AIRC and BONARD survey unravels challenges and possible areas for improvement for both educational institutions and recruiters.
AIRC and BONARD survey unravels challenges and possible areas for improvement for both educational institutions and recruiters.
The State of the International Student Recruitment and Enrollment Field Survey collated responses from over 300 educational institutions and recruitment agencies to offer insights during this pivotal time in international student enrollment.
The survey was made possible through the collaboration of the American International Recruitment Council and BONARD, with additional support from association allies such as the Association of International Education Administrators and the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
The report covers diverse aspects of international student recruitment such as staff details, organizational targets, financials, recruitment pathways, challenges, and institution-agency collaborations.
The insights aim to help decision-makers understand the present landscape of international enrollment and ensure the success of education leaders. The survey results are intended to foster the growth of the international student recruitment sector by:
The data used for the survey was collected between July and October 2022 from 195 US-based universities and 105 recruiters.
The proponents of the study conducted a complementary survey for educational agencies. The respondents were from 105 agencies across 39 nations. The majority were based in India (29 percent), the US (8 percent), Brazil (6 percent) and Mexico (6 percent).
Sixty percent of the agencies employ traditional recruitment strategies, which include in-person consultations with students and their families while others relied primarily on online communication or phone calls (16 percent).
Notably, 5 percent of agencies used student data for institution matching, and 3 percent maintained direct contracts with institutions and collaborated with “master” agencies.
Master agencies represented 13 percent of respondents. Because of their association with multiple sub-agencies and commission-sharing model, they were found to have more substantial student representation.
From the results of the complementary survey, eight variables emerged as challenges encountered by educational agencies when it comes to recruiting international students into the US. The cost of studying and living abroad was found to be the top challenge for international students, followed by difficulties in getting a visa.
Other survey findings show that collaboration between educational institutions and educational agencies is at 62 percent and that despite the pandemic, the budget of educational institutions for international student recruitment remained the same (57 percent).
The survey concludes that international student recruitment and enrollment is a nascent field that can be further enriched through research. The full report features more insights from both US education institutions and educational agencies. View the full findings here.
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