Week of April 29, 2024

This week's top #socialmedia and #intled news includes valuing digital communication channels with future international students, surprising student markets in Guyana and Bhutan, USCIS' two international field offices in Turkey and Qatar, the rise of the Philippines as a destination and source market, and more.

Social Media News

• Why do digital connections with future international students matter more? This piece from Ready Education speaks to the realities of their circumstances and ways small actions can make a difference in connecting in a real way.
• My colleague Alex Usher at HESA in Canada tweeted (or x’ed) this last week. If you don’t think the decision by the government to limit study permits for the next two years has real financial consequences, see what one college is doing.
• Web and social trends swing dramatically from year to year. This Webcertain report of the state of search and social in 57 different countries should be well worth your time. Many key recruitment markets are included.
• The first in a series of AIRC webinars on Entry Points to US higher education for international students focuses on English language programs . Are you exploring this important sector as a way to attract future overseas students?
• Most of us who have been active in international student recruitment can safely say that Guyana has not been on our radar as a budding market. This blog from Intead might provide some important food for thought about this growing nation.

International Education News

Big Picture Issues

• To no one’s surprise in our field, a recent Terra Dotta survey , with albeit a fairly small sample size (N=258) found that college students truly value the opportunity to study abroad, with near 90% saying it would help them personally and professionally.
• I have to say I am impressed by this USCIS move to create two new international field offices in Qatar and Turkey to provide a more accessible process for those displaced peoples seeking to seek US refugee status.
• Really impressed with Karin Fischer’s Latitude newsletter focal story last week on Babson College’s entrepreneurial approach to international engagement. This Massachusetts institution found its niche and went all-in on growing its footprint globally.
• NIL has been called the end of amateur collegiate sport as we know it. For international students , however, US immigration regulations prevent them from taking advantage of these financial opportunities. Equity and fairness take the hit.

Solutions Central

• The latest round of 100K Strong in the Americas grant has been announced. “This new bilateral 100K Strong U.S.-Brazil CLIMA/IE competition is offered during the year of the?Bicentennial celebration of the diplomatic relations between Brazil and the United States.”
• Take heart US international educators! A new Oxford International Education Service survey of Indian, Nigerian, Pakistani, and Vietnamese prospective students shows the US in pole position in India (ahead of the UK, Canada, and Australia).
• Have US institutions ignored one of the fastest-growing markets for international students globally? Yes, in large part, the Philippines has become a prime source country for Australia and China in recent years. This ICEF Monitor piece is worth a read.
• If you want to understand why students are considering multiple countries as destinations for their studies, check out this article on the rise of destinations like Thailand, the Philippines, and Poland. “A growing body of?industry research ?shows that in 2024, international students are considering a wider range of destinations, motivated by such factors as ease of getting a visa, post-study work opportunities, and affordability.”
• What is driving prospective MBA students’ interest in particular programs abroad? Sustainability-focused programs, AI, data analytics, cost-of-living, and affordable/available housing. Are you emphasizing these in your communications?

Global Roundup

• Global - A new British Council report (5 Trends to Watch in 2024) paints a downward trend for Australia, Canada, and the UK before a return to more stable growth. Swings and roundabouts, ups and downs, successes and failures. We move on.
• Australia - Apparently, the prime minister of Australia is not a fan of Mickey Mouse courses offered to non-genuine students Down Under. As a result, net migration is expected to be halved in 2024/25. Yikes! Dark times before the dawn coming.
• Australia - While Guyana might be a surprise future market for US international recruiters, to hear this story out of Western Australia that Bhutanese students are now the second largest student group (after India) in this state boggles the mind.
• Canada - Recent surveys of average Canadians show that a majority (58%) now believe there are too many international students in the country. All the negative news and government actions seem to have poisoned the well of goodwill of our northern neighbors.
• Canada - Is the government of Canada’s pause on the runaway international student increases of recent years a correction to “ensure they ‘get the right experiences’” or is it something more of a foundational shift? Time will tell.
• China - Relations with Canadian and Australian institutions in China have improved since the pandemic but have not yet reached the levels of the US and UK where high school pathways and decades of research partnerships have made those bonds quite strong.
• France - What would US universities do for this kind of diversity amongst its international student populations to have nearly half from Africa? France has 24% of its students from North Africa and another 23% from Sub-Saharan nations.
• UK - Vocational colleges in the UK are attempting to rally support for their efforts to grow their international footprints (like Australia and Canada have done recently with great effect - but not without significant challenges). Good luck with that.
• UK - For the UK, leaving Europe and, in the process, the Erasmus+ network has had monumental consequences. Now, as the voices grow louder to rejoin this network, I do hope for the sake of my British colleagues they get their wish.
• UK - If you want an understanding of how critical housing is in the UK, read this ICEF Monitor article . “The 20 largest student cities in the UK need roughly 230,000 additional student housing beds in order to address current demand levels.”

SMIE Consulting Midweek Roundup

If you’d like a more in-depth analysis of the main news stories each week, check out our?#MidweekRoundup ?#intled ?#livechat ?on Wednesday at 1 pm ET on the SMIE Consulting?Facebook ?page,?YouTube ?channel,?Twitter feed , and?LinkedIn . A podcast version is also available on all major podcast provider platforms.