International Student Recruitment Strategies for Marketers

Recruiting international students is a key component of most universities’ growth strategies. Foreign students add global perspectives, diversity and an important revenue stream to their chosen institutions.

Attracting foreign students requires a unique marketing approach that specifically addresses the unique needs of the international scholar, such as cultural adaptation and language support.

Effective messaging and a multichannel approach are crucial to highlight your institution’s programs, campus life and student support organizations.

Here are a few ways to improve your international recruiting – no matter where your ideal foreign scholars are.

Why Colleges Want International Students

Universities that actively recruit foreign students are motivated by several factors. From the Ivy League to community colleges, recruiting foreign students adds value – in more ways than one …

Campus Diversity

International students bring diversity in perspective, experience and geographic diversity, which adds value to campus life. Studies repeatedly show that the overall learning experience is improved when international students are co-mixed with domestic students in undergrad courses. According to surveys, most international students report having a better college experience than domestic students.

Prestige

There’s prestige associated with attracting the best and brightest young minds from across the globe. Many schools mention the number of international students and countries represented on campus in their student recruitment marketing. Even if institutions don’t specifically say why these metrics matter, there’s a clear cachet to attracting international students. In most cases, this is a motivating factor at higher profile universities, though a strong international study body is a point of pride down to your local community college, too.

Higher Tuition Rates = Higher Revenue

While most schools wouldn’t consider income the first motivating factor for foreign student recruitment, finances undoubtedly play a role in marketing to international students.

Few colleges offer need-based financial aid to international students, and international students don’t typically qualify for performance-based scholarships or grants unless funded by a third party.

How to Market to International Students Effectively

Institutions with large budgets often rely on a dedicated marketing strategy to recruit international students as a part of their broader recruiting efforts. They may also work with international student placement agencies. These recruiting companies host events and webinars and facilitate interviews to connect domestic universities with foreign students for a fee.

Overreliance on these agencies limits the impact of your institution’s brand, messaging, and first-party data, which may limit recruitment success in the long term. Recruiting agencies are middlemen and come with all the barriers go-betweens bring. For these reasons, most universities run dedicated international campaigns in-house or with a trusted higher education marketing agency as their primary method of recruiting.

Marketing to international students requires creative thinking and a seamless, multichannel approach – plus a reliable translation tool.  

Read more: 5 Higher Education Trends to Watch

1. Be the Best Resource

Choosing the right school is challenging even for domestic students; international students face additional cultural, language and logistical barriers that make the process even tougher. Campus visits aren’t easy for a recruit on the other side of the planet. Speaking with a counselor requires considerable planning when the student lives in a time zone six hours ahead.

Content marketing, with a healthy dose of video and photography, proactively addresses international students’ questions and may provide additional information that proves decisive. Leverage a healthy blog library, online resources and video content to guide scholars through your admissions process and the broader hurdles foreign students face, such as:

• Student visa applications
• Financial considerations in the US (banks, credit cards, etc.)
• Driving and transportation
• Housing
• Recreation and campus life

2. Keep It Social

College students spend an average of 4.5 hours per day on social media. (If they say they didn’t have time to finish that overdue paper, they did.) Having an active, entertaining social media account positions your college in front of prospects throughout the decision-making process. Many institutions have dedicated Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts targeted toward international students.

3. Never Underestimate the Inbox

International students tend to rely on email communication throughout the college application process to bridge language and geographic barriers. In addition to timely, personal communication with recruits, automated email flows deliver timely information and reminders that keep the process moving. Build, test and improve email flows over time to maximize their value – here are a few ideas:

• Welcome email – Automatically respond to form submissions with a personalized email that includes as much relevant information as possible, especially what to expect next.
• Application reminders – Provide students with timely reminders of their application status, missing information and other details that keep the process moving.
• Campus life – Create an email flow highlighting upcoming events, speakers and other activities scheduled during the recruit’s first few weeks or months on campus if they decide to attend. This is a great way to highlight an active, fun campus and encourage applicants to commit and enroll!

Finally, be authentic. Be sure to accurately and honestly represent your college or university. Marketing to international students requires the careful cultivation of trust, which means providing a clear picture of daily life at your school.

Recruiting Everywhere Starts Here

Reaching international students is an ongoing, exploratory process that Oneupweb knows about. As your fully integrated international student recruitment partner, we provide you with industry-specific expertise and data-driven marketing tactics that deliver results and position your institute of higher learning for long-term success. Get in touch or call (231) 922-9977 today to start the conversation.