Transform or be transformed: why digital strategy is now central to university survival

This blog was kindly authored by Professor Amanda Broderick, Vice-Chancellor & President of the University of East London.

Across higher education, there is a growing realisation that no cavalry is coming over the hill. Government support arrives with one hand while being withdrawn with the other, and universities are being asked to do more, for more people, with fewer resources. The choice facing the sector is stark: we must transform, or be transformed.

At the University of East London (UEL), we have been on this journey for some time. In many ways, it was almost serendipitous that the University reached a point of existential pressure years before similar headwinds struck the rest of the sector. That early crisis forced us to confront difficult truths, make bold decisions, and learn quickly what genuinely works. As we approach the final quarter of our ten-year strategy, Vision 2028, our transformation is evident. We have seen a 25 percentage point improvement in positive graduate outcomes (the largest in England), an unparalleled rise in NSS rankings, a move from 90th to 2nd in the country for annual student start-ups, and a financial sustainability strategy which now places us as one of only 15 universities in the country without any external borrowing, whilst delivering a £350m investment programme.

One area underpins each of these elements of our transformation: digital.

When we launched Vision 2028, digital transformation sat at its core – not as a technology programme, but as a strategic enabler. Our ‘Digital First’ approach was designed to ensure that the entire UEL community has the tools, confidence and freedom to innovate and develop continuously. That philosophy has shaped everything we have done since.

We have migrated from on-premises data centres to a cloud infrastructure, becoming the first UK university to be fully cloud-based in 2019. This has improved resilience, reduced environmental impact, and transformed how we use big data, from student retention predictive modelling to generative AI personal learning assistance to business intelligence and management information. We have invested in innovation spaces that allow students to build their own compute environments, redesigned our website to offer a more personalised browsing experience, and strengthened our digital architecture to mitigate downtime.

Sustainability has been a constant consideration – reducing data centre usage and re-using compatible hardware wherever possible. We have also made key software available anytime, anywhere, and consolidated multiple CRM-type environments into a single solution.

But digital transformation only matters if it serves a purpose. At UEL, that purpose is careers.

How can we prepare students for future careers if we do not embed digital skills throughout their education? That question underpins our Mental Wealth and Professional Fitness curriculum, co-designed with employers to ensure students develop future-ready digital capabilities alongside cultural capital, confidence and professional inter-personal behaviours. Introductory modules are paired with sector-specific specialisation depending on course, with Level 3 and 4 modules already covering AI and digital tools for industry, digital identity and professional networks, data literacy, visualisation, and data ethics. Employability is not an add-on at UEL; it is embedded throughout the learner journey – which means that in-demand digital skills are too.

Our ambition extends beyond our enrolled students. We want to spread transformation across our communities so that opportunity is not confined to campus. Click Start, delivered by Be the Business and the University of East London in partnership with the Institute of Coding, is a powerful example. This four-week course equips young Londoners aged 18–30 with digital marketing and data analysis skills, delivering more than 90 hours of teaching alongside industry-recognised certificates from Google and Microsoft. Since June 2023, more than 230 young people have completed the programme – 41% women, 88% from ethnic minority backgrounds, and 70% from East London. Graduates have progressed into jobs, apprenticeships and further study, with some joining UEL itself and others using the programme as a springboard to transform their lives elsewhere.

This ethos of applied, inclusive innovation is reflected across our courses and underpinned by active research centres and innovation hubs, from our UK Centre for AI in the Public Sector and Centre for FinTech, to our Child Online Harms Policy Think Tank and Intelligent Technologies Research Group. Alongside our industry partnerships, this cutting-edge research ensures that what students learn remains relevant, responsible, and future-focussed.

When a student’s whole experience is designed as digital first, technology stops being a blocker and becomes an enabler. It supports our shift from a ‘university-ready student’ model to becoming a ‘student-ready university’. UEL’s Track My Future app exemplifies this approach, bringing academic, careers, and support services into a single personalised platform. Putting students’ own data into their own hands and providing a digital route-map to university life, daily active use regularly exceeds 40,000 interactions – clear evidence that digital tools can strengthen engagement and belonging.

Compared with when I joined UEL in 2018, the scale of the digital transformation today is unmistakable. This is what purposeful digital transformation looks like: not technology for its own sake, but a platform for inclusion, resilience and impact. In a sector facing relentless pressure, that is not optional – it is essential.

Kortext is a HEPI Partner. Professor Amanda Broderick is speaking at Kortext LIVE on 11 February 2026 in London. Find out more and secure your seat here.