Recruiting Intelligence

Attention loyal readers-- we have some exciting news to share. Big changes are coming to our blog. Update: Same caliber of information, delivered weekly. 

As we all know, international student enrollment has increased significantly during the past several years, especially among Chinese students. The total percentage increase is 29%, which is almost 237,700 students per year. (Open Doors Data) Therefore, recruiters of American universities need to read nearly 500,000 more applications during the application period. Also, due to unfamiliarity with local language, the great distances between American universities and Chinese applicants, and an unfamiliarity with the local education system, universities have faced increased challenges in maintaining the authenticity of application documents.

We need to see changes to improve the screening of prospective Chinese students. Of course we have some ideas as to how that could be done.

Creating Better Connection is the Key!

Image courtesy: Open Doors Data

Itinerary. Check. Tickets. Check. Hotel confirmations. Check. Passport. Check. Seems like you're all ready for your fall international student recruitment travel. But are you? What is your strategy for building and maintaining connections with the prospective students and parents you meet on the road? What's the point of traveling, the financial and time commitment, if you aren't going to effectively leverage your contacts?

Graeme Menzies, Director of Marketing Communications & Social Media at The University of British Columbia, joins Michael Waxman-Lenz, Intead CEO and co-founder, to share his vast knowledge of marketing and social media in the higher education realm. Higher education professionals seeking to improve their marketing, communications and social media strategies will gain a great deal of insight through Mr. Menzies discussion.

Welcome back to Intead Insights. We are refreshed by our summer hiatus and eager to share our perspective on an extremely valuable report out of MIT (just a stone’s throw from our Boston office if you have a really good arm).

MIT published an incredibly exciting, insightful and highly promising report about its future plans.  The report developed 16 recommendations that are worth reading- even if you choose not to read the 200 pages of appendices.   ;-)

Q: How much is an international education worth?

A: $5 Trillion.

If you haven’t started utilizing gamification for the purposes of attracting, recruiting and enrolling students both domestically and internationally, you should. University websites toting lists of information and a couple pictures won’t cut it in the competitive market that is international recruitment today. Nowadays, in a world where young adults are almost obsessively focused with devices—and the app games available on them—you need to cater to those interests in order to be noticed.

We all know the cost and logistical challenges of meeting international students face-to-face can be prohibitive. We also understand their value: Personal meetings are compelling and can convince students to enroll. So how can you create personal and influential interactions with potential students, even from far away? 

Project 211. Project 985. Do you know about these two Chinese government-run education projects? If you don't, you should. Read on to learn more.

According to Best Practices in International Student Recruitment and Retention in Anglophone Countries by Hanover Research, the U.S. recruits international students mainly from Asian and South Asian nations. “Asia currently generates 62 percent of America’s international students, and 74 percent of those students come from India, China, Japan, and South Korea.” As shown below (Figure 1), 11.2% of international students are from South Korea. Therefore, recruiting South Korean students can be an effective marketing strategy for colleges. How can US universities better attract Korean students?