The Royal College of Art (RCA) has been ranked the world’s number one art and design university for twelve consecutive years. Founded in 1837, what was once a college focused solely on the arts is now at the forefront of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) research and education, attracting postgraduate students who already hold an undergraduate degree.
That emphasis on advanced, practice-led learning is reflected in its programme structure, where creative exploration sits alongside rigorous academic and professional standards. Over the past 10 years, we’ve seen the number of RCA students rise from around 800 to over 3,000. We needed a way to support this growth trajectory...
As Seema Kisnay, Deputy Director of Digital Products at the RCA, explains:
"We offer a range of programmes, from Masters to PhDs, blending academic rigour with creative practice and freedom."
— Seema Kisnay, Deputy Director of Digital Products, Royal College of Art
This blend of structured academic delivery and creative autonomy is a defining feature of the institution.
When the RCA made the strategic shift from two-year programmes to one-year Masters, student numbers increased significantly within a short period, placing additional pressure on systems and core processes.
Jenny Brown, Deputy Registrar (Information Systems) at RCA, reflects on this earlier state. When she joined in 2000, student applications were processed manually and later managed through in-house databases that, while effective at the time, were not designed to scale with the institution’s growth.
"Eventually, this all struggled to meet our needs as our numbers grew. The system became completely outdated, no longer fit for purpose. And at the same time, the rapid institutional growth placed increased pressure on the system."
— Jenny Brown, Deputy Registrar (Information Systems), Royal College of Art
By the time RCA moved to Thesis SM in 2017, many of the challenges were structural. Processes such as HESA returns, fee invoicing, and letter generation required multiple systems, manual intervention, and regular workarounds.
Sometimes students could wait up to 48 hours to receive essential documentation, and core administrative processes placed a significant operational burden on staff.
Going live on a new SIS is one thing; embedding it in day-to-day practice is another. Building trust, encouraging full adoption, and reducing reliance on workarounds takes time. At RCA, this has been an ongoing journey, with continued collaboration focused on maturing the system, supporting adoption, and evolving our partnership to better meet the institution’s needs.
"When I joined, the conversation was ‘Thesis SM isn't able to do this.’ Now it's different, we've worked hard at building the relationship and our understanding of the product, and the question has shifted to ‘how can Thesis do this?"
— Seema Kisnay, Deputy Director of Digital Products, Royal College of Art
Seema joined RCA in January 2024, inheriting our Student Information System that had been live for several years but the capability not yet fully realised. Her focus has been on closing that gap, understanding what the product actually offers and getting more of it into daily use.
The approach has been built around proof-of-concept work, close collaboration with our product and implementation teams, and a deliberate effort to show what the system can do. That shift in posture, from working around the system to working with it, has changed what teams across the RCA now believe is possible.
"A lot of the time it's like: ‘didn't know that could happen. Didn't know we could do that.’ So, for us - I really want to make sure that we get the best value out of Thesis SM."
— Seema Kisnay, Deputy Director of Digital Products, Royal College of Art
For many UK registry teams, the HESA return is a complex and time-sensitive process. At RCA, this historically involved extracting and reconciling data from multiple systems, often under significant time pressure.
Introducing HESA Data Futures within Thesis SM has improved this process. RCA is now able to run returns from a more centralised data set, with exception reporting helping to identify and resolve issues earlier in the academic cycle.
"We're not doing a lot of manual effort chasing down disconnected data across multiple systems, tools or spreadsheets. We've got the source of truth within Thesis SM. The main thing for us is the support we received from the Thesis SM team - they really worked closely with us through that transition."
— Seema Kisnay, Deputy Director of Digital Products, Royal College of Art
In the 2024/25 academic year, RCA submitted its HESA return on time, no extension required. Jenny Brown, who has been running the institution's HESA returns for many years, was clear about what made the difference:
"HESA Data Futures has been a major win for us. For the first time ever, we were able to produce the HESA student return directly from our Student Information System. And this year we actually got the whole report in on time, which I'm very happy about."
— Jenny Brown, Deputy Registrar (Information Systems), Royal College of Art
This shift has also supported a more proactive approach to data quality, with validation and cleansing taking place throughout the year rather than being concentrated at the point of submission. Term-time addresses are collected through the portal at enrolment. Issues are flagged and resolved progressively. The summer is still busy, but it is no longer the wall-to-wall HESA job it once was.
Prior to moving fee invoicing into Thesis SM, the process relied heavily on manual intervention, including spreadsheet-based tracking and reconciliation.
The integration between Thesis SM and Flywire has enabled a more streamlined, student-centred approach to payments. Invoices are issued through the system, with students able to view charges and make payments directly through the portal, alongside accessing key information such as letters and personal details.
"You’d send the invoices through Thesis, and then the information was integrated straight into Unit 4 ERP."
— Jenny Brown, Deputy Registrar (Information Systems), Royal College of Art
This creates a consistent experience for students while giving staff clear visibility of payments in real time.
"It's not just holding a system of records with student data - it's the really key process of how we operate as a financially sustainable organisation. How do we know what our income is at any given point in time? That's really helped through Thesis SM and through our integrations."
— Seema Kisnay, Deputy Director of Digital Products, Royal College of Art
Previously, student letters (for bank accounts, council tax exemption, GP registration, etc.) were generated through a manual process involving shared spreadsheets and mail merge tools, which were prone to delays and errors.
After implementing the Thesis SM letter utility, letters are generated automatically the moment a student achieves full enrolment status. They appear in the student portal instantly. Students can view and download them without contacting the registry team at all.
"There are no more 48-hour delays. The letters are accurate and up to date, generated in real time, which has noticeably improved the student experience and reduced the number of queries coming back to us."
— Ikbal Hussain, Digital Product Manager, Royal College of Art
This has improved turnaround times and reduced administrative overhead, while providing students with quicker access to essential documentation.
Over time, the relationship between RCA and Thesis SM has developed into a close, collaborative partnership, with regular engagement, shared priorities, and a focus on continuous improvement.
The relationship has evolved from the cautious, expectation-managing early years of implementation to weekly touchpoints with product developers, shared roadmaps, and proof-of-concept sessions that let RCA see what the system can do before committing to full rollout.
"We see Thesis SM as one of our strategic partners. If we don't have a strong relationship, we don't have a strong student record system. Having that open, honest discussion on a regular basis is really key. It helps build that confidence in the product."
— Seema Kisnay, Deputy Director of Digital Products, Royal College of Art
Jenny Brown echoes this from the registry perspective. Communication and transparency, she says, have been central to how the relationship has developed, and the willingness to involve teams in every step of a process, rather than presenting finished solutions, has made the difference between adoption and resistance.
"Over time, the relationship has developed into a genuine value-driven partnership focused on co-design and continuous improvement."
— Jenny Brown, Deputy Registrar (Information Systems), Royal College of Art
For Seema, the test of a genuine partnership is not whether a supplier listens, it is whether they adapt. When a priority is raised, does something change? At the RCA, the answer has increasingly been yes.
"You've not just listened. You've adapted and delivered. And I think those two are evidence that actually we've got a really strong partnership here."
— Seema Kisnay, Deputy Director of Digital Products, Royal College of Art
This ongoing collaboration has supported RCA in gradually expanding its use of the platform and building confidence across teams.
"Another important part of looking ahead is continuing to align with the Thesis SM roadmap. Regular communication, collaborative planning and participation in design reviews have already been incredibly helpful and we want to keep that momentum going."
— Ikbal Hussain, Digital Product Manager, Royal College of Art
The RCA is now building on a foundation that, a few years ago, did not fully exist. The next priorities reflect an institution that has moved from managing its system to genuinely using it.
A wider staff rollout will bring academic administration teams, not just registry and finance, into regular engagement with Thesis SM. The goal is to get the right people seeing the right data, and to understand what processes those teams could be running through the system that they currently handle elsewhere.
Reporting and dashboards are a growing focus. As the institution becomes more data-driven, the ability to evidence impact, track student engagement with the portal, and provide reliable management information to the executive team is becoming essential.
Portal development is ongoing, with online enrolment and degree audit on the near horizon. And the road map continues to expand, with RCA taking an increasingly proactive approach - sharing plans with our teams months in advance so that both sides can prepare.
"We're building something for the future, not just for the now. And I think Thesis SM definitely helps with that. The conversations we have with you- they enable us to take a part of your product roadmap as well, because you get to understand what our journey looks like in one, three or five years."
— Seema Kisnay, Deputy Director of Digital Products, Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an institution that has always pushed boundaries creatively, and it is equally inspiring to see the team’s approach to transforming the foundations that support its creativity. When a university of this calibre chooses to embed a single, trusted student record at the heart of how it operates, it creates clarity for decision-making, resilience in its processes, and a better experience for every student.
For me, what makes our work with the RCA so meaningful is the spirit in which it is done. It’s collaborative, candid and forward-looking and above all, grounded in a shared commitment to students. As RCA continues to evolve, we are proud to stand alongside them. Our role is to grow with them, anticipating what’s next and strengthening the foundations that will support the next decade of ambition.