The Ambassador Platform Knowledge Base

How is the IDP Student Community Different from TAP?

Last update about 2 months ago
This article explains the difference between TAP (The Ambassador Platform) and the IDP Student Community. Although both use the same underlying P2P technology, they serve different audiences via different channels and deliver different strategic value for institutions.

The Key Difference
  • TAP = Your university’s peer‑to‑peer service for your direct leads
    Lives on your own channel, managed by you.
  • IDP Student Community = IDP’s peer‑to‑peer service for IDP‑owned leads 
    Lives on IDP channels, managed by IDP.
The same platform powers both experiences - but the purpose, audience, and strategic outcomes differ. 

What Is TAP?TAP is your university’s own peer‑to‑peer (P2P) platform used to:
  • Convert direct university leads that you own.
  • Acquire new university leads who find you on your website or via your marketing.
  • Support prospective students already interested in your institution.
  • Showcase your ambassadors, content, and events in your own environment.
  • Run your own unlimited communities, group chats, content, and webinars.
TAP is focused solely on supporting your recruitment goals.

What Is the IDP Student Community?The IDP Student Community is a P2P environment embedded across:
  • IDP.com
  • IDP Hotcourses
  • The IDP Live app
It allows your institution to:
  • Reach IDP‑owned students at scale, to encourage them to enrol at your institution,
  • Influence students earlier through ambassador‑generated content.
  • Engage high‑intent offer holders through a dedicated university group chat.
  • Support students throughout the IDP journey with peer‑driven guidance.
This is a strategic engagement layer within the IDP Core Partnership, extending your reach into IDP’s global student ecosystem.

How Your Involvement Differs
TAP IDP Student Community Audience Direct university leads IDP leads across IDP channels Channels Your website and TAP app IDP websites and IDP Live app Primary Goals Convert your own leads Build demand and nurture IDP leads, influence conversion Ambassadors Students, staff, alumni Students Group Chats University‑managed; multiple allowed One private offer‑holder chat per institution Content University‑specific, you choose your requests Experience‑based, IDP chooses the requests Streams Live Streams + On-Demand Streams Only On-Demand Streams Reporting TAP engagement data Integrated into IDP’s Core Partnership reporting

The Two‑Platform Advantage

Using both TAP and the IDP Student Community gives your institution:

  • Direct control of your own P2P funnel.
  • Extended influence across IDP’s global P2P ecosystem.
  • A unified dashboard to manage ambassadors, conversations, and content.
  • More opportunities to build demand, engage students, and support conversion.