University of Wollongong Transforms Student Housing Operations Leveraging Decades of Partnership with StarRez

The University of Wollongong (UOW), home to over 2,300 beds across five residences, has significantly modernised its student housing processes through its strategic use of the StarRez platform. For over 20 years, they have continued to evolve and leverage the platform to improve various processes across operations. From optimising check-in procedures with the Appointments module to enhancing community management and programming through the Community Management Solution, UOW has seen measurable improvements across the board.

Taking the Stress Out of Student Arrivals with the Appointments Module

One of the most impactful changes to UOW’s housing operations has been the implementation of the Appointments module, which replaced a previously unreliable method for scheduling check-ins.

Previously, students were asked to input their "expected date of arrival" as a custom field within the housing application. The field was optional and often left blank, or worse, filled out incorrectly.

“A lot of people wouldn’t fill it in, or they’d fill in September when they weren’t arriving until February. That was probably worse than having no date.”

-Ben Lowther, Systems Analyst, University of Wollongong

The Appointments module offered a structured and flexible alternative. Students can now choose and adjust their check-in times directly through the portal, with automated reminders prompting them to confirm or reschedule if plans change. This flexibility particularly benefits international students navigating flight changes or logistical issues.

“It gives us much better visibility on numbers for staffing during that first week. We can mitigate [crowding] now by limiting those numbers with the time slots.”

-Ben Lowther, Systems Analyst, University of Wollongong

This enhanced visibility has improved resource planning, reduced bottlenecks during peak periods, and lowered stress for both staff and students.

Real-Time Incident Management with the StarRez Conduct Solution Leads to Meaningful Resolutions

Another major advancement for the UOW community has been the implementation of the Conduct Solution within StarRez, which has significantly streamlined the way incidents are recorded, escalated, and reported. As most institutions are acutely aware, resident incidents don't come to a halt once staff clock out for the evening. Previously, after-hours incidents were handled manually, community assistants would email a manager, and staff would later retype the details into the system the next morning. This fragmented and painfully manual process often led to delays and inconsistencies in reporting.

With the new system in place, community assistants now log incidents directly into StarRez in real time. This immediate input triggers automated email alerts to on-call managers, ensuring timely awareness and enabling prompt responses, even outside regular business hours. Pre-set incident categories also support more structured data collection, making it easier to identify trends and report on common issues at a glance.

“The on-call manager has already got an email triggered with all the information. Anyone that checks their email first thing has a full list of everything that happened overnight.”

-Ben Lowther, Systems Analyst, University of Wollongong

These improvements have not only increased efficiency but also informed a shift in how the University approaches student conduct. Rather than relying on a punitive points-based system, leadership now favours restorative conversations aimed at preventing repeat behaviour. StarRez offers comprehensive, automated reports that enable staff to now have more time to focus on meaningful one-on-one conversations with the students who need them.

Consolidated, Scalable Event Planning with the Community Management Solution

Event planning and student engagement have also seen a major overhaul, thanks to increased use of the Community Management Solution. While some teams used it previously, implementation was inconsistent across sites. This led to confusion amongst staff and students and made event reporting on the whole near impossible. Now, the University mandates that all events be created through StarRez.  

“Every event has to be done as a program… it’s all available to sign up for by the portal. Events are filtered by site using rules within the portal, so students at Kooloobong, for instance, only see Kooloobong events.”

-Ben Lowther, Systems Analyst, University of Wollongong

This setup has brought structure, visibility, and reporting consistency to student life programming. Specifically:

• Staff follow standardised event templates, including titles, images, and descriptions

• Event proposals must be submitted and approved through StarRez before going live

• Shopping cart integration allows for optional paid events

The results speak for themselves: over the past 18 months, UOW has empowered staff to host approximately 1,400 events across five residences, demonstrating a streamlined, scalable approach to event management that’s engaging more students and maximizing community impact.

For larger events, they have even implemented QR code check-ins for easy and automatic attendance tracking. Expansion to smaller programmes is part of the 2025 roadmap. “We know exactly who’s arrived at the big events. Now we’re working on solutions to bring that to the smaller ones,” Ben said.

Tailored and Intuitive Resident Experiences with a Redesigned Portal

In 2024, UOW undertook a complete overhaul of its housing portal, rebuilding it from the ground up using StarRez’s new themes and branding tools.  

“We essentially got rid of our portal and started again. We made sure it was all fully on-brand with UOW’s guidelines.”

-Ben Lowther, Systems Analyst, University of Wollongong

The redesign was about more than aesthetics. The goal was to tailor the experience based on resident type, whether new, returning, or study abroad, and align application flows accordingly.

Previously, everyone followed the same acceptance process, but this year the University began charging differentiated acceptance fees and asking for two weeks’ rent upfront. This added complexity was seamlessly handled by StarRez’s configuration tools. “It was all easy to build out ourselves. It picks up straight away… and just filters them down.”

The impact was immediate: queries that once flooded admissions have been reduced by 80%, especially from study abroad students confused about fees they didn’t owe.

Improved Staff Oversight and Student Autonomy with Digital Guest Management

As part of their ongoing efforts to centralise operations and improve visibility, UOW also recently began utilising the Community Management Solution for visitor management, replacing a previously separate guest sign-in platform. This upgrade has brought guest registration directly into the same ecosystem used for managing resident data, streamlining processes for both students and staff.

Before this transition, guest information was managed through an external system, and staff needed to export Excel files to access even basic visitor data. This limited not only day-to-day usability but also broader reporting and accountability. Now, residents can easily register their guests through StarRez, and staff have immediate access to visitor logs in the same space where they manage other community records.

The ability to pull visitor statistics quickly, such as how many guests checked in during a specific time period or at a particular residence, has significantly improved oversight and responsiveness. This integration has also proven valuable in situations involving behavioural concerns or unauthorised gatherings.

“It’s all in StarRez, all easily accessible. If something happens, we can quickly see who was signed in and when.”

- Ben Lowther, Systems Analyst, University of Wollongong

A Thriving Partnership with StarRez Fosters Continuous Optimization

With nearly two decades of partnership with StarRez, the University of Wollongong has continued to evolve its use of the industry-leading software to meet the changing needs of its residential community. What began as a single housing management solution has grown into a comprehensive platform supporting everything from student conduct and visitor tracking to event engagement and check-in logistics.

Recent enhancements demonstrate the ongoing value of this collaboration:

• Boost student engagement and streamline event delivery with the Programs module, supporting 1,400+ events hosted in just 18 months

• Real-time reporting and automated alerts via the Community Management Solution

• Smoother check-in logistics and improved staff coordination using Appointments

• Integrated visitor tracking for greater compliance and accountability

These developments reflect a shared commitment to continuous improvement, reducing administrative complexity while delivering a more connected, supportive experience for students.  

Ready to see how StarRez can elevate your operations? Request a demo and start the conversation with our team today.