Ecctis Acquires Tech Provider Enroly

Ecctis has announced its acquisition of Enroly, the UK’s leading platform for international student compliance, visa, and arrival management.

The Employee-Owned Trust (EOT), recognised globally for its expertise in international education, training and skills solutions, completed the purchase of the company last week.

BDO advised Ecctis on the transaction, which further enhances the business’ offering across the sector and creates opportunities for substantial, mutually beneficial growth.

Enroly – the company behind CAS Shield, an award-winning software platform that automates the onboarding and arrival process for universities, their students and agents – was set up in 2017, by co-founders Maynard Inkster and Jeff Williams.

The business has built a strong reputation with a growing market share and, today, 42% of UK universities use their platform to onboard international students, with hundreds of thousands of students and agents engaging across the ecosystem annually.

A new university joins the platform every 2.5 weeks on average, a clear sign of Enroly’s rapid growth and sector-wide adoption.

Jeff Williams, CEO and Co-Founder of Enroly, said:

“Enroly and Ecctis have a strong strategic and cultural fit, with big ambitions to be a central player in the student global journey.

“We have a shared ethos of growth through quality solutions that solve real problems for the sector, particularly when domestic and key international markets are experiencing significant policy and financial constraints.

“By combining Ecctis’ capabilities with Enroly’s product suite, we will continue to automate and modernise the student experience. Ecctis’ dataset will also be instrumental in accelerating Enroly’s move into the admissions space.”

Ecctis has confirmed that while Enroly will be part of the wider family of companies, it will continue to operate as a separate business.

Catherine Winter, CEO of Ecctis, added:

“We are delighted to welcome Enroly into the wider Ecctis family. This is a natural fit. Enroly brings proven technology and a strong presence across UK higher education.

“Together, we’ll accelerate innovation for our customers by combining our global reach, trusted government relationships, and experience working with thousands of universities worldwide.

“Like Enroly, we take a sector-first, agnostic approach, focused on enabling progress for all institutions, not just a few. This partnership brings together the best of our data, product, and people to support the future.”

Paul Russell, BDO Partner, commented:

“The BDO Tech M&A team is delighted to have worked with Ecctis on their acquisition of Enroly.

“The transaction marks an exciting opportunity for both management teams as they look to strengthen their position within the Higher Education space.”