Who is ‘best in class’ for HE digital transformation? The best in class for the digital transformation of higher education take a holistic approach, covering everything from student recruitment to enhancing the value of the student experience and improving outcomes and employability, according to market research for the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group. But they are the exception, with an international survey of 17,000 students finding that 70% of these higher education students worldwide were in institutions “not digitally mature” and some universities were “digitally distraught” when the COVID-19 shutdowns began. The research was carried out for the IFC by LEK Consulting, a specialist education practice with international clients. The aim was to support the “higher education ecosystem” by sharing best practice and learning from the challenges of digital transformation in tertiary education, particularly in emerging markets and from the perspective of students directly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.