Recruiting Intelligence

After a decade of studying, working, and contributing to US higher education, Tianyu Shen has returned to China – a move that mirrors what many Chinese students who studied in America have experienced. As so many countries are revising their policies about who may come and how long they may stay, this recounting of Tianyu’s experience is particularly poignant.

Many of you know Tianyu, the affable, talented Data Analyst who did some amazing work during his time at Intead as a STEM OPT student. Like so many international students, Tianyu’s initial inclination to study abroad was rooted in adventure. His initial thought more than a decade ago: Let’s go to New Zealand! And, like so many others from China, his parents redirected him to the US.

So that was 2015, and at the time, IIE was reporting that US universities were experiencing the highest growth rate in 35 years, with China as the key driver. At the time, the influx of Chinese students in particular helped many US universities launch new academic degree programs that benefited American students as well as international cohorts. Now, in hindsight, analysts point to how the revenue generated by the growth in international students from 2010-2020 gave many institutions the capacity to invest in infrastructure and academic advances that created huge opportunities for the entire campus.

Now, there’s a very different narrative being played out in the US and globally. We wonder where Tianyu’s parents would advise him to go for study abroad if he were starting his journey today.

We think you’ll enjoy his observations about Hollywood movies, and comparisons of Boston, MA to Lincoln, NE.

SIOs (Senior International Officers) have for years been understaffed and under resourced. As vetting of international students ratchets up and new policies continue to challenge immigration and inclusion, SIOs wonder: what’s next?  

What we know is that our SIO colleagues have been receiving an abundance of well-intended, and often unwanted, emails of concern from their academic peers across the campus. Administrators, deans, and faculty are coming out of the woodwork, asking how the SIO and the institution as a whole are supporting international students. Sidebar comments may also raise concerns about how the institution will meet our future international student enrollment targets.  

SIOs often view the sudden and intense interest in all things international as unnecessary and intrusive. As the questions stream into your inbox your knee jerk reaction may be to push them off.

I can spend all day writing substantiative responses to each of your inquiries. Or I can do my job. Frankly, I’d prefer you simply stayed out of it. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.  

For tens of thousands of international students, community college has been the secret to earning an affordable US degree. And the interest is growing. 

The latest numbers out of IIE show 59,315 international students enrolled in US community colleges in 2023/24. This option for international students peaked in 2016/2017 at 96,472. With the pandemic, the total dropped to 49,099 in 2021/22. The latest figure shows a 21% increase since then.

What’s behind the uptick? According to the international students we’ve spoken to in recent months, it comes down to: 

• Affordability (tuition) 
• Transferability (credits)
• Flexibility (study options)

Here’s the thing: Many of these students had never heard of community college until they began researching their options for studying in the US. Yet, once introduced to the idea, they were ready to sign on. 

Meet Intead!  

• If you’re at NAFSA, let us know! We’d love to connect. Or, find us at APLU in June, NACUBO in July, and NACAC in September.
• AI and the Future of Student Recruitment. A new webinar all about university recruitment in this dynamic, AICA's Emily Pacheco, Ashley Kern (MeetYourClass, Sightline), Ben Waxman (Intead). Register here.

IIE, UNESCO, the British Council, and other global student mobility evaluators all point to market growth over the next decade. Some of those projections are exceedingly rosy with US international student numbers hitting 2M or more in the next 5 to 10 years. We’re not so sure about that. We’ve seen these kinds of outsized predictions from reputable players before. And they didn’t pan out.  

Nevertheless, our own evaluation of the future is that there will continue to be a significant and growing number of students around the world seeking an international education (see our recent post explaining our thinking).

IIE is absolutely accurate in pointing to the significant capacity (number of seats) available in the US as compared to other common destinations (Canada, UK, Australia, Germany). Which brings us back to purchasing power – the growing number of internationally motivated students from countries around the world who will have the desire will also have less money. We see opportunity in that reality. 

US community colleges, this is your moment, if you are ready for it. Most of you are not.  

One proactive example worth talking about: College of the Canyons. The Intead team has been working closely with this institution which boasts a strong partnership with the University of California system. They use the internationally focused conferences (NAFSA, etc.) to build their network and regularly attend ICEF to connect to and manage a valuable agent network. And they deploy targeted digital campaigns to raise awareness and build the volume of student leads. The digital campaigns support their targeted recruitment travel.  

They do all of this work with a conscious effort to deploy messaging that educates students and their families about the value of community college as a route to a 4-year degree. 

The financial benefits alone are enough to pique prospective students’ interest. Community colleges cost a fraction of what a 4-year institution charges. And, depending on the institution, the ability to transfer credits to a nearby 4-year university to complete a bachelor’s degree is incredibly appealing. After all, these are visa-holding students who’ve already proven their academic capabilities. So, doing the math, many realize this approach to US education significantly cuts the cost of their desired degree while also lowering the barrier to entry for their preferred 4-year program. Win for the students. Win for the community colleges. Win for the 4-year institutions. 

But it’s not just about cost (though a lot of it is). Flexible programming, like online coursework, has opened the door to a wider range of students. Institutions offering international students the chance to start earning credits online before transitioning to on-campus studies are drawing in those who might otherwise hesitate—such as students with limited budgets, those who are still working on their English skills, or those who are simply getting themselves ready for university-level study.  

Take the story of one Taiwanese student we met. We’ll call him Chih-ming (not his real name). He spent his first year earning community college credits online from home. By the time Chih-ming moved to California to complete his associate degree, he had already adapted to the US education system and classroom expectations. This gave him the confidence to focus on adjusting to cultural differences when he arrived, making his transition much smoother. 

For students like Chih-ming, online courses are the bridge to achieving their aspirations, giving them the initial courage to pursue a US degree that will bring them closer to their dream careers. It is a low-risk confidence builder at a time when making the transition to a US university may seem daunting.  

Below we get into the considerations when recruiting (and retaining) international students who see online community college as their way into the US higher ed system. Whether you are an enrollment leader at a community college or a 4-year institution, there is something here for you. Read on...

AIEA rode into town overlapping the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in March. You tell me which one brought more excitement and better BBQ? 

The truth: I was down for the whole AIEA thing more than the rodeo. Clearly, I’m not the one to call when you are going out to a raucous party. It’s a character flaw, I know. 

AIEA’s board and their dynamic staff, led by newly minted CEO Clare Overman, delivered exactly what academic leaders and SIOs needed. An opportunity to gather amidst the chaos of the new administration in Washington, DC. An opportunity to fret, consider, and plan.  

Under the heading of planning, our boldest initiative, launched at the conference: a two-year research project in conjunction with AIEA to identify and share the effectiveness of various internationalization office structures. A complex endeavor to be sure. Learn a bit more about it HERE and sign up to stay informed. We are thrilled to be collaborating with former ACE Internationalization Lab leader Brad Farnsworth for this research. 

Those in this field do a whole lot with fairly little support or budget. Shared models and simply thinking together has so much value. The Intead team was honored to share the dais for three very different presentations with colleagues Balaji Krishnan (University of Memphis), Vivian Wang (University of Tulsa), Helen Zhang (Northeastern University), Mirka Martel (IIE), Andrew Chen (FrogHire.ai), and Brad Farnsworth (Fox Hollow Advisory).

Opportunities to Meet the Intead Team  

• Will you be at ASU+GSV in April or NAFSA in May? Let us know  if you want to connect at these events.  

Bookmark this: Intead’s Resource Center 
Access 800+ articles, slides decks, reports with relevant content on any topic important to enrollment management and student recruiting.  Check it out.

Below, I share a few observations about the conversations at the conference ranging from fundraising from international families (alumni giving) to global partnership development and how that plays with enrollment management and student services. You’ll also find links to our slide decks and an invitation to chat if you’d like more information about our ideas on how your institution can improve in three areas: 

• Global Partnership Development and Management 
• International Student Career Placements
• Internationalization Office Structure and Outcomes

Read on for perspective on the machinations over White House pronouncements and access to our slides… 

Grabbed my briefcase, checked the full-length mirror. Yup, got my badge. Opened the hotel room door dashing to get to the AIRC conference networking breakfast buffet. Eyeroll and back into the room. Forgot to brush my teeth. 

Conferencing tip for my colleagues: If, in your morning rush, you forget to brush your teeth, remove your conference badge and lanyard before you brush. The physics of the lanyard and badge during the lean over sink, rinse and spit process…well, you can imagine. 

Opportunities to Meet the Intead Team  

• AIEA in March, ASU+GSV in April, and NAFSA in May. We'll be presenting our latest findings with colleagues at AIEA and NAFSA. Let us know  if you want to connect at either of those two events. 

Bookmark this: Intead’s Resource Center 
Access 800+ articles, slides decks, reports with relevant content on any topic important to enrollment management and student recruiting.  Check it out.

The AIRC 2024 Conference produced exactly what it was supposed to produce at the end of a pretty arduous year. It’s all about the people in the room, their knowledge and expertise, and the culture of the gathering. AIRC achieves all of the right elements, repeatedly. The information we gathered will help us perform better in 2025 and beyond. 

The Intead team showed up in force. We presented our daylong Global Marketing Workshop as well as conference sessions focused on budgeting for international student recruitment and an approach to streamlining admissions processes to improve the overall intake. All very practical stuff.  

Institutions so often fail to calculate the full cost of IEM, leaving their international recruitment teams to a minimalist (at best) budget. An increasingly important consideration as demand for an international education grows in the coming years: How will changing student purchasing power influence your messaging? Can you reduce students’ total cost for a degree? 

Read on to download our AIRC presentations.  

Here we go again. Entering a new year with a certain trepidation. Recent headlines warning of mass deportations and reeking of transnational skepticism harken back to a pre-pandemic era of not so long ago. The difference this time: we come prepared. This is a road we’ve traveled. So, lace up your long-distance sneakers and let’s get going. 

Opportunities to Meet the Intead Team  

• AIEA in March and NAFSA in May, we'll be presenting our latest findings at both. Want to connect at either event? Let us know.

Bookmark this: Intead’s Resource Center 
Access 800+ articles, slides decks, reports with relevant content on any topic important to enrollment management and student recruiting.  Check it out.

Despite our wariness of upcoming US, UK, Australian, and Canadian policy changes that are sure to impact our international student community, we are looking forward to 2025. We will find our way forward even despite the incoming US administration's often petty, often chaotic, and consistently unpredictable management style. Sigh.

One important change to how we move forward here at Intead, a resolution if you will, is an adjustment to the cadence of this blog.  

We’ve been publishing Recruiting Intelligence since 2012, on a weekly basis. Our goal has always been, and continues to be, to provide you with deep industry insights that are practical, highly actionable, and meaningful to your day-to-day work. We report on markets, tech tools, recruitment trends, marketing strategy, you name it. If it can improve your enrollment management, we are researching and writing about it.  

This year we are shifting our output slightly by moving to an every-other-week schedule. This shift in cadence is born out of our digital strategy analysis and watching your engagement. Turns out, given our long form content format, not everyone has time to read our posts every week!!!   

OK, obvious, right? What this means in simple terms: our efforts to disseminate meaningful content to as many people as possible is not as effective as it could be with each post. 

By shifting to an every-other-week schedule, our digital team can use social channels more effectively to promote the content we produce. There will be more time for the social algorithms and your clicks and shares to do their work.  

So, long story short, you will still see our longer form musings here, and an increasing presence on social media as we hold true to our goal of providing useful content to industry insiders. Speaking of, we are connected on LinkedIn, right? If not, follow us here.  

In the meantime, a quick look back at 2024 through this blog’s top 10 posts as chosen by you, our readers. We were not at all surprised at #1. Read on…  

This we know: this is a time to prepare, as in, think 5 years out. #PIELIVE24 in Boston brought industry leaders together as we all move toward the next Trump presidency. Challenging travel and visa regulations will be headed our way. Join us in developing the plans that focus on the international students we support and the progress we need for everyone in this field.

We have work to do.  

As one fearless leader, Fanta Aw, said in a recent NAFSA town hall, “We’re not allowed to be tired!” The Intead team found this rallying cry inspiring. Of course, we are tired. It has been a long year. Nevertheless, we all need to pick ourselves up, face forward, and use all the power we can muster to support the changes we know are worth it. 

Kicking off the PIE event in Boston, Miriam Feldblum, executive director of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, pointed to the need to build on our collective strength to find a clear, unified voice. She asked us to use that voice to bolster our individual work and to serve as the foundational support our allies in Congress need from us so that they can ensure the US remains a strong, safe, desirable destination for international students. 

If you are looking for enrollment growth in the current environment, you'll find a Pro Tip at the end of this post you really don't want to miss!

Opportunities to Meet the Intead Team  

• AIEA in March and NAFSA in May, we'll be presenting our latest findings at both. Let us know  if you want to connect at either of those two events. 

Bookmark this: Intead’s Resource Center 
Access 800+ articles, slides decks, reports with relevant content on any topic important to enrollment management and student recruiting.  Check it out.

PIE Live Boston wasn’t all politics and regulatory hurdles, though. The rising potential of Africa as a student source market, building trust on campus, university partnerships, and the value of US degrees were all hot topics. Intead’s presentations focused on how to read the latest IIE Open Doors data and our Connecting Dots research about career outcomes for international students. If you’ve not downloaded that yet, find it HERE.

I was honored to share the main stage to foster discussion around the hot-off-the-press IIE student mobility numbers with esteemed colleagues Clare Overmann, CEO of AIEA; John Sherman, CEO of The Evaluation Company; and Maureen Manning, senior vice president of strategy and insights for The PIE, US, who did a truly deft job moderating the discussion. 

A clear-eyed look at the new Open Doors data at PIE Live ‘24.

A key insight from that presentation: as the number of students desiring an international education grows globally, and given the fact that a growing number of them will have less money to spend on that education (see discussion below), lesser expensive degree options are going to attract more students.  

Your To Do: make a strategic decision about whether you want to: 

• Offer less expensive options (think certificates, scholarships, accepting more credits from prior activities to reduce time (and cost) to completed degree, among other options) OR  
• Develop stronger value propositions that make your institution stand out as worth the higher cost.  

Changing global dynamics have pushed the Intead team to focus our recent research on unearthing real data on international student career outcomes. We will be doing more research on the topic in the months ahead. Reach out if you’d like to be a part of it. We’ll also be presenting on this topic at AIEA and at NAFSA in 2025. We hope you’ll join us at those sessions and participate in the discussion.  

At PIE LIVE Boston we were joined by Kerry Salerno, vice president of marketing and communications at Babson College, and Andrew Chen, CEO of F1 Hire,for another presentation oncareer pathways available to international graduates. Standing room only for that session as institutions are clearly getting the message about arming prospective students with useful career outcome data.  

In total, the event brought together 330 colleagues from 25 countries. Since many of you (our faithful readers) were not there, we thought we would bring a bit of the conference to you. Read on to access Intead slides from our sessions on the new Open Doors data as well as career outcomes for F1 students.

Our new Know Your Neighborhood (KYN) 2024 Student Sentiment Analysis is a follow-on report to our previous US election research published in June. This one provides the nuance behind the stats. And yes, there’s a clear Trump factor with some choice words shared in the student comments.  

Available today, this new research adds depth to our KYN 2024 report issued in partnership with global study choice platform Studyportals. That initial data set was all about factors influencing international students’ decisions to study abroad, including the effect of the US presidential election (Biden vs. Trump at the time). If you missed that phase 1 research, download it for free here. 

Today’s data set, also produced in partnership with our colleagues at Studyportals, presents new findings by looking at the sentiment behind the survey responses. This report adds even more to our findings with results from a new 4-question survey regarding Harris v. Trump (per shift in Democrat ticket). The Harris v. Trump survey, which ran Aug. 12, 2024 – Sept. 9, 2024, was accessible as a banner ad on Studyportals’ website, resulting in 1,028 responses.   

Opportunities to Meet the Intead Team  
- NAFSA Region XI, Hartford, Connecticut, Oct. 27-29, 2024
- PIE Live North America, Boston, MA, Nov. 19-20, 2024
- AIRC, Seattle-Bellevue, Washington, Dec. 4-7 -- including our pre-conference global marketing workshop. A full day of Intead global intel (lunch included ; -). Details here. 

Bookmark this: Intead’s Resource Center 
Access 800+ articles, slides decks, reports with relevant content on any topic important to enrollment management and student recruiting.  Check it out.

As you well know, the international student market is a competitive one. The universities that succeed are those that truly understand the consumer in each student segment. So, yes, while the KYN 2024 follow-on report is an interesting read, it also gives insight into the mindset of the international students you’re trying to recruit now. In other words, there’s something to be learned here.  

Read on to download the free report… 

For those of you who are regular readers, we know the Intead team is guilty of generating too much value all at once. Not apologizing for it. 

The Intead team has cranked out 3 industry reports and 2 book chapters with never before gathered data. True to form, this stuff is absolutely instructive for the ways you will want to position your academic offerings.

Our latest research is THAT good. 

If you haven’t kept up on what we’ve published recently on the international student experience (3 separate datasets!), don’t worry. This post will catch you right up. It’s your quarterly industry insights at-a-glance, and this round includes new Intead research with our partners at NAFSA, Studyportals and F1Hire along with our own view of industry news. 

Our next opportunity to meet!  

EducationUSA Forum, Washington, D.C., July 30-August 1. Ben and Virginia Commonwealth University SIO Jill Blondin will share insights on Navigating Budget Challenges in International Recruitment: Practical Strategies for Every Phase.  

Be in touch! We’ll buy the coffee. 

In today's Q2 Wrap Up post you will find...

Access groundbreaking data on: 

• How international graduates are finding jobs in the US job market, and the regions most apt to hire them 
• International graduate employment stats, including specifics on salaries, employers and the institutions that are making successful employer connections  
• How the US election is shaping international student decisions 

Industry points of view on: 

• Why Guyana is an emerging student recruitment source 
• How to take a data-driven, actionable approach to budgeting for international enrollment  

Marketing insights such as: 

• Economists’ new take on the ROI of your degree 
• Knowing when you’re ready to tap into your international alumni network 
• Getting your WhatsApp Business account up and running 
• The enduring value of email marketing 
• Messaging for the (really) small screen 
• Link to the new higher ed industry pub: Entry Points to US Education: Accessing the Next Wave of Growth. 

Read on… 

Cue the confetti. A new guide for international education practitioners just hit the bookshelves.

Produced by Star Scholars and filled with analysis and counsel from luminaries in our field, you'll want to grab a copy (link to purchase below). With thanks to editors Dr. Jing Luan, Leilt Habte, J.D., Dr. David Di Maria, and Dr. Krishna Bista, and too many amazing chapter contributors to list here, this book packs a punch.

We were honored to participate by contributing a chapter on how to Leverage International Student Alumni in your student recruitment efforts and another chapter on Using Digital Marketing for International Student Recruitment. Below, we will be talking about your international alumni and serving up a really nice interactive tool offering guidance based on where you are at with your alumni program.

We could not have provided the clear and actionable content without the leadership of our friend and colleague, Dr. Gretchen Dobson with the depth of her work in this area.

The value of your international alumni cannot be understated. Few ready-made resources can connect as quickly and honestly with prospective international students, making them feel understood and welcome. This is about helping them connect with what is real and tangible based on a degree from your institution. Yet, for many institutions, tapping into this network remains on the to-do list. It’s one of those great ideas that remains underutilized. Blame resources, blame poorly maintained databases, blame, well, you know exactly what we are talking about.  

Of course, your institution has strong institutional support for building and maintaining a robust domestic alumni network. All the while, the relative importance and financial value of international students are often overlooked. In some cases, 7% of the total student population being international represents as much as 30% of total tuition revenue. A good idea to do that math for your institution if you have not already. Yet our institutional infrastructure remains lopsided, heavy on domestic alumni, light (or non-existent) on international alumni despite what they can contribute.

Our next opportunities to meet!  

EducationUSA Forum, Washington, D.C., July 30-August 1. Ben and Virginia Commonwealth University SIO Jill Blondin will share insights on Navigating Budget Challenges in International Recruitment: Practical Strategies for Every Phase.  

Be in touch! We’ll buy the coffee. 

In Entry Points to US Education: Accessing the Next Wave of Growth, our chapter on international student alumni management is a great read for any enrollment leader looking to justify the costs associated with building a stronger connection to international alumni. It delves into the motives behind such an effort, including: 

• Brand awareness 
• Reputation management 
• Recruitment 
• Employability 
• Global connections 
• Public diplomacy 
• Financial resource  

At the end of the chapter, we offer the link to an interactive questionnaire designed to assist international student recruitment teams in evaluating their ability to deploy alumni ambassadors. This simple 8-question form provides customized recommendations based on your responses.Today this tool is available to Recruiting Intelligence blog readers (even if you don’t purchase the book. But really, purchase the book!) Read on to check out the evaluation form…