From insight to action: what we’re learning from the pre-arrival questionnaire pilot
With the first pilot complete, analysis is moving beyond initial findings to explore how institutions are using early student insight to shape support, transition and learning.
Author
Kathryn Heywood
Head of business intelligence data analytics
In our recent blog post, understanding students before they arrive: early insights from the pre-arrival questionnaire (PAQ) pilot, we explored how early insight into students’ expectations, experiences and concerns can help institutions support transition more effectively.
Those early findings were also explored in more depth during our recent webinar on the national pre-arrival questionnaire, where sector colleagues shared emerging insights and practical examples of how the data is being used in institutions.
Since then, the focus has shifted.
With the first wave of the national PAQ now complete, attention is turning to how institutions are using that insight in practice, and what it reveals when examined in greater depth.
What’s emerging is not just a clearer picture of incoming students, but a stronger evidence base for how transition, learning and support need to evolve.
Turning early insight into targeted action
One of the clearest developments from the pilot is how institutions are beginning to act on pre-arrival data in practical ways.
The early findings confirmed that students arrive with very different levels of confidence, preparedness and support needs.
What is changing now is how that insight is used. Participating institutions are starting to:
- Tailor onboarding and induction based on actual cohort needs
- Send early, targeted communications to students who may require support
- Identify needs that are not visible in formal declaration data
- Align insights with access and participation plans and student services
This represents a shift from designing transition around assumptions, to designing it around evidence gathered in real time.
Rethinking where belonging is built
Belonging remains a central theme in student success, but the PAQ adds important nuance.
Students consistently point to the academic experience as the primary driver of feeling settled and engaged, including connecting with peers on their course, interaction with tutors and access to academic and personal support.
Activities such as clubs and societies are still valuable, but are not always central for students balancing commuting, work or caring responsibilities.
This suggests a need to rebalance effort. For many students, belonging starts in the curriculum.
Bridging the digital reality gap
The pilot is also reshaping how we think about digital capability.
While students are often assumed to be “digital natives”, the data shows:
- Continued reliance on handwritten notes and textbooks
- Uneven experience with core software tools
- Limited exposure to libraries and academic digital resources
- Emerging but inconsistent use of generative AI
This highlights a transition gap between prior learning and higher education expectations.
In response, institutions are beginning to embed digital capability into early teaching, scaffold the use of platforms and tools more clearly and consider access issues such as device age and data availability.
Digital transformation needs to start from where students are, not where we assume they are.
By identifying gaps before students arrive, the PAQ gives institutions an opportunity to take a more proactive approach to building digital capability, supporting students to develop the skills, confidence and behaviours needed to thrive in a digitally enabled learning environment.
Earlier visibility of pressure points
The PAQ is helping institutions identify challenges earlier in the student journey.
Financial pressure, for example, is already present before arrival, with many students expecting to work alongside their studies.
Students may also disclose disabilities or mental health concerns in this reflective context that they have not formally declared elsewhere.
This creates new opportunities for earlier, more proactive support through targeted messaging and nudges, tailored induction design and adjustments to teaching and engagement
The timing of the insight is critical. Acting earlier enables preventative, rather than reactive, support.
A more nuanced understanding of student groups
As analysis deepens, the importance of understanding different student groups is becoming clearer.
Differences between undergraduate and postgraduate students, mature and younger entrants and UK and international students translate into different motivations, expectations and support needs.
For example:
- Postgraduates are more focused on career outcomes and time efficiency
- Commuter students face overlapping time, cost and access challenges
- Commuter students face overlapping time, cost and access challenges
These insights reinforce the need for more tailored, flexible approaches to transition and student support.
The PAQ as part of the learning journey
An important development is how the PAQ is being used as more than a data collection tool.
When embedded as a pre-arrival or early course activity, it encourages students to reflect on their expectations and readiness, how they have previously learned and what will be different in higher education.
This supports a more intentional transition and establishes an early dialogue between students and institutions.
Join the next wave of the pre-arrival questionnaire
As highlighted in the recent webinar, the first national pilot shows that understanding students before they arrive is not just valuable, but immediately useful in practice. Institutions are already using PAQ data to identify support needs earlier, adapt induction and make more informed decisions about their incoming cohorts.
The project will continue through to 2027, with further waves expanding participation and strengthening sector-wide benchmarking. The next wave is now open, with data collection running from September to November 2026 and rapid access to results shortly afterwards.
Taking part gives you the opportunity to:
- Gain early insight into your incoming students’ expectations, experiences and risks
- Identify support needs before term starts, not after issues emerge
- Benchmark your cohort against peers and similar providers
- Inform transition, induction and student support with timely, evidence-based insight
Participation is free, with support provided through Jisc Online Surveys and project partners.
If you want to move from assumption to evidence in how you prepare for your next intake, now is the time to get involved. You can also watch the webinar recording to hear directly from participating institutions and explore the findings in more depth.
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