What is MortarCAPS and how is it transforming data management in higher education?

Developed by universities across Australia, New Zealand and Canada, MortarCAPS is quickly becoming the global standard for data in higher education. It helps institutions overcome long-standing barriers, breaking down silos, improving data quality and enabling smarter collaboration.  

Every day, universities process significant amounts of data, from student applications and grades to attendance, medical records and more. This data is critical for improving operational efficiency, enhancing student experiences and uncovering new opportunities for innovation. But without clear and consistent standards, data often becomes siloed, duplicated, or unreliable, making collaboration difficult both within institutions and across the sector. 

If you’ve never heard of MortarCAPS or want to learn more about how to adopt it successfully, this guide covers it all.  

Why data standardisation is important in higher education 

When data isn’t standardised, the consequences are felt across every part of the institution: 

• Students see delays in enrolment or graduation due to duplicated records or unreliable data 

• Academic staff struggle to access accurate data, including course history and student feedback 

• Administrators waste significant time reconciling data and manually preparing reports 

• IT teams struggle with integration bottlenecks and fragile systems that slow down transformation efforts 

• Leadership risks making strategic decisions based on incomplete or conflicting data 

• External partners, including employers, regulators and funding bodies, receive inconsistent data, diminishing trust and collaboration 

There are also other external factors that are driving this need. UK universities are facing financial deficit and budget cuts, falling enrolment rates and tightening compliance demands (e.g. the Office for Students' or OfS). At the same time, the student pool is changing, with increases in international students, transfers and hybrid learning models.  

Standardising data helps universities to prioritise budgets, cost-cut where needed and improve student experience that affects enrolment rates. 

So, what exactly is MortarCAPS and how does it overcome these challenges?  

MortarCAPS is a sector-wide Higher Learning Data Standard developed by CAUDIT (Council of Australasian University Directors of Information Technology) in collaboration with more than 20 universities. Designed specifically for the needs of higher education, MortarCAPS provides a standardised framework for structuring and sharing data across institutions, systems and partners. By enabling greater interoperability, it helps break down data silos, enhances collaboration and supports capabilities such as AI, digital credentials and improved student outcomes. 

So, how exactly does MortarCAPS achieve this? 

Improving institutional efficiency: MortarCAPS simplifies student record management and enhances master data strategies, enabling more efficient operations and better student services. It also streamlines reporting (e.g. TCSI) and supports AI-powered analytics for improved decision-making.  

Creating a seamless student experience: better data flow ensures a smoother student journey and more personalised support. Educators gain insights to improve teaching and address wellbeing needs.  

Streamlining technology: a shared data language improves system interoperability and reduces implementation time, making it easier to adopt new platforms and innovations across institutions.   

Uncovering new opportunities: MortarCAPS supports credentials and lays the foundation for initiatives like the National Skills Passport, driving lifelong learning and recognition of diverse qualifications.  

Enabling advanced analytics and AI:  by adopting MortarCAPS as a consistent data framework, universities can standardise and unify data across departments, making it possible to build a central data warehouse. This creates a reliable foundation for AI-powered analysis, enabling predictive insights that support student success, inform leadership decisions and optimise everything from class scheduling to resource allocation and teaching effectiveness. 

How UK data standards compare to MortarCAPS 

The UK already has a strong ecosystem of established data standards, such as HESA, JISC, UCAS, OfS, UCISA and HERM. Each plays a role in supporting functions like regulatory reporting, funding, compliance and admissions. But these standards typically operate in isolation, designed for specific external requirements rather than internal, institution-wide coordination. What’s often missing is a unified, institution-wide framework that enables consistent, interoperable data across academic, operational and strategic domains.  

MortarCAPS complements existing UK standards by offering a unified, interoperable structure for internal data management. 

Common challenges we see in implementation 

Of course, adopting any data framework is hard work. In higher education, structural, cultural and regulatory barriers must be considered beforehand. 

Executive support is difficult to secure 

Executive buy-in is decentralised and governed by multiple committees and departments. Without senior leadership driving the initiative, it becomes difficult to coordinate stakeholders, secure budget and enforce common data standards across the institution. 

Resource allocation is scarce 

Implementing a data framework requires large investments, which is difficult for universities under tight financial constraints.   

• Technology: modern platforms, integration tools, cloud infrastructure and AI  

• People: data architects, analysts and governance leads 

• Training: upskilling staff and users on new data models and processes 

Regulatory compliance is complicated 

Institutions manage large amounts of sensitive data, including personal, academic and financial information. Therefore, any data framework implementation must align with regulations like GDPR, FERPA, or national data protection laws. 

Internal resistance to change 

Universities often treat data as a local, department-owned asset. Introducing a cross-institutional framework requires a mindset shift: from isolated ownership to shared responsibility and from operational use to strategic value. Without cultural alignment, efforts to standardise data will face resistance, undermining consistency, accountability and long-term sustainability. 

Partnering for your data journey

Data frameworks like MortarCAPS supports universities in connecting fragmented data systems, enhancing the quality of services for both students and staff and driving innovation through better data utilisation. 

Whether you're beginning your data standardisation journey or scaling existing efforts, NashTech’s data solutions accelerator can support your institution by streamlining operations, uncovering insights and helping you realise long-term value from your data. 

Get in touch to explore how we can help you make MortarCAPS a success.