Week of January 23, 2023

In our day-to-day professional work in #internationaleducation, we all struggle to manage information flow, identify opportunities, synthesize possible solutions, and act appropriately to better ourselves, our audiences, and our world. To help in this often overwhelming task, Social Media & International Education (SMIE) Consulting offers this free weekly e-news brief to share our perspectives and to provide some wisdom along the way. Happy reading!

Social Media News

• If Kuwait is on your international student recruitment radar, you may want to consider signing up for this free US Commercial Services webinar coming up on February 14th.The focus will be on what Kuwaiti students want and the market there.
• Moving into 2023, what are best practices in international student recruitment? Sign up for this IDP Connect webinar this Thursday where I’ll be on a panel of US university reps talking where we see our strategies evolving post-pandemic.
• After last week’s discussions on the impact of ChatGPT on admissions, the New York Times shares a story on how this AI tool is changing the way professors will teach and how students will be required to write papers moving forward.
• Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most essential elements to a successful digital strategy. Is your institution paying attention to what is needed to be effective internationally when it comes to SEO? This Webcertain guide will help show the way.
• Talking about essays in university admissions, in the UK essay mills are targeting international students using social media despite laws on the books that specifically prohibit such practices. Will ChatGPT doom essay mills?
• TikTok is now banned on state-owned devices in 27 states and partially banned in 4 more. For public institutions, it means they can’t use it for recruitment and communications and often won’t allow access to it over WIFI on campus.
• But will these TikTok bans by states impact college students’ use of this addictive social video platform? No, not in the least. VPNs and using cellular data instead of campus WIFI make the ban meaningless unless it goes national and is banned from app stores by the federal government (like they do in India).

International Education News

Big Picture Issues

• Why do Indian students continue to flood into the United States? Let’s just say the many examples of rags to riches stories from Indian migrants who are now leading some of the largest tech companies here show the American Dream is still alive.
• The PR offensive continues in India from the US embassy and consulates attempting to show how committed the US government is to meet the ever-expanding thirst from Indians for student, business, and visitor visas. Keep it up!
• Sadly, US student visa denials in West Africa continue to plague those hoping to realize their opportunity. Why? The same old concerns of fraudulent docs, lack of ties, questionable funding, as well as visa overstays weigh down F1 applicants. What’s the answer? Scale up EducationUSA’s strength in this arena, where some centers experience 100% visa success.
• What challenges do US admissions and marketing offices face this year? The rise of direct admissions, recruiting and retaining staff, and the impact of artificial intelligence will continue to push enrollment managers to their limits.
• Why do strong intensive English programs matter? "Scott Kiesling, chair of the Department of Linguistics (at Pitt), said closing the institute would profoundly impact the university’s international reach, contradicting its diversity goals."
• Fascinating perspectives on how many western destination markets are “throwing away gold” long-term by ignoring or providing scant financial support for students coming from the Global South who might not have the resources to attend.
• Universities in many countries are questioning the continued upward spiral of fees in light of the increased global competition for international students. The current climate now favors students who are willing to shop around. And, yes, they are most definitely considering multiple country destinations.

Solutions Central

• If you are traveling abroad to recruit at high schools, knowing their school start dates, holidays, and such are vital pieces of information. The team at Intead put together a handy guide to alleviate planning headaches.
• In terms of markets where demand for outbound study is high, Iran continues to be a significant source country, particularly for graduate degrees. This ICEF Monitor report breaks down where the opportunities lie.
• Interesting to see the evolution of pathway providers. This one at Case Western for MS in computer science is interesting with part done in India virtually, part on campus, no English proficiency tests or GRE/GMAT required. Keep an eye on that one.
• While this story is a bit light on content, it reflects the changing trends among Indian students coming to the US. Whereas engineering has long dominated as the #1 subject of choice, math and computer sciences degrees now edge it.
• For Indian students looking at the US, if you’re not sharing the successes your recent graduates in securing jobs through OPT, you are missing a golden opportunity. They crave post-study work (43.6% pursued it in ‘20-’21).
• Kudos to Western Illinois U. With 15% of its population now being international, this regional public institution is truly ahead of the curve. “International students bring cultural diversity to WIU and Macomb and enrich the lives of students, faculty and staff across campus and in the larger community.”
• Absolutely love this article that shares the importance of keeping the international student perspective in mind throughout planning and executing strategies designed to grow and retain overseas students. A version of my 6 Ps of SIEM.
• With an anticipated expansion of premium processing for certain work-related benefit applications, including OPT, Indian applicants are seeing their dreams coming closer to reality in the US.
• On the heels of all the stories about international student housing struggles around the globe, this partnership between online education provider upGrad and Casita (a student accommodation marketplace) is a smart move.

Global Roundup

• Australia - Following on last week’s news of significant increases in applications to universities in Australia, while most of the growth seems to be driven by Indian students, at some institutions, Chinese applicants are rebounding.
• Australia - But will all these overseas students coming to Australia be able to settle into a new life and find appropriate housing? It seems there may be significant challenges ahead on this all-important front for universities Down Under.
• Australia - Why are doctoral candidates largely from China, Iran, and Pakistan experiencing up to a three-year delay in visa processing to Australian universities? Security concerns aren’t expressly mentioned, but some visas “are more complicated than others.”
• Canada - This opinion piece from a spouse of a former international student in Canada expresses what all of us know about why those that choose our institutions are the courageous ones, willing to bear many burdens to study abroad.
• Canada - In Canada, while there is an international education strategy, some claim that it doesn’t track one of the most important trendlines - international student well-being. Wouldn’t that be an amazing thing to see?
• China - Much has been made of the report this past week of the first recorded drop in the population in China in over 60 years. With an increasingly elderly population and a shrinking labor force, what does this mean for international education?
• China - This story out of Sweden that incoming Chinese doctoral students are being required to sign loyalty pledges is quite disconcerting. “The regime requires that they also must ‘serve the interests of the regime’ and ‘never participate in ‘activities’ that go against the will of the authorities,’ the report said.”
• China - One beneficiary of China’s reopening is New Zealand, with significant increases in applications from Chinese students.
• New Zealand - Necessity is the mother of invention. In New Zealand, where universities are eager to have international students return in numbers, Universities New Zealand’s head is exploring charter flights, especially from China.
• Qatar - On the back of the success of the World Cup, Qatar’s Education City is in growth mode with four new international partner institutions coming in including Malaysia, the US, Australia, and one other country.
• Sub-Saharan Africa - For those institutions looking for future growth markets, a recent Campus France report highlights the increasing competition for Sub-Saharan students in several interesting countries. Push factors down to lack of higher ed spaces.
• Turkey - Does the Turkish government’s scholarship program for African students show the way forward for making significant strides in recruitment of these students? The evidence is clear: 50% growth in 3 years (up to 60000 students in 2022).
• Vietnam - This Acumen report on parent preferences in Vietnam for educational options for their children is eye-opening: 85% of Vietnamese parents are open to international and transnational education study for their children.
• United Kingdom - After a recent survey of UK employers on their awareness of the two-year post-study graduate route for a work visa, other voices are calling for an extension for STEM grads to get a three or four-year visa option. Interesting.

SMIE Consulting Midweek Roundup

If you’d like a more in-depth analysis of the main news stories each week, check out our Midweek Roundup international education live chat on Wednesday at 1pm ET on the SMIE Consulting Facebook page, YouTube channel, Twitter feed, and LinkedIn. A podcast version is available as well on all major podcast provider platforms.