Week of November 21, 2022

In our day-to-day professional work in international education, 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

• I had an opportunity to talk about my 6 Ps of Strategic International Enrollment Management with Shiro Hatori on a recent podcast for Concept3D. We focused especially on making current international students a central focus of recruitment planning.
• Are you familiar with unconnected distribution of your content on Facebook ads? Apparently, its the ads that appear in your feed for things that you don’t already like that you might. In the last few months, FB has ratcheted up these options.
• What are the trends in social media marketing you need to be aware of for the coming year? This Hootsuite report shares some excellent suggestions including circumspectness and legitimately spending the time to get it right.
• With recent high profile job cuts at Twitter and Meta, are we seeing the decline of social media or a right-sizing of companies that, like most other industries, had experienced a level of over-reach? My guess is it’s the latter.

International Education News

Big Picture Issues

• My favorite stats from last week’s Open Doors Report have to be the 3 most important indicators: up 4% in 2021-22 overall, up 80% for new internationals in fall ‘21, and up 9% in this Fall Snapshot Survey from IIE. The US is back.
• Happy to see that #YouAreWelcomeHere is still going strong. This fall 41 students from 28 countries joined 22 different US colleges on scholarships from this important movement.
• US Education Secretary Cardona’s statement is on point: “International exchanges are a big part of developing global and cultural competencies for US students who study abroad and for communities here in the US who welcome international students to their schools and their homes.”
• For the recording of the IIE Open Doors Report release, check out this site for all the stats and facts and trends from the most recent data.
• In terms of macro-trends from last week’s data, this stands out: more current overseas students are pursuing graduate studies than undergrad for first time in 10 years due to a 17% increase in grad international students last year.
• The closest thing we get to a current year perspective on intl student numbers from the Open Doors Report is the Fall International Enrollments Snapshot Survey. Here’s the site with downloadable PDFs of that data set.
• What do international students studying in the US contribute to our economy ? Last year, $33.8 billion and 335K jobs came from the presence of overseas students at our colleges and in our communities.
• The continued disappearance of Chinese undergraduates from US campuses may have hit a nadir with the last two, pandemic-impacted years’ numbers, but that trend may be reversed soon as China’s borders (if not government) reopen.
• Common App numbers always tend to be a good bellwether of next fall’s enrollment trends. For international students applying to undergrad programs via this tool, apps are up 63% since 2019-20. Top countries: China, India, Nigeria, Ghana, and Canada.

Solutions Central

• If your campus is looking for examples of strong institutional partnerships between the Global North and South, check out this important NAFSA piece that highlights 3 US universities that have bridged the divide successfully.
• What is the appeal of online English tests like Duolingo English Test ? “Removing financial and geographic barriers allows universities to cast an even wider net for global talent” and reach more of the Latin American and African markets.
• Encouraged to see the release of AIRC’s international student enrollment management standards . Particularly please to see the inclusion of student well-being and services as a cornerstone of successful strategies.
• Open (direct) admissions is here to stay. Why is the time now for this phenomenon? “Removing entry barriers and prioritizing inclusivity…is an incredibly powerful mobilizer.” Internationally as well as domestically.
• Interested to see press in India picking up on the direct admissions trend in the US, and how it may be a pathway for many more Indian undergraduates to consider bachelor’s degree studies in the United States.
• Now, even with the receding risks imposed during the pandemic, more than 80% of US bachelor’s degree granting colleges waive ACT/SAT requirements , including all Ivies and most of the top 25 national institutions.
• Another fun fact from among the 1835 colleges not requiring SAT or ACT this academic year is a growing number (now 85) that are test-blind or test-free.

Global Roundup

• Australia - A unique proposal from Australian universities to the government to allow 100k international students to intern/work for critical defense industries that need engineers, intelligence and cyber professionals.
• Australia - Much like Canada has seen recently, Australia has reduced visa approvals to students from the Indian subcontinent in the last few months. Not a good move when trying to make up for losses from the decline in Chinese students.
• Australia - Why isn’t TNE expansion (Trans National Education) into India seen as an important tool to grow Australian universities’ reach in a top international source market? The price sensitive nature of the Indian market, that’s why.
• Canada - Great line from this piece on Canada’s international student boom: “The question, however, is not whether international students are needed, but rather if they are valued.” Inadequate services seem to be the crux of this concern.
• China - One thing is for certain, Chinese universities have undergone a radical transformation in the last two decades. This apologetic for the Chinese government’s attempts to export their education model to the world does provide some perspective.
• China - Business travel is still a no-go for most all to China. I mean who has budget for a 5-day quarantine plus a 3-day homestay before being able to move “freely” in China? Maybe next summer things will be different.
• China - As far as future-oriented articles on the Chinese student market go, this one provides the most reason for hope that the downturn we’ve seen in the US over the last six years is not a sign of things to come. China will be back.
• Netherlands - Universities in the Netherlands are continuing to see a growing number of international students enroll, but a smaller increase than in past. This drop in growth rate seems due to forecasted housing shortages in key cities.
• Russia - Where are Russian students turning to for higher education as the West largely shuts these students out due to travel and visa restrictions to/from Russia? No surprise that China is the most sought out destination these days.
• United Kingdom - The new International Higher Education Commission in the UK seeks to redefine the relationship between British universities and their government when it comes to a national policy on international education. Would that work in the US?
• United Kingdom - We are amateurs in the US when it comes to TNE (trans national education). In this past year, British universities educated over 510,000 international students in 228 countries and territories outside the UK.

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.