International Student Recruitment: Trick, or Treat?

Let’s face it – international student recruitment can be a scary prospect. Institutions can make strategic
partnerships and create a well-developed recruitment plan, but literally anything unexpected in the world can negatively (or positively!) affect your recruitment efforts. As higher ed institutions continue to look towards international student recruitment to help stave off or balance a potential enrollment cliff in the near future, forging a meaningful path forward to maximize international student recruitment numbers is becoming more and more important. Couple that with the “FAFSA Fiasco” that occurred for 24FA domestic recruitment (and general uncertainty of the lasting damage it might have done to the perceived value and need for a college degree as students postponed or made alternate decisions) and international student recruitment becomes even more essential.

While international numbers have been on the rise again since COVID, this has not been without a share of “tricks.” Many institutions have relied on Indian student recruitment due to global trends, but F-1 student visa denials from India (and other countries) unexpectedly increased for 24FA, causing many institutions to miss their international student recruitment numbers. Combined with other country trends for initial transfer out students from key countries, uncertainty around the upcoming election and how that can affect international student recruitment (internally for visa issuance and externally for student/family desire to obtain an F-1 visa for the US), and existing financial difficulties for many international students, and it would appear that international student recruitment could be a risky proposition. However, careful data review, reflection, and strategic planning can help you have the best path forward for your own institution’s international student recruitment.

The “treat” from the data? Despite the high amount of visa denials data shows international student recruitment numbers are up! The following data is from Study in the States, SEVIS by the Numbers Report (Read the 2023 SEVIS by the Numbers Report. Study in the States. (2024, May 22).
https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/2024/05/read-the-2023-sevis-by-the-numbers-report):

---

Read More