We’re going to state the obvious and break it down. Because it seems some of your colleagues may need to hear this. Better coming from us than you. Helpful perspective: historical data tell us that 30% to 40% of all US institutions see declining international enrollment in any given year. So, for your consideration...
First: If you are not seeing the enrollment results you want, something must change to produce new outcomes. (Someone wise has said: insanity is repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting different results. Apparently, it wasn’t Albert Einstein. Nevertheless, it holds up).
Second: If you want to increase university enrollment fast, you’re going to have to put real money into the process. You’re likely going to continue doing what you already do because even though you are seeing diminishing returns, you can’t afford to lose them. So, new funds must be added to the existing budget.
All obvious, right? Well, it seems folks need to hear it. But we have more to share here to help you get the numbers ...
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Third: If you cannot access additional funds, you will have to cut something you are currently doing and reallocate those funds. If your leadership is of the innovative risk-taker mindset, you can stop doing some of your current, less effective things and put that money into the new thing. Your stronger results will be slow to materialize, and your leadership needs to stay the course (not pull the funding) when fabulous new results do not magically appear in year one. To maintain internal support, you must track your activity and report on the results along the way.
What you want with all the tracking is your ability to provide your leadership with the confidence that there is learning and progress going on that will lead to stronger results in the next couple of years. Know that your leadership is facing down a whole lot of criticism including daggers from across campus trying to remove your funding. The dagger throwers are expecting your plans to fail.
Fourth (getting into the details): You have options when you think about innovating to produce new, stronger results. We review 12 primary recruiting options when we run our conference workshops on student recruiting. Today we take a quick look at each tactic with a careful eye on cost and flexibility.
Read on for our 12 recruitment option tips and perspective…
Every institution is worried about enrollment numbers right now. Budgets are tight. Tuitions are high. Traditional student numbers are on the decline. The regulatory environment going forward is about to change for the worse. A good time to re-evaluate your institution’s approach to international student recruitment (and non-traditional students as well - See this blog post: Recruiting Non-Traditional Students).
For international student recruiting, we see 12 primary options – some turnkey, others absolutely not – that are worth considering when real results are needed, and fast. Some will work for your institution. The question is how to determine those options worth investing in for your specific recruiting environment and institutional culture. Which options will prompt leadership support?
A word to the wise, long-term planners (looking 5+ years out): when the regulatory environment is murky (or worse), having overseas partnerships and remote campus options provides real flexibility and opportunity.
The chart below parses the 12 options into quadrants requiring more or less funding and more or less time. The color coding indicates the level of flexibility to start and stop that particular option. For example, top right is red because building a fully-owned distant campus requires tremendous amount of time and money and once you invest, you are unlikely to back away. In the middle, you'll note a green dot for digital marketing. Once you have the digital assets (ads, landing page, etc.), you can start and stop a paid online campaigns in minutes as circumstances change (like an unexpected pandemic). Highly flexible option.
Below, our tips on the 12 options. In the comments, let us know what experience you have with some of these and what you think will be most powerful for your institution in the next 5 years.
Results Drivers for Most Budgets
$ Online Recruitment Platforms
Many institutions throw money here. Some of you, we know, have shied away. And for good reasons. But, some platforms have matured, offering better user interfaces than in the past and more helpful results-based pricing models. Still, many of these platforms tend to disappear within two to three years of their big, colorful launch. We suggest working with platforms with proven staying power. If you sign on with a new, start-up platform, however, be sure to negotiate a steep discount and strong promotions, as the ROI may not materialize (as in literally zero actual conversions). On the plus side, you may only waste your time if the pricing model is based on students enrolled and minimal or no up-front costs. Key here is your ability to control the content, list segmentation, and lead tracking.
$ Recruiting Agent Network
Don’t just sign the contract and expect results. They won’t come. Building an international network of recruiting agents and high school counselors with strong ties to your institution is a powerful tool made stronger with a well-traveled, culturally empathetic recruitment manager (or managers) at your institution. The internal manager position(s) are too often overlooked and underfunded. Results are stronger with this option when the process is managed with regular, reliable communication between all involved. That approach includes robust onboarding of new agents. From a cost perspective, the real cost (agent commission) hits only after enrollments materialize – a plus from the CFO’s point of view.
$ Articulation Agreements and Dual Degree Programs
A high-effort, low-cost scenario. A lot of hard work (and typically time) goes into creating these opportunities for students and institutional reputation growth. Yet some institutions have streamlined the process and can put an agreement in place in 3 to 6 months. We view them as providing a good service for institutions and students alike. As your staff changes and those involved in creating and installing the agreement move on, the cross-institution engagement tends to fizzle and the benefits diminish. These partnerships often exist in name only due to low energy involvement/promotion.
$ Outsourced Distant Campuses
Fixed costs of building and maintaining a campus have already been absorbed by a strategic partner who understands the local market and meets local regulations. Important here to work with a partner who has a strong track record of delivering academic quality and can provide distinct branding opportunities specific to your institution so you can build the kind of student relationships you want. Certainly, this one requires your time investment to develop academic and social experiences for your students and then reap the benefits.
$ Pathway Programs
Not all pathway programs are created equal. Some do a great job at helping international students meet academic and language requirements necessary for direct entry into degree programs. Others, not so much. Quality, transparency, and cumbersome (sometimes lengthy) contracts are serious issues institutions have grappled with for the past 10-15 years. It’s a bit of buyer beware as pathway programs talk a great game. Look closely at their past university engagements and talk to the institutions involved. Especially those pathway partnerships that are no longer running. This option, often alluring to chancellors and CFOs has some very smart, in-the-weeds critics worth listening to.
Results Drivers for More Substantial Budgets
$$ Digital Marketing
Without question digital marketing has become a central part of student recruitment. Digital campaigns play a key role in generating and nurturing leads and the ability to quickly ramp up or down digital marketing in any given market makes it low-risk, high-reward. This option gives you full tracking capability, though many struggle to find the time to do that well and make use of the insights. A budgeting challenge: digital marketing requires up-front costs prior to seeing results (as opposed to the agent commission approach). CFO’s will be more skeptical of putting significant (and necessary) funding into this option pointing to the value of tracking and reporting on results to justify funding continuation. (Self-promotional side note: our team rocks at this ; -_)
$$ Recruitment Travel
Hard looks at travel schedules, locations, and real results of each trip ensures this investment pays off (again with the tracking!). The itinerary may show interesting cities, but well-run recruitment trips are anything but a boondoggle. The human connections made through repeat visits are invaluable. Strong marketing messaging with easily accessible online content will support your lead capture and engagement. Great recruitment travel insights/suggestions HERE.
$$ Overarching Agent Management Services
Also known as super agents, these services involve you contracting with a larger international student recruitment agency that manages multiple sub-agents in one, or many countries. On one hand, this can be an affordable option. On the other, you sacrifice control over outreach process and messaging, which can cause serious problems. If you choose this route, our advice is to negotiate flexible contract terms that give you an easy exit. Danger lurks here and there are many stories to demonstrate that. Our popular blog post on the topic HERE.
Results Drivers for Larger Budgets
$$$ In-House ESL Programs
Having your own ESL program that also links to other foundational courses will allow you to modify your enrollment criteria to admit prospects who might have been rejected previously for low academic scores. Of course, putting your own ESL program in place comes with staff and marketing costs and does not guarantee increased enrollment. This option comes with the risk of students transferring to other institutions after completing the initial courses. As with all investments, putting the staffing in place to ensure quality instruction and strong student support will give this option the best chance for success. Often, institutions skimp on the managerial and marketing budgets assuming that if they simply say they have this program, students will come. The ROI comes when you do it right. That requires investment.
$$$ Outsourced Remote Recruitment Desks
Increasingly popular over the past 8ish years as an offering from recruiting agencies around the world, leasing a recruitment desk can be a great way to establish a strong, permanent presence in target markets (key cities). The costs can rack up if you lease in multiple locations. However, the investment is far less than opening your own recruitment office(s) in locations around the world. Important to manage the distant recruitment staff as you would any remote worker. Regular (weekly or more frequent) check ins are a must if you want to see results.
Results Drivers for Super-Size Budgets
$$$$ Fully Owned Remote Recruitment Offices
A great, albeit much more expensive, recruitment strategy if your institution has the resources and can staff an office or offices overseas. It obviously requires time, resources, and country-specific regulatory understanding to establish your presence and maintain it over time. In the right cities this approach has been a powerful recruiting option for institutions with large brand recognition. For the unknown brand, this approach seems hard to justify.
$$$$$ Fully Owned Distant Campuses
Think NYU and Abu Dhabi. This recruitment tactic creates all kinds of opportunities for brand recognition and student recruitment in top international markets. It also requires massive institutional vision and investment. Not for the faint of heart. If the financial investment doesn’t scare you off, the local government regulatory environment will. Few institutions take this path. It is the proverbial "big bet." Cross-border institutional partnerships with an opportunity to expand those relationships are the more accessible option for most institutions. But hey, if you want your institution to make headlines and truly stand out, go BIG!
Like we said, we’re here to state the obvious things that your colleagues need to hear when considering how to achieve better results in a challenging environment. No magic, just hard work and perseverance. Industry knowledge certainly helps. Forward this post to those in your institution who can use the context and be in touch.
