From student recruitment to sustainability, Studyportals aligns with the UK government’s vision, actively contributing to international education success through strategic partnerships and data-driven solutions.
From student recruitment to sustainability, Studyportals aligns with the UK government’s vision, actively contributing to international education success through strategic partnerships and data-driven solutions.
The United Kingdom government’s latest progress update on the International Education Strategy (IES) reaffirmed the nation’s steadfast commitment to global collaboration.
According to the government, the UK has not only met but exceeded the IES target for international students, welcoming 679,970 individuals in the 2021-2022 academic year, a noteworthy achievement for two consecutive years.
Despite the challenges posed by the disruptions in 2020, the higher education sector’s resilience is evident, with a substantial contribution of £19.5 billion ($24.2 billion), signaling the sector’s resilience in the face of adversity.
At the forefront of this success is the strategic implementation of key programs such as the Turing Scheme and the Warm Welcome Scholarship Scheme. The Turing Scheme, with an investment of £110 million ($136 million) for the 2022-2023 academic year, is supporting over 38,000 participants from education providers across the UK.
In an exclusive interview, Edwin van Rest, CEO of Studyportals, detailed the organization’s role in actively advancing the UK government’s objectives, particularly in attracting diverse and highly qualified students.
From championing sustainability awareness and promoting girls’ education to strategic collaborations with the Turing Scheme, Studyportals aligns its efforts with the UK government’s vision for an inclusive, resilient, and globally competitive education sector.
How does your organization actively support the UK government’s goals of increasing education exports and attracting more international students as outlined in the International Education Strategy, and what specific strategies have you implemented to achieve these objectives?
Studyportals helps UK institutions attract uniquely diverse, highly qualified students who come to the UK for the right reasons. We help to grow beyond the goals of simple growth of volumes but with a data-driven, transparent path towards more diversity, student satisfaction, and employment outcomes. Our students drive innovation, research excellence, and global institutional growth.
Studyportals actively promotes UK universities and courses to over 50 million prospective students annually through our platform and nurtures them through enrollment in a fully digital and transparent way. This includes creating detailed profiles of UK institutions, featuring relevant programs, personalized, nurturing, and highlighting the strengths and unique features of studying in the UK.
Studyportals also provides data and insights for institutions and organizations working in international student recruitment, supporting universities, governments, and other agencies to make data-driven decisions.
Studyportals and Universities UK International, a body representing 142 universities across the UK, released a recent report: International student recruitment from Europe: the road to recovery.
This report included research-informed and data-driven recommendations to the UK government to retain the UK’s position as a top choice for European students.
The British Council, the UK’s international organization for cultural relations and educational opportunities, is also a trusted partner with the co-production of several joint research projects over the years and the Global Student Satisfaction Awards
Studyportals data insights and thought leadership inform decision-making, advocacy, and policy discussions.
In terms of sustainability and climate change, how is your organization involved in promoting environmental awareness and sustainability among international students, and how do you integrate these efforts into your services?
Millions of students look for environmental sciences and sustainable development programs. We stimulate this and publish research. Our research includes a call to widen access to environmental studies in the Global South, where interest is growing.
We provide a “greener” recruitment channel for universities: digital recruitment does not require travel and needs minimal staff time. We are currently investigating on which timeframe we can become “net zero” as an organization.
Regarding initiatives related to girls’ education, what specific actions or programs does your organization undertake, and what measurable impact do you anticipate on female students pursuing education in the UK?
Each year a part of our profit goes to charity organizations, including The Goodfellow Foundation, which gives financial support to excellent female Philippine students to complete their university education.
By supporting the girls in receiving a good education, the foundation also wants to give an impulse to achieve equal rights for women in society and improve the position of women in the Philippines.
The platform also lists a number of scholarships aimed at female students.
The Turing Scheme is a significant program facilitating international study and work opportunities for UK students. How does your organization actively collaborate with this scheme to enhance international mobility and enrich the educational experiences of students?
Studyportals provides ultimate guides to studying in different countries, free to prospective students across our portals. These guides include information on culture, cost of living, and application deadlines. Prospective students can also read student reviews to get a sense of what it is really like to study in different destinations to inform their study choices.
Studyportals gives students transparent information to compare scholarships, grants, fellowships, and other forms of student funding.
Regarding transnational education and market barriers, how does your organization engage in overcoming these challenges and facilitating international qualifications recognition, particularly for students interested in the UK?
Studyportals supports organizations and universities with data and insights to inform their TNE strategies. A recent report with the combined UK Higher Education Statistics Authority data and Studyportals insights to explore recruitment trends and identify opportunities in transnational education for the UK in particular.
The recent decision by the Indian government not to recognize online degrees from foreign universities makes Transnational Education even more important. TNE offerings could also minimize, to a small extent, the impact of restrictions on dependents coming with students to the UK, as students would need to spend less time away from family members.
How do you envision the future of global education, and what trends and innovations do you anticipate shaping the international student experience and education exports in the coming years?
Can you share your long-term vision for fostering international mobility and collaboration among students, institutions, and governments, and how do you see this contributing to the growth of the education sector in the UK?
Studyportals is committed to data-sharing, research, and thought leadership to inform decision-making, advocacy, and policy discussions.
At the same time, we are committed to making sure the student voice is included in conversations about the sector. Our Global Student Satisfaction Awards draws on the reviews of over 126 thousand students to recognize the best universities in the world from the perspective of students. Insights from student reviews are collected and shared, with recommendations for universities, in the Global Student Satisfaction Report.
Given your experience in international education, what are the most significant challenges and opportunities you foresee for the industry, and how do you plan to address them?
One of the biggest issues we are trying to tackle is the lack of access to higher education.
Our goal is to make sure no one misses out on an educational opportunity due to a lack of information.
Millions of prospective students around the world, mostly in emerging markets, do not know about their education options or do not believe they can access higher education at all.
The Global Access Initiative builds on our mission by creating targeted content for prospective students from emerging markets and students affected by conflict. Our portals also provide information on ultra-accessible, low-cost higher education options.
We have relaunched our scholarship portal, giving students access to over 160 billion euros in scholarships annually.
