Category: Agents

New year, new views: Positivity toward US up among education agents in China and worldwide

Posted on by Dr. Parves Khan

Before 2020, souring diplomatic relations between China and the US counted among several variables that precipitated in a small-but-steady decline in international student enrollment at American universities. Compounded with the global COVID-19 pandemic and skepticism regarding the initial US coronavirus response, perceptions of the study destination worsened not only in China but around the world, contributing to what would become historic international enrollment losses.

Over the course of 2021, INTO conducted two global surveys of education counselors and agents to gauge sentiment toward different destination countries as the pandemic continued — one in spring, and one in fall. The surveys show that, in the last year, perceptions of the US as a study destination have improved significantly in the China, Hong Kong and Macau (CHKM) region, and across the globe. Simultaneously, the latest Open Doors and visa issuance data suggest student demand is rebounding, too.

Although the emergence of the Omicron variant has renewed anxieties around international educational exchange — more so in some regions than others — these findings serve as strong signs that US international higher education is on the road toward recovery.

Continue reading “New year, new views: Positivity toward US up among education agents in China and worldwide” →

Is in-person learning irreplaceable? Agent perspectives on emerging and enduring international education trends in the context of COVID-19

Posted on by Dr. Parves Khan

Over the last 22 months, education agents have offered higher education institutions a lifeline to prospective international students around the world. Continuing to support students in finding their best-fit universities through initial lockdowns and subsequent case surges, agents have also been the first to register the inevitable changes in study abroad decision-making brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTO’s recent, global agent survey shows that, across the board, agents feel study abroad aspirants are increasingly price-sensitive and focused on securing a stronger return on their investment from their international degree, especially in terms of career outcomes. At the same time, though agents anticipate student demand will return to face-to-face learning, they have registered increased interest in blended delivery among rising international students — a definite departure from pre-pandemic preferences. Amid these emerging and enduring trends, one thing is clear: flexibility must feature in the international education sector’s strategies to engage and support students as they navigate the new terrain before them.

Continue reading “Is in-person learning irreplaceable? Agent perspectives on emerging and enduring international education trends in the context of COVID-19” →

Versatile recruitment in a changing world: Incorporating sponsored student recruitment into your institution’s internationalization strategy

Posted on by Luke Sikorski

This blog post draws from NAFSA resources on sponsored student recruitment strategy created in collaboration with Krista Kennedy, MS, Sponsored Student Program Administrator, Portland State University; Matthew Sacco, MA, Director of International Enrollment Partnerships, George Mason University; and William Shuey, MPA, Assistant Director of Sponsored Relations, Pennsylvania State University.

As we adjust our desk lamps and dust off our backgrounds in preparation for a fully virtual NAFSA, this year’s theme, “Designing our Shared Future,” gives us ample opportunity to reflect on how we better engage with communities around the world and serve the next generation of international students post-pandemic.  Make no mistake: Institutions that diversify their recruitment efforts to meet new challenges now will reap the rewards of recovery in fall 2021 and beyond.

US universities can bolster their international-student recruitment strategies by working with sponsoring organizations—governmental or private entities that provide full or partial scholarships for students to study around the world.  Mounting a successful sponsored student recruitment strategy means focusing your institution’s efforts in a quickly changing sponsorship landscape, building relationships with sponsoring bodies, and smoothly interfacing with those organizations while supporting students.

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Light at the end of the tunnel? Perspectives on resilience and recovery in India from Shiksha Study Abroad

Posted on by JP Deering

From global travel restrictions and consulate closures to online learning and Zoom fatigue, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed diverse challenges to Indian students attempting to study abroad.  In the face of adversity, however, they have shown a steadfast commitment to international education.  Just 5% of Indian students admitted to U.K. universities in fall 2020 deferred their study plans; and, between September 2020 and January 2021, 79% more Indian students applied for and received F-1 visas to study in the U.S. than did during the same period one year prior.

Shiksha Study Abroad is one of the organisations with which INTO partners that has unwaveringly supported Indian students in their pursuit of education abroad since the onset of the pandemic.  We caught up with Nandita Bandopadhyay, senior vice president, international sales and client success, for Shiksha.com, to discuss Shiksha’s hybrid model of student service as well as resilience and rebounding interest among Indian study abroad aspirants as vaccines are administered and mobility resumes.

Continue reading “Light at the end of the tunnel? Perspectives on resilience and recovery in India from Shiksha Study Abroad” →

Buoyant demand for traditional destination countries, according to global agent poll

Posted on by Tim O'Brien

Traditional destination countries can expect to see more international students in the coming year according to a survey of more than 750 student recruitment organizations from 69 different countries.

The poll, conducted in March 2015 by INTO University Partnerships indicates that the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada will all see an increase. Perhaps most surprisingly, for those based in the UK at least, is that 72 per cent of those surveyed believe they will be sending more students in the coming 12 months.

The annual survey also reveals the importance of service for counsellors and the link to employability as a key motivating factor for students wishing to study overseas. Continue reading “Buoyant demand for traditional destination countries, according to global agent poll” →

Annual survey reveals agents value response times and service quality most highly in their relationships with institutions.

Posted on by Tim O'Brien

More than 880 respondents from 63 countries participated in the 2014 INTO global educational counsellor survey.  The results have once again supported some of the wider mega-trends in international education – including the rise of China, the growth in awareness of online education and the increasing importance of student advocacy.   But one of the the key messages emerging from this survey is that  while agents cite rankings most often when counselling students, it is the basics of service quality – response times to enquiries and applications, which they value most highly in their relationships with client institutions.

Download the full infographic here

About the respondents Continue reading “Annual survey reveals agents value response times and service quality most highly in their relationships with institutions.” →

Perception and reality – my humbling experience of agents’ work in China

Posted on by Matt Cartwright

I left INTO at the beginning of 2013 to study Mandarin Chinese full time in Kunming, China. My reasons for doing this and my experiences ‘on the other side’, as an international student, are for another day.

But, with an eye to the future, I wanted to continue some kind of association with INTO, so I approached the recruitment team in Guangzhou to see if I could assist in any way.  Despite my very basic language skills I was fortunate enough to be asked to help Tyler Nusbaum and the team with some agent events. Here I got to experience first hand the reality of the job that agents do to support students. Continue reading “Perception and reality – my humbling experience of agents’ work in China” →

£67 million on visa compliance – but is the money being spent in the right areas?

Posted on by Peter Skillen

The recent Higher Education Better Regulation Group report which estimated that the UK higher education sector has spent £67 million on visa compliance, got me thinking. Has it really been five years since the Points Based System (PBS) was introduced?

It immediately took me back to when I was working at the University of East Anglia and I was asked to lead on a little project for about six to eight months to make sure that the University’s visa letters had consistency across the faculties and included our new licence number.  It’s funny how that little project has evolved as per the HEBRG report and cost HE institutions £67 million, but surely that must also be seen as an investment in one of the UK’s most valuable export sectors and, more importantly in supporting students on their journey to the United Kingdom?

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Education agents: separating the mythology from the reality

Posted on by Tim O'Brien

phone studentDigital native students all over the world can receive information online, can monitor league tables and can of course apply unassisted to university. Yet, how many students in the United Kingdom or United States apply without the guidance of a high school counsellor or sixth form tutor? It is almost unthinkable that any student should apply without guidance and support.

International students studying outside their home country use agents and education counsellors to help select their future study options – a pattern evident even in the most sophisticated Asian markets like Japan, Korea and Taiwan where all students have permanent online access. Why? Because the choice is bewildering and students who are non-native speakers of English find the process of dealing with overseas universities complex and intimidating.

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