As institutions look to diversify their international student populations, there is considerable interest in entering new markets. Though Brazil has a history of sending students to international institutions throughout the world, as the middle class continues to grow, there is increased potential for international student recruitment within Brazil. Whether your institution is currently recruiting in Brazil or considering making a move toward that country, it's interesting to consider a few factors we discovered.
What is important to Brazilian students? How can you best craft your recruitment materials to reach the Brazilian audience?
1. Lifestyle matters to Brazilian students. According to the iGraduate ICEF Agent Barometer 2012, Brazilian students place a high value on lifestyle as a driver of study location choice. Lifestyle outranks safety and rankings for attracting Brazilian students to campus. To best engage Brazilian students your marketing materials (print and digital) should reflect the unique aspects of your students' campus experience. What goes on outside of the classroom? What extracurricular and social outlets exist? What can your institution's location offer?
2. The complete undergraduate degree is less appealing to Brazilians than other academic options. Many Brazilian students want to study internationally on a short term basis. Because of generous scholarship grants offered through the government and private sector through the Science without Borders scholarship program, many Brazilian students opt for short term abroad programs. The desire to experience cultural difference is a significant driver in students' desire to study abroad.
Your institution can capitalize on this preference by highlighting short term study options. Consider partnering with Brazilian institutions to enter into programs whereby your students can study in Brazil and Brazilian students can attend your institution. Understanding and addressing the preferences of students can make a big difference into how your institution will be received.
3. Consider the ease of transportation for Brazilian students. We learned that this is a priority for students and parents. Students want to easily travel between your institution and their home city. For those institutions that are located near major travel hubs, use this as a selling point in your marketing materials. Help Brazilian students and their parents to see the ease of arriving to your institution.
4. Canada is a popular study destination for Brazilians. US institutions need to realize that Brazilian students are attracted to Canadian and American institutions. The competition doesn't exist solely among US institutions. American colleges should develop a better understanding of why many Brazilian students select Canadian colleges can help your institution to better recruit in this market. And to our Canadian colleagues, continue to use your location as an advantage for recruitment.
Brazil offers an exciting market of possibility for international student recruitment. Developing a thorough understanding of the market, student and parent needs and factors that drive decision making will be useful as you build or enhance your Brazilian recruitment strategy.
A recent WES webinar included many helpful links to Brazilian resources.
Image courtesy of WES, World Education Services.
