The report’s findings were presented by IIE and the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) earlier today.

IIE Senior Adviser for Research and Strategy Rajika Bhandari presents the Open Doors 2018 findings at a 13 November briefing.

OPT participation is up

The growth in international student numbers for 2017/18 is mostly due to an increase in the number of international students participating in Optional Practical Training (OPT), the programme that allows international students to remain in the US for 12 months during or after their studies to gain career-related experience (or up to 36 months for students in STEM-related programmes). OPT participants’ numbers rose by 15.8% from 175,695 last year to 203,460 this year. This follows a 20% increase in OPT numbers the previous year.

Programme enrolments dropping

Leaving aside OPT numbers, there has been a decrease in the number of international students on American university and college campuses since 2016/17. Total programme enrolments fell from 903,125 to 891,330 in 2017/18, a -1.3% drop and the first time there has been a reduction in this top-line value in more than a decade. By contrast, just three years ago (2014/15), total international enrolments in programmes of study had grown by 9.5% year-over-year.

International student enrolment in the US by level of study, including OPT, 2007/08 – 2017/18. Source: IIE

The decrease intensifies when new international enrolments are considered. These fell by 6.6% year-over-year from 290,840 in 2016/17 to 271,740 in 2017/18. This follows a 3% decrease in commencements last year, marking the second straight year of declining numbers of new students in the US. By type of study, new enrolments fell most acutely in non-degree programmes (-9.7%) – a category that includes intensive English-language study. There were also decreases of 6.3% in undergraduate programmes and 5.5% in graduate programmes.

New enrolments are a notable factor given that any persistent decline in commencements will eventually place a downward pressure on overall international student numbers in the US. For the moment, suffice to say that if not for the continuing growth in OPT participation this year, overall international student numbers in the US would have declined in 2017/18.

It is tempting to lay that softening enrolment outlook at the feet of the current political climate in the US. However, the IIE highlights that the trend may be more a feature of the cost of study in the US, the sharp declines in major scholarship programmes, notably in Saudi Arabia, and increasing international competition.

“The international education consumer is always concerned about access, diversity, quality, cost, safety,” said IIE President Allan Goodman. “The biggest new development is there are real competitor countries out there that we’ve never had before. The list of top 100 universities in the world a decade ago were all British or American. Now there are a dozen international universities that are not American or British.”

A fall 2018 survey of US institutions reinforces this point with responding educators highlighting a variety of factors that are expected to influence future enrolment trends in the United States.

Factors expected to influence future international enrolment trends in the US. Source: IIE

Places of origin

Chinese students compose one third of US international enrolments and their numbers grew modestly this year: +3.6% in 2017/18 to 363,340 students compared to 6.8% growth in the previous year. Indian students make up close to a fifth (18%, or 196,270), and their numbers are up by 5.4% over last year; this compares to a 12.3% increase in 2016/17.

Significant source countries sending notably more students include Brazil (up 11.7% to 14,620 after a serious tumble last year of -32.4%), Nepal (up 14.3% to 13,270), Pakistan (up 7.4% to 7,535), Nigeria (up 8.4% to 12,695), and especially Vietnam (up 8.4% to 24,325 and higher than last year’s growth of 4.8%).

Notable drags on total enrolments came from negative growth in the following major sending markets: Mexico sent 8.1% fewer students (15,470), following a more or less stable trend last year; Canada sent 4.3% fewer students (25,910), also from a stable position last year; South Korea sent 7% fewer (54,555), following a 3.8% drop last year; and Saudi Arabia fell by 15.5% to 44,430, following a 14.2% drop last year.

Most students are self-funded and in STEM fields

More than half of students (58.6%) are self-funded, while about one-sixth receive scholarships/financial aid from US colleges or universities.

Engineering (21.3%), business/management programmes (18%), and math/computer science programmes (17%) together enrol more than half of all international students in the US. Math/computer science programmes have experienced notable growth of 11.5% over the previous year. Meanwhile, intensive English programmes have fallen off by close to 15%.

A major economic impact

Even with the flattening enrolment outlook over the last two years, the US remains far and away the world’s leading study destination. International students contributed US$42.4 billion to the American economy in 2017 through tuition, accommodation and living expenses, and other expenses, according to the US Department of Commerce, up from the total of US$39 billion in 2016. Marie Royce, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, reaffirmed the government’s position on international education in the press release for the Open Doors report:

“International students studying alongside Americans are a tremendous asset to the United States. We need to develop leaders in all fields who can take on our toughest challenges. We need people who can find solutions that keep us secure and make us more prosperous. We want to send a message that international education makes us stronger as a country.”

OPT reforms could curb growth

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a major recruitment lever in the US as well as a source of skilled international graduates for the US economy – and more than half of OPT participants are working in STEM fields, a major area of innovation and scientific breakthroughs. However, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has signalled in recent months that it may introduce significant changes to the OPT programme. In its agenda for 2018, DHS announced:

“[Immigration and Customs Enforcement] will propose this rule to improve protections of US workers who may be negatively impacted by employment of nonimmigrant students on F and M visas. The rule is a comprehensive reform of practical training options intended to reduce fraud and abuse.”

These reforms have not yet been officially proposed and remain at the “agenda” level of consideration.

Reducing the scale and/or benefits of the OPT programme for international students could have a significant impact on overall international student numbers, not the least because nearly half of those participating in OPT are from China and India alone, the two countries that make up nearly half of all international students in the US.

For additional background, please see:

• “US admissions directors concerned about international enrolment”
• “Record-high foreign enrolment in US but commencements decline for the first time in 12 years”
• “Up and down the table: Growth trends across major international study destinations”
• “Scale of OPT growth revealed as US administration contemplates reforms”

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Pew Research reports that over the 12 years between 2004 and 2016, roughly 1.5 million foreign graduates were able to stay and work in the US through the OPT programme – more than half of which (53%) were alumni of STEM programmes (science, technology, engineering, and math).

OPT allows authorised foreign students to stay and work in the US for up to 12 months following graduation. Those graduating from STEM fields have benefitted from two executive orders, the first in 2008 and a second in 2016, that provided for extended work terms – ultimately allowing STEM graduates to stay for an additional 24 months and up to three years in total.

As the following chart reflects, the effect on STEM OPT numbers has been profound, with the number of STEM graduates in OPT placements increasing by 400% since the first extension was announced in 2008.

Number of foreign graduates (in thousands) obtaining OPT authorization to work in the US, 2004–2016. Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Pew Research

New rules on the way this year

The growth of the OPT programme has reached a scale where it now figures prominently in the overall composition of international enrolment in the US. In fact, a 20% increase in OPT programme numbers played a large part in the overall foreign enrolment growth (3.4%) recorded in the US in 2016/17. As we reported at the time, “Nearly all of the growth in overall enrolment for 2016/17 has come from increased participation in [OPT]…Absent those OPT counts, however, the total number of international students enrolled with US institutions grew by only .76% year-over-year.”

This reflects the significant role for OPT in the US today, the fact that programme participants continue to be counted as international students during their work terms, and the powerful role that OPT plays in the overall attractiveness of the US as a study destination. This is especially the case in source markets, including the key Indian market, where post-graduate employment opportunities are a significant decision factor for prospective students.

For all of these reasons, the prospect of reforms to the OPT programme this year is squarely on the radar of international recruiters, both in the US and abroad.

The US administration first signalled its intent to introduce new OPT rules in a regulatory agenda filed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in fall 2017. This notice has since been reinforced by the department’s , which explicitly anticipates new regulatory proposals for OPT: “[Immigration and Customs Enforcement] will propose this rule to improve protections of US workers who may be negatively impacted by employment of nonimmigrant students on F and M visas. The rule is a comprehensive reform of practical training options intended to reduce fraud and abuse.”

 cautions that, “This is not a final rule, or even a proposed rule yet. Its appearance on the DHS regulatory agenda as something at the ‘proposed rule stage’ means that DHS is working on a proposed rule, which will eventually be published in the Federal Register for public notice and comment…Specifics have not yet been released to the public…The language in the Regulatory Agenda is broadly worded as focused on ‘practical training,’ however, and could therefore encompass F-1 OPT, STEM OPT and CPT, as well as M-1 practical training.”

Many observers expect to see something in way of proposed regulatory changes during 2018, and, in keeping with the current administration’s “Buy American, Hire American” Executive Order, there is some expectation that any rule changes could introduce new wage restrictions and/or other measures designed to protect US workers.

In a related development, the White House also released an updated national security strategy  in December 2017. It too raises the spectre of additional constraints on STEM graduates aiming to secure OPT placements in setting out that the US government will “consider restrictions on foreign STEM students from designated countries to ensure that intellectual property is not transferred to our competitors, while acknowledging the importance of recruiting the most advanced technical workforce to the United States.”

The recruitment connection

The importance of the OPT to international recruitment to US institutions is underscored by Pew’s finding that roughly three-quarters of all foreign graduates on OPT placements between 2004 and 2016 came from Asia. In fact, nearly half came from India and China alone. These two dominant sending markets for US providers accounted for just under half of all foreign enrolment in the country in 2016/17.

Leading countries of origin for OPT participants, 2004–2016. Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Pew Research

“Asian foreign student graduates accounted for 74% of all OPT approvals during this period,” notes Pew Research. “Graduates of European citizenship were the second-largest group (8%) along with students from Latin America and the Caribbean (8%), followed by African students (5%)…In terms of country of citizenship, graduates from India made up the largest share of those authorized to work under the OPT program during this period, with 441,400 (30% of the total). Students from China came second at 313,500 (21%), followed by South Koreans at 90,800 (6%).”

For additional background, please see:

• “US OPT rules confirmed: Foreign STEM grads can now stay and work for up to three years”
• “Record-high foreign enrolment in US but commencements decline for the first time in 12 years”
• “American graduate schools report decline in international applications and commencements”
• “SEVIS numbers point to declining international enrolment in US higher education in 2017”

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More than one in ten (11.4%) of all students in Dutch higher education institutions are now international degree students, with this proportion rising to 18% at research universities and to 22% in master’s programmes.

Non-degree students contributing to the overall figure of more than 112,000 international students include:

• At least 11,500 credit-mobile EU/EEA students participating in the Erasmus+ programme on exchange or work placements as well as some EU/EEA students not in Erasmus+;
• Over 19,360 credit-mobile students from outside the EU/EEA.

Increasingly multinational campuses

The sheer numbers and growth of international students now studying in degree programmes in the Netherlands tell an impressive story, but there’s more: foreign degree students represented 164 different nationalities in 2016/17, marking five straight years of a trend toward greater diversity. South and Eastern European countries, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, India, and the United States represent noteworthy contributors to this greater variety in the student mix.

Germany remains the most important sending market for the Netherlands, followed by China. In third place now is Italy, whose strong growth displaced Belgium from this spot (Belgium is now the fourth most important sending market, and the UK is fifth). In one notable development for this year, Nuffic reports that Eastern and Southern European are becoming more important in terms of sending markets within the EU/EEA.

The Netherlands’ top 15 sending markets, cumulatively, from 2006/07 to 2016/17. Source: Nuffic

Obtaining more diversity has increasingly been a goal of institutions with large international student populations given that in many countries, one or two sending countries often represent a huge proportion of all international students. The most acute danger of such heavy proportions is the risk that certain factors suddenly decrease students from a sending country. The benefits of increasing diversity involve mitigating that risk as well as the opportunity to create a truly multinational campus with links across the globe.

Popular programmes

Dutch master’s programmes and research universities are experiencing particularly impressive increases in international enrolments. Nuffic reports that “over one in four of all new master enrolments in 2016/17 was an international student.” This increases to one in three in engineering, economics, and business, and almost half of new enrolments in agriculture are international students. Nuffic reports that non-EU/EEA students are “strongly over-represented in MSc. programmes in engineering, science, and agriculture.”

Relatively speaking, Dutch universities of applied science are experiencing less overall growth in international enrolments than are research universities. At research universities, the field of engineering is very popular among new international students, with enrolments growing by 18.6% in 2016/17 over the previous academic year to a total of more than 7,300 international students.

Master’s programmes especially popular

When it comes to bachelor’s versus master’s degrees, non-EU students are “twice as likely as students from other EEA countries to enroll in master’s programmes at [research universities].” Nuffic notes also that students from outside the EU tend to be older and have more work experience than those from within the EU.

Post-graduate students working

Increasing “stay rates” of international students – that is, the proportion of those students who choose to immigrate to the new country for a longer term, or even permanently, to live and work – is often a key goal for major knowledge economies. Among other benefits, healthy stay rates help to offset the effects of low birth rates and ageing populations, both of which are common in many developed countries.

On this measure, the Netherlands is doing very well: nearly half (four in nine) PhD students working in the Netherlands now have a nationality other than Dutch, and PhD students have longer stay rates than those with less advanced qualifications. Nuffic elaborates:

“Both international degree students and international PhD students are estimated to have so called stay rates of ca. 38% at five years and 30% at ten years after graduation. With a lifelong stay rate of 25%…international degree students contribute at least €1.57 billion extra to the Dutch treasury on a yearly basis. A smaller but similar effect is expected from international PhD graduates. Also, international students in general contribute to the Netherlands knowledge economy through research, innovation, and easier transnational cooperation.”

The stay rates among non-EU/EEA students are longer than among students within the region, likely indicating a mindset oriented toward immigration as well as study among non-EU/EEA students.

An effective marketing strategy

Another interesting element of the Nuffic report concerns the contribution of “NESO” countries to international student enrolments. “NESO” stands for the “Netherland Education Support Offices” located in 11 non-EU/EEA countries. These offices are tasked with “the positioning and branding of Dutch higher education in non-EEA countries with expanding demographics, economics, and higher education systems.”

The Netherlands has NESO offices in the following 11 markets: China, Indonesia, India, Russia, Turkey, South Korea, Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, China, and South Africa. NESO countries have been responsible for the greatest increase in international degree students of all sending countries (+150%, compared to +110% from non-EU/EEA countries without NESO offices and +105% from EU/EEA countries).

Among NESO countries, Indonesia is responsible for the most growth in 2016/17, with the result that Indonesia is now poised to overtake India as a major sending market to the Netherlands.

For additional background, please see:

• “Dutch government rolls out international scholarship programme”
• “Dutch government announces new vision for international education”

The post Foreign enrolment in the Netherlands reaches a record high in 2016/17 appeared first on ���Ϲ��� Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

The population is young. The median age is just over 28 and nearly half of all Indonesians are under the age of 30. In fact, those aged 15-29 make up a third of Indonesia’s workforce; however, youth unemployment is high and two million people enter the Indonesian labour market every year.

Even so, Indonesia is also home to a growing middle class. The country’s affluent consumer classes are expected to double in size – from 74 million to 141 million – by 2020.

Currently the 16th-largest economy in the world, Indonesia aims to move up to become a top ten economy by 2030, and it is poised to do so as a member of The Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ASEAN is a political and economic group of ten Southeast Asian countries whose economic growth and large college-aged populations have them firmly on the radar of international educators the world over.

The represents a huge opportunity, but Indonesia’s workforce is currently at a disadvantage. University graduates compose only 7% of its total (compared to 21% in Malaysia, for example), and the World Bank recently found that that if the country is to meet its economic potential. The Indonesian government is investing heavily in vocational training and increasingly partnering with international schools to deliver it. But the higher education system is uneven in terms of quality and securing a place at one of Indonesia’s better universities is very competitive. Among Indonesia’s growing number of middle and upper class families, study abroad is widely considered to be the best way to secure a good job.

Trends in outbound mobility

UNESO reports that the number of Indonesian students pursuing higher education abroad is now nearly 42,000, and up 35% from a decade ago. But total outbound figures are higher still, especially when vocational training (VET) and language training enrolments are factored in.

The top three destinations for Indonesian students are Australia, the US, and Malaysia. The US Commercial Service notes, “Australia is the number one choice for Indonesians abroad, largely due to geographic proximity, perceived institutional quality, and English-medium instruction…The [majority of students are enrolled] in higher education and vocational education and training (VET) [and with] strong growth in hospitality (36%), science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (14%).”

The latest Australian statistics indicate that there were just under 20,000 Indonesian students enrolled in the country in 2016, with annual growth on the order of 6-7%. In the US, meanwhile, there are nearly 9,000 Indonesians enrolled in higher education alone, with year-over-year growth again between 6–7%.

Outbound growth is being driven in part by an expansion of scholarship opportunities for Indonesian students. The Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education supports students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees in Indonesia and abroad. Its funding rose from US$105 million in 2016 to US$225 million in 2017. This reflects a growing field of scholarships for Indonesians in general – in part because of an increasing focus on the part of international recruiters. “Education in Indonesia is getting more expensive,” agrees Sugito Shia of the education agency Go Global Way. “Many overseas institutions are offering generous scholarships for Indonesian international students.”

Recruiting tips

We recently conducted a survey of experienced Indonesian agents. Their responses highlight that the following are trending toward greater popularity this year:

• Destinations: Australia, the US, the UK, Singapore, and Malaysia;
• Levels of study: undergraduate, post-graduate, and vocational training;
• Fields of study: business, hospitality, and STEM studies;
• Pathway programmes and English-language learning opportunities;
• Safety, high rankings/reputation of institution and programmes, proximity.

The same agent survey provides the following tips for overseas recruiters:

• Get on the ground. Indonesian culture varies greatly according to region and city.
• Make it real. Offer a one-day course or a workshop for students so they become engaged and get a sense of what you offer.
• Link education to concrete skills. Students will want information on internships and assurance that their degree directly relates to their employment goals.
• Work closely with agents. Trust, integrity, and word-of-mouth are enormously important to Indonesians. Students turn to agents for advice on destinations and institutions.
• Understand the strong family ties present in Indonesian culture. Many families look for destinations that are close to home. If they consider more far-flung options, they will want every guarantee possible that their children will be well cared for and safe.
• Keep in touch with students’ parents. Indonesian parents see themselves as stakeholders in their children’s education. Some schools set up Family Programmes with parents in mind, offering newsletters and invitations to school events in the home country to encourage a sense of participation … and positive word of mouth.
• Respect religious customs. Indonesia is a Muslim-majority country. Families will want to feel that students are safe and welcome regardless of religion and race and able to comfortably pray on campus.

For additional background, please see:

• “ASEAN poised to usher in new era of regional student mobility”
• “Indonesia looks to education to help drive growth”
• “Dramatic growth in Indonesia foreshadows greater demand for study abroad”

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In a similar vein, more targeted research has also revealed that students give the greatest weight to employment factors when choosing an institution abroad, far ahead of academic or research reputation of the institution in many cases.

The question that naturally follows from this insight is, “Which universities provide the best employment outcomes for their graduates?” And this is the inquiry taken up by two recently released rankings, one commissioned by the French human resource consultancy Emerging and another from QS.

The Emerging study was carried out by Trendence, a German research firm, and it relies on two survey panels conducted between April and July of this year. Both panels drew responses from 20 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, and the US.

The first panel focused on 2,500 senior recruiters, each of whom was asked to cast up to 15 votes for the “universities in [their] country [that] produce the best graduates in terms of employability”. A second panel of 3,450 managing directors of large international companies produced a further round of voting for both local and foreign institutions. Trendence then compiled both rounds of voting into a score for each university.

The resulting ranking of  has been published exclusively by Times Higher Education since 2015. The actual rankings are not terribly surprising, with the top end of the table a veritable “who’s who” of elite educational brands – almost entirely from the US and the UK – where ranking for employability correlates closely with overall university rankings. Beyond the top ten, the list broadens out to include a wider field of countries and institutions.

But what is perhaps more interesting in the Emerging/Trendence survey is some of the findings that lie behind the ranking table. Times Higher Education quotes Eden Woon, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s vice-president for institutional advancement, who offers an interesting insight on the relationship between university study and employability: “We are very firm in the belief that the university is not a vocational training institute. So the purpose of the university is not just to prepare you for jobs. The purpose of the university is really to give students a skill so that they can go and find a job but, more importantly, it is really to prepare students for what happens after they get a job. In other words, whether they can adapt to the job and adapt to changes that the world requires of them. That is where innovation, creativity and attitude come in.”

Defining employability

Mr Woon’s comment points to a question at the heart of the survey: what is employability, really, and what are the factors that contribute to greater employability for university graduates?

Respondents to the survey largely defined employability as a “set of job-related aptitudes, attitudes, and behaviour” and, more broadly, as the readiness of graduates to immediately undertake entry-level positions in their chosen fields.

When asked to rate a series of employability skills on a four-point scale, survey respondents gave the greatest weight to the following traits: communication skills, motivation, adaptability, ability to work in a team, and flexibility. These key skill areas, along with the more traditional emphasis on academic achievement and technical skills, are an increasing area of focus for many institutions. And a growing number of universities are looking to closer collaboration with employers to further foster some of these high-demand traits in their graduates.

For a large percentage of survey respondents (i.e., 40-50% or more), this suggests a greater emphasis on internships or other work placements as well as joint research activities between institutions and employers. The following chart reflects a set of related responses for which employers were asked how universities can help students to strengthen key personal traits throughout their careers. (The chart contrasts global averages alongside US-only responses.)

How can universities help students to improve and adapt their personal qualities throughout their career?” Source: Emerging/Trendence

Another way of measuring employability

Where the Emerging/Trendence survey is notable for its insights on employer perspectives, a second ranking – the  – takes a broader view altogether. It applies a weighted average of five ranking factors, including employer reputation, alumni outcomes, employer partnerships, employer-student connections, and graduate employment rate. The significance and relevance of these factors is nicely reinforced via the Emerging/Trendence findings, and QS has used them to produce a ranking of 300 institutions with some marked differences from the Emerging table.

As the following chart reflects, while American and British universities still have a prominent place at the top of the QS table, we also see strong placements for Chinese, French, and Australian institutions. The other notable thing across much of the QS ranking is the prominence of institutions with a strong emphasis on STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math).

The top 10 institutions in the QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2017. Source: QS

Taken together, both the Emerging and QS rankings reveal some important insights for institutions of all stripes, including the importance of so-called “soft skills”, such as communications skills and adaptability, and the growing utility of expanded linkages between institutions and employers.

The findings also illustrate some of the useful employability factors that institutions can track and promote. Particularly for those institutions outside of the top tiers of international ranking tables, any such alternate measures of graduate outcomes can represent powerful signals for prospective students.

For additional background on employability as a driver of study abroad demand, please see:

• “When it comes to rankings, students really want to know about employment”
• ��“Is employability data an untapped resource for student recruiters?”
• ��“Strengthening the connection between education and employment”

The post New university rankings put the focus on employability appeared first on ���Ϲ��� Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

The overall picture from this year’s report is of continued growth for the US, albeit not at the record-breaking pace of 2015, and of some important underlying shifts in sending markets.

To call out just a few of the top-line findings:

• Year-over-year international enrolment grew by 7% – this is the tenth consecutive year of growth for the US although down slightly from 2014/15’s increase of 10%
• The number of foreign students in the US has surpassed the one million mark for the first time ever to reach 1,043,839
• China and India continue to drive enrolment growth, and together accounted for more than 80% of the overall increase in student numbers between 2014/15 and 2015/16
• The economic impact of international students in the US is now estimated at US$36 billion –��“Students from around the world who study in the United States also contribute to America’s scientific and technical research and bring international perspectives into US classrooms,” the report adds. “[They help] prepare American students for global careers, and often lead to longer-term business relationships and economic benefits.”

Enrolment diversification remains a critical issue this year, with China accounting for more than three in ten foreign students in the US. The top three sending markets alone – China, India, and Saudi Arabia – represent more than half of all international enrolment in the country.

Top ten countries of origin for international students in the US, 2015/16. Source: IIE

Attentive readers will note that another traditional top three source market, South Korea, has fallen out of the group this year. South Korean enrolments declined again in 2015/16, registering a 4.2% decline from 2014/15 and marking the fifth straight year of decreasing student numbers from this key source market. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has moved into the number three spot this year with enrolment growth fueled by the massive King Abdullah Scholarship Programme (KASP). Whether or not it will remain among the top three senders is something of an open question as the funding and stability of KASP has been called into question this year.

The key Chinese market was up 8% this year, with continued strong growth in undergraduate enrolment in particular (9% this year). But India led all growth markets with a 25% year-over-year increase for 2015/16, and with that burgeoning enrolment still heavily concentrated in graduate studies. Fueled in part by significant increases in Indian enrolments in recent years, IIE reports that, “More than a third of [all] international students [in the US study] engineering, math or computer science, and 14% engaged in Optional Practical Training (OPT), including many in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) professions.”

Other fast-growing markets for the US this year included Nepal (18%), Vietnam (14%), Nigeria (12%), and Colombia (9%). Close behind was a next tier of growth markets that all saw increases of 8% in 2015/16: Iran, Kuwait, Indonesia, Malaysia, Spain, and the UK.

On the other side of the ledger, and following significant funding cuts in its Science Without Borders programme, Brazil led the pack among declining markets with an 18% drop in student numbers in the US between 2014/15 and 2015/16. Leaving South Korea aside, the six other declining markets among the top 25 countries of origin for the US recorded only modest decreases of one or two percentage points each.

“The Open Doors findings show that international students value the quality, diversity and strong reputation of US institutions and recognise that these institutions will give them opportunities that can help them not only in their education but also in their careers,” said IIE President Allan Goodman.

“At the Institute of International Education, we believe American colleges and universities offer a premiere education and valuable training to students from around the globe and that students from other nations also teach us a lot about the world we share,” he added. “The more we can open doors to other cultures for our students, the better off our country and our world will be.”

For additional background and detailed data, please see the.

For additional context on the United States’ international market position, please see:

• “Trump victory spurs global reaction from educators and students”,
• “Exploring international student expectations of study in the US”,
• “Affordability a key factor for US-bound international students”, and
• “Four megatrends that are changing the competitive landscape of international education”.

The post More than one million international students in the US appeared first on ���Ϲ��� Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

But Pakistani mobility patterns are set to shift in the next ten years. According again to the British Council, the top destinations for Pakistani postgraduates by the year 2024 will be Australia, Germany, and the UK. Looking at year-over-year growth forecasts in percentage terms reveals that Australia, Canada, Germany, and the US are expected to see the largest gains in Pakistani enrolment over the next decade.

However, this important market remains relatively unfamiliar to many international educators and we recently sat down with Syed Azhar Husnain Abidi for his insights on recruiting in Pakistan. Mr Abidi is the CEO of the Lahore-based agency Falcon Education & Consultancy Services. Aside from its main office in Lahore, Falcon also has offices in four other Pakistani centres – Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Sialkot – as well as in Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.

Mr Abidi has more than two decades’ experience in advising Pakistani students on study abroad, and is also the chairman of the Association of Professional Education Consultants of Pakistan (APECOP). In our first interview segment below, he picks up on the theme of shifting demand patterns to describe how student interest is moving away from the UK, the traditional leader, and toward Germany, Canada, and the US.

Security concerns and visa refusal rates are an important characteristic of the Pakistani market. Mr Abidi reports, however, that the situation has largely improved for bona fide students that are well prepared for the visa application process. He notes as well that close collaboration between local agents and universities abroad is a key element of ensuring that students are well advised on all visa and admissions requirements.

In our final interview segment below, Mr Abidi sets out some important strategies for educators that are approaching the market for the first time. He stresses again the importance of building relationships with local partners, including education agents but also local trade offices (e.g., British Council, US Commercial Service) as well as Pakistani institutions.

New providers are also encouraged to consider one of the major education fairs in Pakistan. There are two currently: the Dawn Education Expo in February and , which is held in various Pakistani centres from April through mid-May.

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Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) gathered survey responses from 7,153 students over the first six months of 2015. All students were in the process of applying for graduate-level courses abroad, with nearly nine in ten (87%) interested in master’s programmes, 21% in PhDs, and 8% in both levels of advanced study.

Two-thirds of respondents were 25 years old or younger; another 22% were aged 26-to-30 years. Roughly 40% were from Asia but the survey sample was geographically diverse with Nigeria, Pakistan, Ghana, Italy, Brazil, the US, the UK, Greece, and Kenya among the top-responding countries. Four in ten responding applicants (41%) were currently in full-time employment, with roughly the same number (39%) currently enrolled in academic study.

Given the size and geographic range of the survey sample, there is a remarkable consistency in terms of how postgraduate applicants describe their motivations for further study. And the principal finding in the 2015 survey was the importance of employment outcomes for postgraduate applicants. “Factors relating to employability loom large,” notes the survey report. “Almost 60% of master’s applicants say their prime motivation for further study is to progress in their current career, to improve their employment prospects more generally, or to enter a particular profession. The same set of ambitions is similarly prominent among prospective PhDs, and unsurprisingly many of the latter – though by no means all – are aiming specifically at careers within academia.”

Primary reason of applicants to pursue a master’s degree. Source: QS

Going back to earlier survey results from 2008/09, QS makes the clear observation that “personal interest” has declined as a motivating factor for postgraduate applicants in favour of an interest in progressing in one’s career path.

In keeping with this sharper focus on employment goals, the 2015 survey finds a growing interest in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math). “This aligns with growing global awareness of high demand for STEM specialists, the rising profile of computing-related careers, and the impact of national schemes to encourage more young people to enter the STEM fields,” adds the report.

Choosing a destination

Reflecting the broad market share of leading destinations today, QS finds that the US and UK remain the most-popular destinations across all world regions. As we have noted elsewhere recently, the survey also finds that Germany has risen in popularity for applicants in many regions, “in many cases quite dramatically,” whereas 2015 respondents showed less interest in France and Spain as study destinations.

Changes in destination popularity for applicants from Africa and Middle East (top) and Asia Pacific (bottom), 2009-2015. Source: QS

“International recognition of degrees” was the most-cited consideration (63%) for choice of study destination, followed closely by “scholarship/financial aid availability” (57%) and “cultural interest in and lifestyle of destination” (52%) – suggesting that all three factors should have a prominent place in marketing and recruitment targeted to postgraduate students. The report notes as well that, “The least-cited reason for choosing a destination is ‘visa situation’, followed by ‘destination is in/near to the country the applicant is working in’.”

Choosing an institution

The 2015 survey also found that reputation bears heavily on the postgraduate applicant’s choice of institution. Prospective students in Western and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the US and Canada, were more likely to prioritise the institution’s reputation in the students’ subject of interest. Those in the Asia Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East, were more likely to give the weight to the overall reputation of the institution (though QS is careful to point out that the difference between the two is quite marginal for Asian students).

How master’s applicants choose an institution. Source: QS

“” asks a related blog post from Higher Education Marketing. “Endorsement by prominent industry professionals? A high position in academic rankings? Prestigious faculty known for their expertise and contributions to the field? A lively student body and exciting campus?”

As this comment suggests, there are a variety of ways to establish the standing of an institution, whether with reference to rankings or otherwise. And the same could be said of employability as well.

With that in mind, QS concludes its report by recommending an emphasis on the following for postgraduate marketing and recruitment.

• Focus on employability “by establishing and highlighting close links and partnerships with industry; by providing data on employment rates and case studies exploring specific career outcomes; by offering information about employability-boosting opportunities such as internships and mentoring programmes; and by providing guidance on the possibility of staying on to seek work in the country after graduation.”

A screen capture showing a prominent employment statistic for Falmouth University graduates. Source: Higher Education Marketing

• Emphasise reputation through rankings, faculty profiles, research output, and alumni profiles.
• Promote your location, particularly the cultural interest and lifestyle factors you know to be of interest to prospective students.
• “Address the issue of affordability” by providing clear outlines of the costs of study along with a prominent summary of any financial aid or funding supports for international postgraduates.

For additional background, insights on student motivations, and implications for marketing strategy, please see as well as our related posts: “The link between employability and international student recruitment” and “Is employer engagement in education the next source of competitive advantage.”

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