Victoria University’s Journey with OneEducation

Victoria University (VU) has undergone a significant digital transformation by adopting TechnologyOne’s OneEducation SaaS+ solution, eliminating nearly 200 pain points in the process. It has also improved enrolment conversion, and empowered staff with integrated, real-time reporting.

Here’s how VU streamlined its complex environment to deliver a smarter, more connected experience for students and staff alike.

Customer story highlights: Victoria University

• Eliminated 179+ pain points through SaaS-based Student Management
• Lifted enrolment conversion rates through a student-centric admissions project
• Unified finance, student and scheduling systems into a single SaaS platform
• Improved staff productivity and decision-making with automation and real-time reporting

About Victoria University

Victoria University is a dual-sector institution based in Melbourne’s west, delivering both TAFE and higher education programs. Established in 1916, it serves more than 45,000 students across multiple campuses in Victoria, as well as in Brisbane and Sydney. The university offers a broad range of programs and is known for its Block Model of teaching, which structures study into focused, four-week units.

The challenge: Eliminating legacy systems and pain points

With operations spanning vocational training and higher education, Victoria University faced the challenge of managing complex processes across separate, legacy systems.

The previous student management platform alone had more than 179 known issues, creating delays, duplication, and unnecessary effort across teams.

“It wasn’t just about replacing systems - it was about transforming the student experience and modernising how we work,” said Stuart Hildyard, Chief Digital Officer and Executive Director, Campus Services.

Finance and reporting were similarly impacted by fragmented technology. Many processes relied on manual workarounds or outdated on-premise systems, making it difficult for staff to access real-time insights.

On the timetabling side, the university was operating with a legacy platform that frequently crashed and required constant maintenance.

“The system would go down several times a week,” said Nutan Atendra, Timetable Manager at Victoria University.

“Staff were frustrated, and it made it hard to do our jobs.”

These issues were further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the need for flexibility, remote access, and cloud-based infrastructure. VU needed a technology partner that could help unify its systems, reduce friction, and support a future-ready digital environment.

The solution: A unified SaaS ERP platform built for education

To address its challenges, Victoria University adopted TechnologyOne’s OneEducation solution, moving finance, student management and timetabling systems to a single SaaS platform.

The implementation began with Student Management, delivered entirely on the SaaS platform despite the disruption of COVID-19.

“This project landed in the middle of the pandemic,” Mr. Hildyard said.

“Everyone from our internal teams to the TechnologyOne executive worked together remotely to keep things on track. That partnership made all the difference.

“We focused on delivering a minimum viable product, then used the trust we built internally to iterate.

“It’s about proving the value first, then building momentum.”

Improving enrolments and automating key workflows

Following the successful student system implementation, the university launched a student-centric admissions project. This replaced multiple outdated application tools with a streamlined, SaaS-based platform.

The result was a noticeable lift in enrolment conversion from application to offer and first-year enrolment.

The university also automated previously manual processes through its Student Experience Excellence program. One example was Auto Credit: a feature that automatically recognises and applies student credit where eligible.

“We saw a direct uplift in our enrolment conversion, which in turn, lifted our revenue,” Hildyard said.

“It used to take someone anywhere from five minutes to half an hour to manually process each credit. Now, the system does it instantly, and staff can focus on higher-value tasks.”

Modernising reporting, forecasting and staff engagement

On the finance side, VU migrated its entire Financials environment to the SaaS+ platform and completed a full upgrade to CiA. According to Michael Lapolla, Director of Finance Systems and Services, this unlocked new tools for reporting, budgeting and forecasting.

“Now we’re sending dashboards embedded in emails—giving researchers and executives clear financial insights at a glance,” Mr. Lapolla said.

“And because we’ve moved fully to CiA, we’re in a great position to build from here.”

Timetabling followed shortly after, with the migration of Syllabus Plus to SaaS and the implementation of TechnologyOne’s new Publish tool. The rollout was fast-tracked, with limited notice, but was delivered successfully thanks to tight collaboration between teams.

“We hit the ground running,” Ms Atendra said.

“We implemented two major systems at once - but having the new platform in the cloud meant access was easier, and the training load was lighter because the core product was still familiar.”

The new Publish tool introduced features like timetable subscriptions and real-time change notifications, which created a better experience for both students and staff.

The results: Improved experience, efficiency and agility

Victoria University’s digital transformation has delivered benefits across every level of the institution. By consolidating core systems and moving to a SaaS+ environment, the university has unlocked time savings, reduced administrative burden, and created a more resilient, responsive platform for future growth.

The impact has been felt not just by IT and admin teams, but across faculties, finance, teaching staff, and most importantly, the students.

Staff empowerment and productivity gains

Staff across finance, student services and timetabling have experienced major time savings. Once a regular frustration, downtime and system crashes are now a thing of the past.

“Previously, the system would crash multiple times a week,” said one staff member.

“Now it just works, and we’ve got more time to focus on meaningful work.”

The Auto Credit rollout alone eliminated hours of repetitive processing. Within weeks of going live, over 100 credits had been processed without staff intervention. Staff were able to shift their focus to higher-value tasks, leading to better service delivery across departments.

Better student outcomes and stronger revenue

Simplified admissions, real-time application visibility and a unified student portal helped VU improve both engagement and conversion across its domestic market.

“It’s (our journey with TechnologyOne) proof that simplifying the student journey pays off,” Hildyard said.

The smoother onboarding experience not only supported the university’s revenue goals but also set students up for success, ensuring faster access to learning and support services from day one.

VU’s broader goal to become a “thriving place to study, work and live” is now underpinned by a technology platform that enables personalised, timely student interactions at scale.