After growing for decades, the number of international students applying to and enrolling in U.S. undergraduate and graduate academic programs has declined in recent years. As a result, U.S. schools must implement more robust and successful international recruitment strategies if they expect to continue attracting the best students the world has to offer.
With that in mind, the following list identifies seven potential strategies your institution may want to explore as it seeks new ways to boost international recruitment.
Colleges and universities should consider:
- Offering financial aid to highly qualified international students.
- Investing resources in training admissions officers to recognize high-caliber international report cards.
- Investing in intensive English as second language (ESL) programs for both domestic and international students.
- Developing “pipeline” relationships with local community colleges or smaller colleges that serve large numbers of international students.
- Cultivating and subsidizing international student alumni networks; sponsoring events where alumni can interact with prospective international students.
- Expanding recruitment efforts in under-represented countries.
- Developing a social media strategy to increase awareness of the university in target countries.
The United States remains home to some of the greatest colleges and universities in the world, and international students still want to come here to study. Attracting them to your campus will depend in large part on your strategies for recruiting and supporting them.