Nothing forces the drive for clarity like experiencing chaos.
Good news in years like these, we suppose. The policy swings and shifts in student demand have tested every institution’s agility and fortitude. But for leaders paying attention, the volatility is forcing a refining of strategy and development of a sharper view of what truly drives enrollment growth.
Meet Intead!
- Find us at AIEA in DC in February, and ASU+GSV in San Diego in April. Be in touch to share a cup of coffee in person.
eBook Reboot: 88 Ways to Recruit International Students 2025 update. Your tactical toolkit for the year ahead. Covering all the bases in 10 quick-read chapters. Fosters great ideation discussions with your team.
NOTE: This week, our Recruiting Intelligence Blog will take its regular end-of-year break. We will see you again on Jan. 7, 2026, with our usual actionable future focus.
The institutions emboldened to act by realities of enrollment drops and general wariness around US travel are playing the long game. It’s the right move. Those who take a wait-and-see approach are already losing ground on future enrollment. But you already know this. And if you’ve been reading our blog, you also know:
- Why now is the right time to take international on a campus roadshow
- That your Career Services office is an underutilized gem
- Our NACAC takeaways on students, staffing, and new H-1B implications
- What enrollment teams need in times of ambiguity
Didn’t catch those topics? Read on…
Top articles and insights from Intead from Q4 2025.
This Moment is Built for SIOs
As vetting of international students ratchets up and new policies continue to challenge immigration and inclusion, SIOs wonder: what’s next? THIS is their moment to get leadership across campus to tune into international enrollment, international student experience, and overall campus internationalization efforts. Here’s how to build your internal support network on campus.
Your Career Services Office is Underutilized and It Shows
Many (read: most) students view Career Services through a lens of “why bother?” Hard to blame them. Help with resume and cover letter writing is too basic and can be provided by ChatGPT. Mock interviews have value, but there’s SO much more these departments could be doing to help students succeed and your institution grow enrollment. Our take on how to use Career Services as an enrollment driver – ideas we think all too often get short shrift.
NACAC Discussions Drive Enrollment Insights
If you truly want to understand an organization, attend their business meeting and listen to the issues raised (or ignored). The true grist that both slows and drives progress. What we left NACAC thinking about:
- How will chief enrollment officers overcome the challenges and deliver the enrollment numbers their institutions need?
- Where will we see universities closing next year?
- And will the new H-1B fee proposal from the White House support international student mobility to the US? (spoiler alert: Yes!)
This post dives into the key issues of students, staffing and new H-1B visa implications.
From Stasis to Strategy: Enrollment Teams, It’s Time to Act
In times of churn (and right now there’s a lot of churn), teams often sit on their hard-won budgets waiting for stability. We have a better idea. Insights that help enrollment teams make progress in times of ambiguity, including
- What enrollment teams need now: smart bets and clarity.
- What leaders need now: concrete data to identify the opportunities and cut through uncertainty.
- What institutions need now: leaders who act.
Important topics that tie a bow on 2025. (Collective sigh of relief?!?!) Now, our Recruiting Intelligence Blog will take its regular end-of-year break. We will see you again on Jan. 7, 2026, with our usual actionable future focus. Wishing 2026 will be new to all of us in more ways than one. Cheers!
