OPTIMISE YOUR INTERNATIONAL STUDENT RECRUITMENT
ua-networks.com, Jan 04, 2019 at 10:00 AM
International education is one of the largest and fastest growing economic sectors in the world. Increased access to primary and secondary education, as well as growing wealth and employment opportunities means that the world’s student population is more mobile that it has ever been before, and overseas study now ranks among the most important markers for graduate success. Worldwide student mobility has seen steady growth over the past several years and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon – in fact, the OECD estimates the total number of international students worldwide will exceed 8 million by 2025. For reputed colleges and universities globally, admission of international students has transformed from an unpredictable bonus to an essential requirement. They have found that international students don’t just walk in to be enrolled; they have to be lured into campuses. Prospective students have many options and can pick and choose from among different countries and universities. Globalization impacts our daily world and strengthens the competition workplace year after year. And let’s be honest: it is very true in the international higher education industry. For over 5 million students who decide to study abroad, there are many attractive opportunities which are well beyond national borders. Attracting foreign students to university and increasing applications are probably biggest challenges.
International study is no longer reserved solely for the wealthy. More and more students across the globe are choosing to enjoy the wonders of a new country while also obtaining higher education in their field of choice. While there are many different ways to internationalize and many different ways to implement study abroad and international student programs, there is one issue that results in controversy and differences of opinion more than many others, the question of whether to--and if you do, how to--use agents to support the recruiting of international students for your campus. Agents should advertise their unique selling propositions, such as University and their programs. So also “exclusive” disciplines that are not offered in all colleges. Attracting international students means understanding and fulfilling the emotional aspects of their decision-making process. Unlike the agent, a student wants to feel safe, excited and happy when they finally make the decision to come to your school. Whether you’re an agent or a school, the same concept applies. From experience, education agencies still play a very important role for recruiting a significant number of international students, and without their help, many schools very often do not survive. Existing international-recruitment models often have three limitations: They require an upfront investment in staff time and travel with little or no guarantee of return; their lead time for success is significant; and the results are often unpredictable. While simply raising the numbers of international students on a campus was once a sufficient goal, many institutions now developing a strategic internationalization plan find that a more traditional approach no longer meets the needs of the institution as a whole. Making internationalization a true priority means taking a longer term, bigger picture view of its role in enhancing your institution. More and more universities are publicly declaring internationalization a key component of future success, embedded in strategic plans or elaborated upon in high level documents.
UA-Networks partners with many universities in Europe. Universities such as University of Ostrava -Czech Republic, Gannon University –US, Riga Stradins University –Latvia, LUHS –Lithuania, Dijon Burgandy School of Business are some of the few universities associated with UA-Network providing quality education along but at a very reasonable cost.
