Infosys on Tuesday said it has signed a new minimum three-year contract with UCAS, the admissions service for UK higher education.

UCAS and Infosys have been engaged in a technology partnership since 2015 but following an extensive tender process, the new contract represents a major step change in the relationship, a statement said.

The partnership will focus on delivering seamless customer service experiences through greater automation, innovation and efficiency, it added.
UCAS provides vital admission and information services to students, schools, advisers, and higher education providers, offering over 30,000 courses to prospective applicants each year. The service delivers the single biggest infrastructure event within the UK education sector annually on results days every August.

UCAS supports approximately seven lakh applicants every year – with 60,000 more this year than in 2020, and current predictions suggest that there will be one million applicants to higher education in the UK by 2025, the statement said.

“As part of the new agreement, Infosys will provide a wide range of digital services that will enable UCAS to further develop the capabilities that connect learners to universities, awarding bodies, schools, and other organisations, built on a dynamic digital suite of systems able to rapidly respond to the evolving UK higher education sector,” it added.

Infosys will continue to concentrate on helping UCAS achieve its ambitious targets on lowering costs, optimizing, and enhancing services for students, delivering more robust security, and providing business-as-usual (BAU) services between legacy and new digital systems, the statement noted.
“I cannot emphasise enough the importance of this new agreement with Infosys, and the benefits to UCAS staff and customers. It represents a real shift in our partnership, and will focus extensively on automation, innovation, and efficiency across the business, which is key to delivering on our strategy for the future,” UCAS Chief Operations Officer Sander Kristel said.

Ashiss Kumar Dash, EVP and Segment Head – services, utilities, resources, energy at Infosys, said the relationship with UCAS spans the last six years, and the renewed partnership is testament to the success it has achieved in that time, delivering on UCAS’ digital vision.

“In the next three years, we will continue to bring together industry leading capabilities, ecosystems and talent to deliver new experiences that reflect the growing expectations and changing dynamics in the higher education sector. With a focus on delivering greater innovation and seamless customer service experiences, we look forward to supporting UCAS retain its position as a highly trusted and accessible service,” he added.