PRESS RELEASE

Delivery No. 2021-(PR01)
on August 4, 2021
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU)

APU Becomes First Japanese University to Reach
Best-Fit Prospective Applicants with Slate, a CuttingEdge Admissions CRM

To all members of the press:
On June 1, 2021, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU), located in Beppu
City, Oita Prefecture (President: Haruaki Deguchi), became the first university
in Japan to officially start accepting applications for international undergraduate
students and graduate students using Slate, the university admissions platform
created by Technolutions (New Haven, USA, Founder/CEO: Alexander Clark,1994). (APU’s Graduate School admissions began operations using Slate in
September 2020.) More than 1,400 universities in North America, Europe, andother regions have implemented the system. APU is the eighth university in Asiaand first university in Japan to have implemented this system.
As a strategy to attract international students from around the world, APU has
been continuously improving the international admissions process through DX(digital transformation) since 2018, prior to the spread of COVID-19. Up to thispoint, 90% of the application and enrollment documents are processed online,and the launch of APU’s Slate application is the culmination of APU's digitaltransformation of the university’s admissions system.
In an ever-changing world, we believe this approach of utilizing the latest,
cutting-edge technology is the way to survive in the global competition of student
recruitment.

What will be achieved by implementing Slate?
In APU’s international admissions, prospective students, both in high school
and at the university level, hail from over 100 countries across the globe, andeffectively reaching the best-fit student population is an essential factor forencouraging application creation. Conventional methods presented problems ofinformation segmentation and difficulties associated with mailing documents withhandwritten signatures by post. Now, with DX through Slate, prospective students
can complete the entire process from making an inquiry to submitting theirapplication, completing their admissions interview, and receiving their admission
result all on one user-friendly platform, without unnecessary stress. In addition
to these benefits, it is now possible for APU, through advanced information
management, to make more connections with prospective students and increase
Inquiries: Office of the President (Public Relations) Otaki, Jones, Matsumoto, Shaw Tel: 0977-78-1114 Email: r-apu@apu.ac.jp

the number of applicants through routine outreach initiatives.
With applicant information now centrally managed on Slate, we are alsoable to deliver relevant and sophisticated information to prospective
students. This is expected to dramatically increase the level of engagement,
and in fact, in just one month after implementing this system, the numberof applications increased 1.5 times compared to the same time period lastyear (1st round of international applicants for Spring 2022 enrollment).

Highlights of DX implementation for APU’s international
admissions
1. First educational institution in Japan to conduct interviews via video
recording
2. Introduced official electronic signatures through use of Adobe Sign
3. In collaboration with Western Union, implemented simplified payments
and credit card payments
4. In collaboration with GrooveNotes (Fukuoka, Japan), implemented AI
essay analysis
5. In collaboration with Pearson (U.K.) , introduced at-home online
assessments to evaluate critical thinking, basic mathematical thinking,and language skills of applicants
6. 90% of application and enrollment documents are now submitted
online, etc.
Prospective students, no matter where they live, can now register for online
events, ask questions about admissions, submit an application, receive
their admission result, pay associated fees, and fill in the student visa
application—all as long as they have an internet connection. In addition,by properly conducting interviews, tests, and essays online, we havedevelopment a DX-based application process that will reliably identify thequality of applicants.

Examples of Prior Challenges Solved by Slate (To Date)•

Previously, personal information gathered at recruiting events wasregistered manually, creating a time lag and information fragmentation.
Personal information is now automatically registered at the time ofinquiry or event registration, eliminating the time lag for follow-up
and outreach mailings. Prior to Slate implementation, informationsuch as inquiry content, event registration/participation, etc. forprospective students was not connected and visible in one location.
With the use of Slate, interactions and collected information foreach prospective student/application is now linked and visible on
their individual record.

•In the past, marketing was dependent on the recruiter for each country/region.

With Slate, marketing is becoming more automated. Prospective
student information is gathered through various ways such as
event registration/inquiries, all while being managed in Slate.
Once gathered, recruiters for each country/region can approachindividuals who need additional follow-up messages and automatic
outreach messages are sent to interested parties. This system
has eliminated prospective students from missing out on relevant
information and reduced the staff workload by about 20%.

Inquiries: Office of the President (Public Relations) Otaki, Jones, Matsumoto, Shaw Tel: 0977-78-1114 Email: r-apu@apu.ac.jp

DX of Inquiry to Enrollment Funnel (Consolidation and Visualization of All Data onto One Platform)
Inquiry Submission /Participation in Events

Online Application

Slate: Implementation of Marketing andApplication Information Management in 2021

Online Evaluation

Online Enrollment
Procedure

DX of Evaluation & Enrollment Procedures, Implemented FY2020
Recorded Video
Interview

Online CriticalThinking Test

Electronic
Signature, Online
Document
Submission

OnlineEnrollment and Visa
Application forInternational Students

AI Essay Analysis

Credit Card Paymentfor Full Amount ofDeposit/Enrollment
Fees

Comment by Alexander Clark, Founder & Chief Executive
Officer | Technolutions
We are proud to partner with APU to support the application process
for both English-language and Japanese-language programs. Slate istrusted by more than 1,400 colleges and universities, including manyof the world's top undergraduate, graduate, and professional school
programs. We are excited to count APU among our clients and lookforward to a successful long-term partnership.

Comment by Professor Hiroshi Yoneyama, APU VicePresident
Nearly half of APU's student body consists of international students
coming from about 90 countries and regions around the world.
APU’s admissions counselors are highly professional and passionate
individuals who are well aware of the students’ diverse talents andexperiences, and they work closely with students to help themfrom application to enrollment. APU also greatly values the strong
connections with our overseas offices and educational agents located invarious parts of the world.
Slate is not only a tool to seamlessly connect the various operations
conducted by admissions counselors as mentioned above, it is also
a communications tool to support high school students who have akeen interest in APU from the time of application until they enroll. Eventhough COVID-19 has virtually halted international mobility, many
international students have still chosen to enroll at APU. We believe
the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been significantly
minimized by the appeal of APU's education along with the digitaltransformation of our international admissions through Slate.
APU's goal is to continue to be a university where talented students
and graduates from all over the globe as well from across Japan cancome together as part of APU's global learning community to positively
Inquiries: Office of the President (Public Relations) Otaki, Jones, Matsumoto, Shaw Tel: 0977-78-1114 Email: r-apu@apu.ac.jp

About Technolutions
Technolutions is a software development firm that specializes in
the research, design, and development of information management
systems serving the higher education industry. Founded in 1994 by
Alexander Clark, Technolutions has served the education industry
for more than two decades. In 2000, Technolutions introduced Slate,its flagship information management system. Technolutions has arich history of being first-to-market with innovative, transformativetechnologies that keep its clients on the cutting edge.

About Slate
Slate by Technolutions is a comprehensive platform for enrollment
management, student success, and advancement. Designed anddeveloped exclusively for higher education, Slate is the only solutionthat can handle the breadth and depth of the modern student anddonor lifecycle. It covers everything from CRM, outreach, and travel
management, to online applications and reading, to student advisingand donor management. Learn more about Slate at technolutions.com.

Contact for all inquiries about Slate and media requests
should be directed to:Technolutions
Tel: +1 203-404-4835
Web: https://technolutions.com/contact-us

About Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Since its opening in 2000, APU has welcomed international students
from 159 countries/regions and has created a multicultural campus
where about half of the students and faculty are international. In order
to be chosen by top students from around the world as their university
destination, APU provides a bilingual education in Japanese andEnglish as well as a dual spring/fall enrollment and graduation system.
APU holds three international accreditations (AACSB, AMBA, andTedQual) as an institution that provides world-class education. In theJapan University Rankings 2021 by the British education magazine
Times Higher Education, APU was ranked as the 5th best privateuniversity in Japan for the 4th consecutive year, with especially highmarks for Engagement, ranking 3rd among all universities in Japan.

Note: The personal information of international students (undergraduate andgraduate) is handled in accordance with the university's Privacy Policy and theEU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Inquiries: Office of the President (Public Relations) Otaki, Jones, Matsumoto, Shaw Tel: 0977-78-1114 Email: r-apu@apu.ac.jp