Strategies for Attracting International Students

Title: Meet the New International Student: Budget-conscious, Job-focused, and Maybe Already in Your Backyard

Date: January 14, 2020

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

Author: Karin Fischer

Recent demographic, economic, and political changes, especially in the U.S. relationship with China, has raised the need for educators to rethink strategies for attracting international students. An article from The Chronicle of Higher Education explains these demographic shifts and provides possible approaches for navigating them.

The findings include:

• Given the risks associated with relying on a single country or region for international students, colleges and universities should actively recruit students from a diverse number of countries. A potential region for recruitment is South Asia as India is already the second-largest origin country for many incoming international students. Another area of focus could be Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.
• Incoming international students are looking for study abroad programs and global experience in addition to a high-quality education.
• Most international students are hoping to obtain work experience in the U.S. Therefore, specialized programs that boost employability are likely to attract international students.
• Universities can recruit international students already studying in U.S. high schools or community colleges. This may be a more economical avenue for recruitment than scouting new students overseas.
• Students can obtain a U.S. degree without physically coming to the U.S. by attending overseas branch campuses such as Duke University (China) and New York University (United Arab Emirates and China).

To read the full article, click here.

—Haelim Chun