In today’s data-driven world, higher education institutions are under increasing pressure to not only collect data but transform it into meaningful insights that drive decision-making, improve student outcomes, and increase operational efficiency. The University of Houston (UH), one of the largest public research universities in Texas, recognized this need early on and embraced Google’s Looker Studio as a centralized platform to visualize, share, and act on data insights across multiple departments.
From admissions and student success to finance and facilities management, the University of Houston has established itself as a leader in higher education analytics by using Looker Studio to democratize access to data and promote a culture of evidence-based decision-making.
Key Takeaway
The University of Houston implemented Looker Studio to centralize and streamline data visualization across departments. As a result, the institution enhanced its decision-making processes, improved student success outcomes, optimized resource allocation, and fostered a more data-literate culture across the campus. This case study demonstrates how an accessible and customizable tool like Looker Studio can deliver significant value to universities of any size.
About the University of Houston
Founded in 1927, the University of Houston is a Tier One research university serving over 47,000 students. With 16 academic colleges, more than 300 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, and a sprawling urban campus, UH operates as a complex organization with diverse data needs.
Each department—from enrollment services to academic affairs—relies on different data sources, metrics, and reporting timelines. Before adopting Looker Studio, this often led to fragmented reporting systems, siloed data analysis, and delayed decision-making.
The Challenge: Data Silos and Inaccessible Reporting
Like many large universities, UH historically faced significant challenges in data management:
Siloed Data Systems: Admissions, student services, financial aid, academic departments, and facilities operated their reporting processes using different tools and spreadsheets.
Manual Reporting Processes: Monthly or quarterly reports were generated manually, which delayed access to time-sensitive information.
Limited Data Literacy: Only select data analysts had access to raw data and reporting tools, limiting cross-department collaboration.
Inconsistent KPIs: Different departments measured success using varying definitions of key performance indicators (KPIs), making it difficult to align goals.
The result was a lack of real-time visibility into institutional performance and missed opportunities to act on important trends.
The Solution: Adopting Looker Studio for Cross-Department Analytics
To tackle these challenges, the University of Houston launched a campus-wide initiative to centralize reporting and increase data accessibility. After evaluating multiple business intelligence (BI) tools, UH chose Looker Studio for several key reasons:
Cost-effective (leveraging the free version for many use cases)
Deep integration with Google products already used at the university (Google Sheets, Google Analytics, BigQuery)
Customizable dashboards that could be tailored for each department
User-friendly interface for both technical and non-technical staff
Real-time data connection capabilities
By using Looker Studio, UH created dynamic, interactive dashboards accessible to university leadership, faculty, and administrative teams.
Implementation Strategy: A Phased Rollout
The rollout of Looker Studio at UH followed a deliberate and strategic approach:
Phase 1: Pilot with Admissions and Enrollment
UH began with a pilot program in the Office of Admissions. The team connected Looker Studio to:
Internal enrollment databases
CRM tools like Slate and Salesforce
Google Analytics data from the admissions website
The admissions dashboard allowed the team to:
Monitor application trends in real-time
Compare year-over-year admissions performance
Visualize applicant demographics by region, ethnicity, and program
Track event attendance and campaign ROI
Phase 2: Expansion to Student Success and Academic Affairs
Next, the university integrated data from its student information system (SIS) to visualize academic performance, course completion rates, and student retention metrics. Academic advisors and department chairs could now identify at-risk students earlier and track the effectiveness of academic support programs.
Phase 3: Finance, Operations, and Facilities
UH extended Looker Studio into back-office operations. Key dashboards included:
Budget and Spending: Comparing departmental budgets against actuals
Facilities Management: Visualizing energy usage, maintenance requests, and room occupancy
IT Services: Monitoring help desk ticket volumes, response times, and system uptime
Notable Use Cases by Department
Here’s a breakdown of how different departments at UH are leveraging Looker Studio:
Admissions & Enrollment
Goal: Improve yield rates and increase transparency in admissions data.
Key Metrics Tracked:
Applications submitted
Acceptances vs. enrollments (yield rate)
Geographical heat maps of applicants
Funnel conversion rates by marketing source
Student Affairs & Retention
Goal: Identify and support at-risk students.
Key Metrics Tracked:
GPA trends and academic probation counts
Course drop rates and student surveys
Engagement in student support programs
First-year retention by cohort and major
Institutional Research & Planning
Goal: Provide executive dashboards for strategic planning.
Key Metrics Tracked:
Graduation rates over time
Diversity metrics across departments
Faculty-to-student ratios
Research grant funding by the college
Finance & Administration
Goal: Increase financial transparency and accountability.
Key Metrics Tracked:
Budget allocations by unit
Monthly and quarterly spending trends
Vendor expenditures and procurement data
Tuition revenue projections
Marketing & Communications
Goal: Measure ROI from digital marketing campaigns.
Key Metrics Tracked:
Website traffic and engagement
Campaign click-through and conversion rates
Social media sentiment analysis
Event registration and attendance data
Results and Benefits Realized
The implementation of Looker Studio brought measurable benefits across the university:
1. Centralized, Real-Time Dashboards
With Looker Studio, departments now access unified dashboards pulling data from live sources. Leadership teams no longer rely on outdated PDFs or Excel sheets to make decisions.
2. Improved Data Literacy
Training initiatives allowed faculty and staff to use Looker Studio directly, empowering them to ask their questions and explore data independently.
3. Faster Decision-Making
Real-time dashboards enabled faster intervention strategies, particularly in tracking student engagement, dropouts, or budget overruns.
4. Stronger Collaboration
Since multiple departments could view and share the same dashboards, collaboration increased across silos—leading to more cohesive planning and resource-sharing.
5. Increased Student Support
By monitoring early warning signs in dashboards, academic advisors provided targeted support to struggling students, improving retention and satisfaction scores.
Overcoming Challenges
Like any digital transformation, UH faced some obstacles along the way:
Data Standardization: Initial data sources lacked consistency. A data governance task force was formed to standardize definitions and ensure reliable joins.
Access Controls: Balancing transparency with privacy was crucial. Looker Studio’s viewer permissions were configured to limit access to sensitive data.
User Adoption: Not everyone embraced the new system at first. UH invested in hands-on workshops and office hours to get departments comfortable using dashboards.
Scalability: As more teams adopted the platform, performance was optimized through the use of BigQuery as a backend for larger datasets.
How the University of Houston Uses Looker Studio in the Future
Looking ahead, the University of Houston plans to:
Expand Predictive Analytics: Incorporate machine learning models to forecast student success and financial outcomes.
Integrate More Systems: Connect Looker Studio to platforms like Canvas (LMS), PeopleSoft, and internal research repositories.
Launch Public-Facing Dashboards: Create transparency by publishing select dashboards for public stakeholders, including prospective students and donors.
Develop a Center for Data Excellence: Centralize support and governance for all analytics projects across campus.
Real-Time Website Engagement Insights by Department
The "Website Performance by Department" dashboard visualized above is a prime example of how the University of Houston uses Looker Studio to monitor digital engagement across its academic divisions. With key metrics like sessions, users, average session duration, and bounce rate displayed prominently, university stakeholders can quickly assess the effectiveness of their online content. Interactive charts—such as sessions over time and department-level breakdowns—help marketing teams and department heads identify traffic trends, allocate promotional resources more effectively, and fine-tune user experience strategies based on real-time insights.
Conclusion
The University of Houston’s journey with Looker Studio illustrates what’s possible when a large institution commits to building a data-driven culture. By centralizing reporting, empowering staff with self-service dashboards, and standardizing KPIs, UH has created a more agile, transparent, and effective university operation.
Whether you’re a higher education institution looking to enhance student success or a public sector agency trying to modernize your analytics, UH’s model is a compelling example of how Looker Studio can become the backbone of strategic transformation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How long did it take UH to implement Looker Studio?
The initial pilot took about 3 months, with broader adoption happening in stages over 12–18 months as more departments came on board.
Is Looker Studio secure enough for higher education data?
Yes. UH uses strict access permissions and integrates Looker Studio with secure backend systems like BigQuery and internal data lakes. FERPA compliance is a top priority.
How much technical expertise is needed to use Looker Studio?
While some SQL and data modeling skills help in setup, most staff use the drag-and-drop dashboard interface without needing coding knowledge.
Can students use Looker Studio?
Some student groups (like data science clubs or student government) are granted access to specific dashboards or allowed to build their own using anonymized data.
How does UH train staff on Looker Studio?
Through workshops, video tutorials, and ongoing support from a central data analytics team. “Data Literacy Bootcamps” are also offered every semester.