University of Tennessee

Strategy-First Website Redesign Drives 7.4% Engagement Growth for UT Admissions

How a discovery-driven approach and custom WordPress development helped UT’s Enrollment Management team deliver a modern, high-performing digital experience for prospective students - resulting in increased traffic, deeper engagement, and year-over-year application growth.

Services Provided

Discovery & Strategy

UX/UI Design

Custom WordPress & Plugin Development

WCAG Compliance

Solution

Full website redesign with 14 custom page layouts, 80 pages, custom “Find Your Counselor” plugin, Slate CRM integration, and WCAG-compliant design - all built within UT’s Torch Web Design System on WordPress.

Industry

Higher Education

Challenge

The University of Tennessee’s existing Undergraduate Admissions website was not built to support the institution’s enrollment growth goals or the expectations of today’s prospective students and families.

The site lacked a cohesive content strategy, had an outdated design that didn’t reflect the energy of the UT brand, and offered limited functionality for key user tasks like finding an admissions counselor or navigating the application process.

The Enrollment Management team needed more than a visual refresh. They needed a strategic partner who could rethink the entire digital journey, from the first visit to completed application, while working within UT’s Torch Web Design System.

Key pain points included:

• Outdated design that didn’t reflect UT’s brand

• No clear pathways for different student types (first-year, transfer, international)

• No easy way for students to connect with their admissions counselor

• Content sprawl without governing strategy or information architecture

• Need for deeper Slate CRM integration

• Accessibility gaps requiring WCAG compliance

Solution

Second Mile partnered with UT’s Enrollment Management team to completely redesign the Undergraduate Admissions website from the ground up - starting with the people it serves.

Our process began with an extensive Discovery & Strategy phase: stakeholder interviews across the admissions team, a comprehensive audit of the existing site, user journey mapping, and goal-setting workshops to establish KPIs and benchmarks.

From there, we designed 14 custom page layouts within UT’s Torch Web Design System, then built 80 pages on WordPress - including a standout custom feature: the “Find Your Counselor” plugin.

This custom WordPress plugin matches prospective students with their specific UT admissions counselor through a multi-step form. Students select their type (first-year, transfer, or international), then their state, county, and even their specific high school - and the tool immediately surfaces their assigned counselor with contact information and upcoming visit events.

The project also included Slate CRM integration, chatbot setup, calendar/events integration, GA4 implementation, WCAG compliance testing, and comprehensive training for the UT team.

Key deliverables:

• 14 custom page layout designs within Torch WDS

• 80 pages built on WordPress

• Custom “Find Your Counselor” plugin

• Slate CRM integration for forms and analytics

• Cross-browser and cross-platform QA testing

• WCAG accessibility compliance verification

• Live training sessions + training guide

• 30 hours of post-launch support

Results

Since launch, the redesigned Undergraduate Admissions website has become a central driver of UT’s enhanced digital enrollment strategy.

• Active users increased by 5%, and average engagement time per active user increased by 7.4%, indicating visitors are spending more time interacting with the site.

• UT has experienced year-over-year growth in undergraduate applications, as well as a significant increase in completed web forms and engagement.

• The website has received positive feedback ranging from its modernized look and feel to its custom “Find Your Counselor” functionality. Users appreciate the streamlined experience.

• The success of this project led to a continued partnership - Second Mile now supports additional UT websites and digital initiatives across campus, including One Stop, Vol Dining, Vols Online, CECS, Conferences & Events, and more.

Don’t Just Take Our Word for It

Untitled design (61)

The Second Mile Marketing team is outstanding - they keep projects moving on schedule, are efficient and turn things around quickly, and provide valuable insights rooted in data & research. They’re also just a fun bunch of people to work with who love what they do and the connections they create. Our experience with them has been nothing short of fantastic.

Brittany C.

Enrollment Management

Untitled design (61)

Our team had a positive experience partnering with Second Mile throughout the Undergraduate Admissions website project, and we have continued to work with their team on additional websites and initiatives since then.

Peyton M.

Enrollment Management Communications

Untitled design (61)

Thanks again to everyone at Second Mile for the presentation and for all the work that went into these audits. I can't overstate how valuable this will be as a springboard for improving our efforts in many areas.

University of Tennessee

Strategy-First Website Redesign Drives 7.4% Engagement Growth for UT Admissions

Services Provided

Solution

Industry

Challenge

Solution

5%

+10%

7%

Results

Don’t Just Take Our Word for It

Brittany C.

Enrollment Management

Peyton M.

Enrollment Management Communications

Chris E.

Office of Communications and Marketing

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