Admissions Funnel Sankey Diagram: Editable Template
Show applications by source, the decision on each, and who finally enrols after offers and the waitlist. Replace the counts with your own admissions cycle.
An admissions Sankey runs from where applications come from to the decision and to enrolment. It shows which sources produce offers and how many offers are taken up.
2,000 applications arrive from three sources. Each is offered a place, waitlisted or rejected, and then offers are accepted or declined and waitlisted applicants are moved up or not.
The offer rate differs by source in the example, which a single funnel would hide. All figures are invented.
How to read this diagram
- 900 of 2,000 applications get an offer (45%); 540 of those offers are accepted (60%).
- School referrals have the highest offer rate, 73%, against 42% online and 36% from events.
- Of 400 waitlisted applicants, 60 (15%) end up enrolled.
- 600 students enrol in total.
The data behind it
Invented figures for illustration. Not data about any real business.
| From | To | Amount (applications) |
|---|---|---|
| Online application | Offered a place | 500 |
| Online application | Waitlisted | 250 |
| Online application | Rejected | 450 |
| School referral | Offered a place | 220 |
| School referral | Waitlisted | 40 |
| School referral | Rejected | 40 |
| Recruitment event | Offered a place | 180 |
| Recruitment event | Waitlisted | 110 |
| Recruitment event | Rejected | 210 |
| Offered a place | Enrolled | 540 |
| Offered a place | Declined offer | 360 |
| Waitlisted | Enrolled | 60 |
| Waitlisted | Not offered a place | 340 |
The same data as CSV
source,target,value
Online application,Offered a place,500
Online application,Waitlisted,250
Online application,Rejected,450
School referral,Offered a place,220
School referral,Waitlisted,40
School referral,Rejected,40
Recruitment event,Offered a place,180
Recruitment event,Waitlisted,110
Recruitment event,Rejected,210
Offered a place,Enrolled,540
Offered a place,Declined offer,360
Waitlisted,Enrolled,60
Waitlisted,Not offered a place,340How it works
List applications by source
Use the source recorded at application.
Add the decision for each
Offered, waitlisted or rejected.
Add the final outcome
Offers accepted or declined, and waitlist moved up or not.
Check the balance
Offered should equal enrolled plus declined, and waitlisted should equal enrolled plus not offered.
Frequently asked questions
Can I split by programme instead of source?
Yes. Replace the source nodes with programmes, or add programmes as a third column if both matter.
Does this show fairness or selection quality?
No. It shows counts only; it says nothing about why decisions were made.
Edit this admissions Sankey
Open the example as your own chart and enter your admissions counts.