe@ucas.ac.uk for more information.
The legal bit
- You must have permission to share individuals’ data with UCAS.
- Outreach Evaluator terms of service are available on request. These are deemed as accepted on receipt on third party data.
- Data will be transferred via SFTP.
- Data will be destroyed after use for the business purpose.
The software provides robust statistical evidence on the impacts of engagement activities for higher education providers and charitable organisations.
Outreach Evaluator provides anonymised information on a cohort of individuals, supplied by your organisation. Typically these are people who you’ve interacted with in some way, through a programme or intervention your organisation has delivered.
We match your data with our own university applicant data to evidence the number of young people who achieve a specific outcome, benchmarking your performance against the national average, an appropriate control group, and, for universities, your competition.
The information provided relates to every stage of the higher education admissions process, from application to acceptance, including the main cycle, EXTRA and Clearing. Plus you can get important reports in-cycle, meaning you can gain intelligence in real-time.