What Is Your Open Day Actually Testing?
45% of Year 12 students attend an Open Day for course information, but strong attendance can mask a weak attraction strategy just as easily as it can confirm demand.
In UAC's 2026 survey of 20,813 Year 12 students, only 8% understood graduate employment outcomes in detail despite most saying it mattered, and recent school leavers now represent 48% of domestic undergraduate commencements, their largest share in a decade. NMC's Strategic Design framework sets out five tests, priority market, offer-market fit, distinctive proposition, access pathway and promise-to-experience, that let university leaders distinguish a recruitment problem from a deeper strategic one. Open Day data should be read as evidence about the institution's offer and experience, not just its marketing performance.
