Transforming Global Student Housing with Education First
Managing this scale of operation requires precision and coordination, particularly when it comes to student housing, a key piece of the student experience. In this article you’ll learn how EF has automated 99% of its student accommodation placements, drastically reducing manual intervention.
Who is Education First
Founded in 1965, EF Education First is a global leader in language training, academic study, cultural exchange, and educational travel. With a presence in over 100 countries and regions and more than 600 schools and offices worldwide, EF has empowered millions of students to explore the world through education, whether it's learning a new language, joining a cultural exchange, or studying abroad. Managing this scale of operation requires precision and coordination, particularly when it comes to student housing, a key piece of the student experience. In this article you’ll learn how EF has automated 99% of its student accommodation placements, drastically reducing manual intervention.
Challenge
As EF continued to grow globally, managing student accommodation became increasingly complex. Their existing systems defined housing capacity in rigid terms that didn’t align with real-world use. Important constraints, like age restrictions on specific residence floors or gender-specific proximity to facilities, were not reflected in the system, leading to misleading data and manual workarounds. Staff often relied on tribal knowledge to make placements work, which became unsustainable at scale.
Adding to the challenge, EF’s student volume fluctuates drastically throughout the year. During peak travel months like July and August, up to 50% of student traffic is concentrated. However, the previous system treated capacity as static year-round, offering no flexibility to adapt availability based on seasonal spikes or demographic changes. For example, the system couldn’t easily accommodate a group of 50+ students traveling together, or reserve space for under-18 learners with specific supervision needs.
Sales teams also faced a lack of visibility into what housing was truly available. Because accommodations couldn’t be filtered based on current or future restrictions, mismatches occurred frequently. This led to lost revenue, underutilized capacity, and costly last-minute capacity additions. All of these issues contributed to higher operational overhead and slower response times, an unsustainable model for a growing global institution.
Why GoMeddo
EF needed a partner who could provide more than just a booking calendar; they needed a dynamic, rule-based scheduling solution that could model the real-world complexity of global student housing, all natively within Salesforce. GoMeddo emerged as the ideal platform due to its deep flexibility in defining capacity, advanced rule logic, and real-time simulation capabilities.
GoMeddo enabled EF to configure accommodation resources, whether a bed, room, or entire building, with detailed attributes and logic. Time-based restrictions, occupancy rules based on demographic criteria, and regional safeguarding constraints could now be defined and automatically enforced. These capabilities gave EF unprecedented flexibility, replacing static models with dynamic configuration that adapted to seasonal and demographic shifts.
Beyond configuration, GoMeddo’s rule engine supported smart conflict resolution and geo-specific matching logic, allowing EF to tailor placements to local regulations and standards. Crucially, EF’s sales teams could now simulate individual student requests and instantly see what housing was truly available, dramatically improving their ability to offer personalized, accurate placements to students and parents.
Solution
GoMeddo helped EF build a centralized single source of truth for student accommodation management, 100% Salesforce native. This allowed for a unified housing dataset, accessible across departments, ensuring that placements, sales, and operations were working from the same reliable information.
With GoMeddo, EF launched global automated student matching, using rule-based criteria that could be adapted per destination, accommodation type, or group profile. Whether assigning a host family to a 17-year-old female student in Costa Rica or booking twin dorm rooms for a 50+ student group in Rome, EF could now match with precision and confidence.
Additionally, GoMeddo provided real-time availability for sales, allowing teams to simulate bookings and respond immediately with the most suitable options. This not only empowered the sales process but also supported operational agility, making it easier to fill underutilized inventory or forecast demand for high-volume periods.
Results
Since implementing GoMeddo, EF has automated 99% of its student accommodation placements, drastically reducing the need for manual intervention. The system’s matching logic led to a 19% increase in auto-matching success, helping EF streamline its placement workflows and improve the quality of student experiences.
Sales teams now benefit from full visibility into dynamic availability, allowing them to confidently guide students toward the best accommodation options. And with accurate, real-time data at the core of EF’s housing decisions, the organization is now laying the foundation for dynamic pricing strategies, turning previously underutilized inventory into revenue-generating assets.
GoMeddo’s solution has not only reduced operational complexity for EF but has enabled them to scale their housing processes globally, with greater accuracy, efficiency, and student satisfaction.
Want to learn how GoMeddo can benefit your institution with a centralised system capable of handling any complex scheduling challenges? Schedule a call and begin your GoMeddo journey today!
