recruiting international master’s-level students · 5 markets in 2016 (indonesia, malaysia,...

Recruiting International Master’s-Level Students:

Research and Good Practices

Research from WES

Paul Schulmann

Excellent Growth in International Master’s Student Enrollment (52% Growth Over Five Years)

-1%

8% 9%

15%

12%

153,735 165,978

181,371

208,355

233,463

-2%

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16

Percent Change from PriorYear

Total International Master's

Source: Institute of International Education

Growth at the Graduate Level has Been Driven by Chinese and Indian Students who Comprise 60% of all Graduate Students

Top Countries for Graduate Students Percent of Total Graduate Enrollment

123,250

101,850

16,613 13,210 10,220 9,534 9,164

China India SouthKorea

SaudiArabia

Canada Iran Taiwan

2015/16

33%

27% 4%

3%

3% 2%

2%

26%

2015/16

China India South Korea Saudi Arabia

Canada Iran Taiwan Other

Source: Institute of International Education

About the Research

In total, 3,472 questionnaires were

completed for a response rate of 23%.

Analysis includes only master’s

degree-seeking international students

(neither a U.S. citizen

nor permanent resident), who

numbered 2,388 completed

responses.

Download it for free at

http://www.wes.org/ras/reports

School Reputation Career Prospects Location Cost

Faculty research and expertise

Earning potential following graduation

Being in or close to a major city

Annual tuition and fees (before financial aid and scholarships)

Ranking of the school/program

Quality of career preparation services (e.g. opportunities to network with alumni or potential employers )

Being close to friends or family that now live in the U.S.

Availability of financial aid and scholarships awarded by institutions

Recommendations from peers

Reputation of school/program with potential employers

Being near a community of people from my home country

Cost of living

Having fun things to do in the area

Duration of program

5% 12%

21%

32%

8%

30% 20%

22%

13%

26% 27%

22%

16%

16% 10%

14%

21%

8%

9%

4%

37%

7% 12%

6%

Chinan=264

Indian=1,313

Latin American=137

Sub-Saharan African=146

Annual Budget for U.S. Education by Country and Region

$50,000+

$40,001-$50,000

$30,001-$40,000

$20,001-$30,000

$10,001-$20,000

$1-$10,000

Reputation is Critical for Chinese Master’s Students

47%

42%

9% 3%

n=264

Cost Annual tuition and fees (before financial aid and scholarships)

29%


17%

Cost of living 14%

Duration of program 17%

School Reputation Faculty research and expertise 33%

Ranking of the school/program 39%

Recommendations from peers 19%

Career Prospects Earning potential following graduation 41%


53%

Quality of career preparation services (e.g. opportunities to network with alumni or potential employers)

53%

Location Being close to friends or family that now live in the U.S.

9%

Being in or close to a major city 36%


3%

Having fun things to do in the area 14%

Q1: Which of the following institutional attributes is most important to you when applying to a U.S. college/university? Q2: How important are these sub-criteria to you when deciding if you should apply to a U.S. college/university? A: Percent of students for whom the specific sub-criterion is “very Important“.

23%

33% 38%

76%

67% 62%

Reach School Match School Safety School

Public Private not-for-profit

n=264

Indian Master’s Students Expect a Good Return on Investment

on their U.S. Education

24%

58%

5%

14%

Cost Annual tuition and fees (before financial aid and scholarships)

46%


40%

Cost of living 30%

Duration of program 27%

School Reputation Faculty research and expertise 52%

Ranking of the school/program 32%

Recommendations from peers 20%

Career Prospects Earning potential following graduation 53%


52%

Quality of career preparation services (e.g. opportunities to network with alumni or potential employers)

56%

Location Being close to friends or family that now live in the U.S.

8%

Being in or close to a major city 22%


7%

Having fun things to do in the area

7%

Q1: Which of the following institutional attributes is most important to you when applying to a U.S. college/university? Q2: How important are these sub-criteria to you when deciding if you should apply to a U.S. college/university? A: Percent of students for whom the specific sub-criterion is “very Important“.

n=1,313

69% 72%

67%

30% 27%

31%


Funding Source of Indian Student Choices

Public Private not-for-profit

>72% Of match schools Indian students selected are public universities, more than twice as many as Chinese students selected.

n=1,313

Feedback from Peers Influences Latin American Students’ Understanding of School Reputation

38%

39%

8%

15%

Which of the following institutional factors is most important to

you when applying to a U.S. college/university?

School reputation Career prospects Location Cost

19% 20%

30%

18%

China

n=264

India

n=1,313

Latin America

n=137

Sub-Saharan Africa

n=146

% of students who thought “recommendations from peers” was

“very important” for school reputation

n=137

79%

64% 66%

11%

27%

20%

9% 9% 14%


Large

Medium

Small

>3/4 of Reach Schools, Match Schools, and Safety Schools that Latin American students apply to are in cities

Cost is Crucial for Students from Sub-Saharan Africa

27%

40%

3%

30% School reputation

Career prospects

Location

Cost

Which of the following institutional factors is most important to you when applying to a U.S.

college/university?

29%

14% 17% 17%

46%

30%

40%

27% 26%

36%

27% 23%

60% 55%

59%

36%

Annual tuition andfees (before

financial aid andscholarships)

Availability offinancial aid and

scholarshipsawarded by

institutions

Duration of program Cost of living

China IndiaLatin America Sub-Saharan Africa

% of students who selected the following sub-criteria’s of

cost as “very important”

n=146

33%

72%

23%

58%

67%

27%

74%

40%

Chinan=264

Indian=1,313

Latin American=137

Sub-Saharan African=146

Public

Private not-for-profit

Match School’s Funding Source by Country and Region

Ideas from Embry-Riddle

Aaron D. Clevenger, Ed.D.

About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Headquartered in Daytona Beach, FL

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the only fully accredited, aerospace and aviation-oriented

university in the world.

MS, MBA, and PhD programs in engineering, aviation, science,

business, and cybersecurity

Campuses in Daytona Beach, Prescott

AZ, Singapore, and 150+ Worldwide

F16 Total University Enrollment: 30,350

FY16 Daytona Enrollment: 6011

FY16 Daytona Grad Enrollment 631

54% International Graduate Enrollment

(2016)

About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Countries by matriculation

China Ecuador France Germany India Kenya Korea

ERAU suggestions and strategies

Brand Awareness is essential to international recruitment

The world is a huge location determine areas where you will be successful Determine areas with your programs industry is prevalent or your students

are becoming employed

Be mindful of world economic impacts, and global impact

There is no place like home Current student info sessions

Accelerated Masters Programs

Fast track applications

Intensive English Programs


Embrace Social Media and utilize social marketing What is popular in the destination not just the US

Geo-fencing is an emerging opportunity

Google Ad Words, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn

Posts in multiple languages

Make strategic decisions on your travel mix

When are tours appropriate

When is individual and small group travel the ways to go

Utilizing EducationUSA as a supplement to both

Embry-Riddle is exploring both traveling recruiters and recruiters that live in country


Other ideas to ponder

Purchasing GRE/GMAT lists

Generation/Lead companies

Working with Agents

Partnering with other campus departments

International Industry and Diversity Conferences

Ideas from Texas Tech University Graduate School Shelby L. Cearley

About TTU Graduate School

Lubbock, Texas (suburban)

60 graduate certificates, 101 master’s degrees, 56 doctoral

degrees in 10 academic colleges

F16 total university enrollment: 36,551

F16 total graduate enrollment: 5,867 (16% of overall enrollment)

F16 graduate applications: 6,038

54% US, 46% international (reversal of previous 3 years)

F17 graduate applications: 4,989 (down 1,049)

Three primary countries (2014-2017)

India, China, Iran

Texas Tech University Graduate School

Directives Challenges

Increased enrollment by 2020 Total growth to 40,000

Graduate enrollment: 8,000

Diversification of student body Seeking to be Hispanic-Serving

Institution (currently at 23%)

Gender parity

Graduate School already there (51% women, 49% men)

Desire to internationalize campus

State budget freeze until 09/17

No additional funding allocated for growth

Different target countries University: India, China, Brazil,

Latin America (as of 2/17)

Graduate School: India, China, Brazil, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, South/ Central America

TTUGS – Where to Start

Review your historical data and current research on applications. Start with your own data. Then look at sources such as WES Research &

Advisory Services, EducationUSA’s Going Global annual guide, IIE’s Open Doors.

Compare that to your target markets

Does what you offer appeal to students in those markets? If not, you may want to reconsider that market, or find a niche that would make your school attractive.

What are you currently doing in those markets? Do you need to revamp your recruiting plan to adapt to the market needs?

What can you invest (financially and personnel-wise) in making your recruiting plan work?

TTUGS Strategies for 2017-2018: Virtual Recruiting

Renewed CollegeWeekLive contract 8% of int’l applicants had at least 1interaction with us on CWL

Expanded contract to include private yield events for admitted DOM & INTL students

Embedded chat feature for website (starting in summer 2017)

Expanded Hotcourses contract 5 markets in 2016 (Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, Brazil, and World). Nearly 12,000

contacts.

Added Latin America site in 01/17 to coincide with announcement of TTU Costa Rica campus establishment

Focus on ELS recruiting agent network For both full admission and conditional admission for English

proficiency

Faster processing timeline and time to decision for ELS applications

Ideas from NYU Tandon School of Engineering Raymond Lutzky, PhD.

About NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Brooklyn, New York (urban)

Second oldest private school of engineering in the U.S. (1854)

MS, ME, and PhD programs in engineering, science,

technology management and digital media

F16 Total Graduate Enrollment: 3,022

F17 Graduate Applications: 9,000

85% International Enrollment (2016):

35% India

42% China

8% Other Countries

15% U.S.A. Citizens/Perm Residents

International Enrollment Goals and Priorities

In 2016: Decrease Indian and Chinese enrollment while increasing quality.

In 2017: Shore up Indian and Chinese enrollment due to external factors.

In 2016: Strengthen secondary markets (Taiwan, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan,

Brazil, Colombia) to diversify international enrollment. In 2017: Evaluate

secondary markets for long-term sustainability (Iran, Turkey, Brazil are all

seen as “dormant.”)

In 2016 and 2017: Grow new international markets that offer partnership

opportunities for student funding (ex., COLFUTURO, Fulbright).

In 2016 and 2017: Create new presence in Europe with limited travel and

digital media campaigns.

In 2016 and 2017: Decrease discount rate for international students (2016:

16.5%).

Use of Data

Country/market data dictated that dedicated staffing in largest international

markets was warranted with a capability to mail/produce admission material

in-country.

Research by WES provided broad analysis with actionable insights that

shape strategy in primary markets (H1B focus in India, reputation focus in

China).

Branding/marketing effectiveness has been determined by year-to-date

comparison of application and yield rates across markets, and geo-

diversity of new applications. This is problematic in a volatile international

recruitment environment (year-to-date data may not be illustrative).

Office will continue to commission research annually to address key

international recruitment and enrollment questions in secondary markets, but

plans for expansion are secondary to the preservation of strong international

market presences in key countries.

Strategies and Practices

Set up India Distribution Center in Bangalore, headed by former admissions

staff member/Indian alumnus, in 2013. This provided increased agility and

opportunities for students to communicate directly with an admissions officer and

speed the distribution of mailed material. Eliminated all Indian agents 2015.

Expanding in-person recruitment emphasis for 2017-2018.

Tightened documentation requirements from China to include CDGDC

certification of all transcripts and invested in yield receptions at premium hotels

and large scale fair events, while expanding the role of regionally-based recruiter

in Taipei to include mainland China. Eliminated all Taiwanese agents 2015.

Using benefit-feature statements, continued to highlight program differences,

reputation, & post-graduation career opportunities in marketing material and

webinars conducted monthly with tailoring by market (based on market research).

Funding partnerships with organizations in new markets, MOU-style agreements.

China Fall MS Applications 2012-2017

Applications Admits Deposits

*2017 data as of March 14, 2017

Indian Fall MS Applications 2012-2017

Applications Admits Deposits

*2017 data as of March 14, 2017

Conclusions

India national trends have been in decline for two years, but reduction in

agents in India combined with an increased selectivity accelerated decline for

NYU Tandon. Enrolled Indian students for 2016 demonstrate an increase in

quality, but changes to H1B visa policy will have a detrimental impact on

Indian enrollment nationally (as well as changes to OPT and OPT-STEM

Extension policy).

Chinese applications exploded in 2016 due in large part to the presence of

NYU in China and prior year work. This has also included an increase in

quality, driven by multiple factors including more stringent documentation

requirements (from 2013-2016, there was an increase in rescissions of

admission for Chinese students due to document fraud). CDGDC certification

has improved reliability.

Political, geographic, and economic factors continue to play an important role

in international MS student mobility.

Contact Information

Paul Schulmann: [email protected]

Aaron Clevenger, Ed.D. : [email protected]

Shelby Cearley: [email protected]

Raymond Lutzky, Ph.D.: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]




recruiting international master’s-level students · 5 markets in 2016 (indonesia, malaysia,...

Documents