From the Nominator

"The new UTRGV website is designed with a focus on student recruitment. The aim is to provide an elevated and customized user experience for our target audience with up-to-date information relevant to prospective undergraduate students, prospective graduate students, and current students.   

The website's mission is to highlight UTRGV and its continued growth with a focus on academic programs, showcasing essential information, and making program discovery and comparison seamless.  

We used a data-driven approach to design and develop the website, which involved conducting extensive research to identify areas for improvement. The result is a website that provides an intuitive user experience that is personalized and promotes conversion and engagement. Some of these research efforts include:  

●    More than 300 prospective students engaged in a 12-month focus group on design and information pathways. 

●    Internal survey of current UTRGV users. 

●    Peer institution comparison analysis.   

The outcomes and results of the project were measured through website analytics. We achieved an 88 percent increase in website pageviews from people ages 18-24 from its launch date in September 2022 to January 2023. Additionally, organic search engine traffic and rankings have significantly improved, generating an SEO lift of 86 percent (approximately +14,000 more organic search pageviews). This resulted in a 105.1 percent increase in total inquiry form submissions on the website.   

Overall, the new UTRGV website redesign has had a significant impact on student recruitment and utilizes intelligent and customized technology to provide a personalized experience for prospective students."

From the Judges

Great research, use of focus groups, and strategy. And the results are impressive. Design is great and easy to read, navigation and IA are clean. The look is cohesive and expands throughout the site. Compelling students quotes and beautiful photography.