Alan Bahia2013

Global student mobility landscapefrom a undergraduate perspective

Introduction

• The global student mobility landscape is in constant flux and its often influenced by external factors that HEI cannot control. These includes, demographics, economic growth and decline, expansion of HEI education systems; immigration policies and regulatory environments of competing host countries, etc.

• Chinese and Saudi Arabia are growing markets and more likely to be fully funded and enrolled at the undergraduate level and HEIs will have to adapt to their demands. This markets have growths of 828% and 609% respectively, from 2004 to 2012 for the US alone.

• The US market alone in 2012 has been driven by the undergraduates, business related disciplines and manyfollowing from a intensive English Programme pathway as the UK is driven by Foundation and EnglishProgrammes.

• Student at UG level are more attuned to word-of-mouth, communication via social media and very often needs more support services as opposed to traditional segment of self-directed graduate students.

• There is no magic formula for achieving sustainable international student enrollment growth, especially in the unpredictable environment of globalization. But by implementing a holistic strategy based on technology, partnership and research, institutions can make their international student recruitment responsive and productive.

How are ‘global’ students different from ‘glocal’ students, and how is their mobility likely to take shape in future?

Recruitment is driven by differences in the needs and behaviors of international students, I would agree with international researches that each segment is driven by different primary motivations.

Strivers are primarily driven by career advancement. Despite being academically well prepared, they may lack the financial resources necessary to pursue education abroad without financial aid.

On the other hand, Explorers are driven by the experience of living abroad and they are ready to spend money on additional support services for study-abroad opportunities to overcome their relatively lower academic preparedness.

Highfliers are academically and financially well-endowed and driven by achievement to be the best, and they see studying abroad at a top institution as one of their goals.

In contrast, Strugglers are not as sensitive to the quality of educational institutions. Instead they may be seeking education as a pathway to emigration.

Student segments in transnational education

• Global’ students comprise Highfliers and Strugglers, who will not forgo the value of studying abroad, due to their strong desire for achievement or emigration, respectively.

With the growth of transnational education models, including validation of degrees, franchise programmes, online degrees, branch campuses and now MOOCs*, these four groups of international students may be further characterized by two primary subgroups: ‘global’ and ‘glocal’.

*Massive Open Online Courses

• In contrast, ‘glocal’ students comprise Explorers and Strivers, who have the aspiration to study abroad in traditional destinations like the US, the UK or Australia, but cannot due to their low academic or financial resources respectively.

• STRIVERS

• Advancement*• STRUGGLERS

• Emigration*

• HIGHFLIERS

• Achievement*

• EXPLORER

• Experience*

‘Glocal’ interested in

TNE

Global not interested in

TNE

‘Glocal’ interested in

TNE

Global not interested in

TNE

Fin

anci

al R

eso

urc

es

Academic Preparedness

Low

Hig

h

Low High

* Primary Motivation

Source: wes.org/RAs

Students Segments in the Context of Transnational Education

These students are open to other forms of engaging with transnational education. ‘Glocal’ students are different from ‘global’ ones, as they would like to earn the social prestige and career edge offered by foreign education without having to go very far from home.

Both ‘glocal’ and ‘global’ segments will grow in the medium term, but the ‘glocal’ one is expected to grow at a faster pace due to an insatiable appetite for foreign education, an expanding middle-class in emerging economies, and technological innovation.

On the other hand, the ‘global’ segment will grow at a slower pace due to a shift in institutional priority for self-funded students at undergraduate level and the increasing cost and competition for recruiting international students.

Comparative Trends in International Undergraduate Enrolment, 2004 vs. 2012

The External Factor Called – UKBA How this affect mobility and are we still competitive?

In the year to December 2012, there were 209,804 visas issued for the purpose of study(excluding student visitors), a fall of 20% compared with the previous 12 months

How some markets have been affected by UKBA visa rules

• The latest data on study visas issued in the UK, (excluding student visitors, but which can also include people intending to stay in the UK for less than a year) show that in the year to December2012, there were 209,804 visas issued for the purpose of study, which was a fall of 20% compared with the previous 12 months. There was also a 22% fall for sponsored student visa applications to 210,111 in the year ending December 2012. This change was not uniform, with a 3% increase for the university sector (UK-based Higher Education Institutions) and falls of 62%, 69% and 14% respectively for the further education sector (tertiary, further education or other colleges), English language schools and independent schools*

• The Long-Term International Migration (LTIM) datasets use the UN definition of a long-term international migrant being

someone who moves from their country of previous residence for a period of at least a year*

• Most of the 52,066 (-20%) fall in study visas issued (excluding student visitors) was accounted for by falls in Pakistani

(-24,668, -69%), Indian (-17,604, -50%), Sri Lankan (-3,537, -72%) and Bangladeshi (-3,402, -53%) nationals. However, there

were some notable increases, including an increase of 4,856 (+9%) for Chinese nationals*

• Clear Universities are becoming a choice for students over HEI and UK is perhaps becoming a more credible place of choice

to study but what at cost?

Source: Office for National Statistics

Some Background

•Students from strong‐growth countries such as China and Saudi Arabia are more likely to be fully funded and

enrolled at the undergraduate level. More significantly, their inflow has come at a time when public higher

education institutions are seeking alternative revenue streams to compensate for recent government budget

cuts. As a result, we can observe a growing trend among institutions to recruit more well-funded international

students in undergraduate programs.

•Within a decade, that story has been turned on its head. Overall enrolments are again growing at a healthy level. Chinese

enrolments have been booming at an average annual growth rate of well above 20 percent since 2007/08, while Indian

enrolments have stagnated and recently started a downward trajectory. New players have entered the picture, such as

Saudi Arabia that experienced a massive enrolment growth of over 700 percent since 2002/03, from 4,200 to 34,100 in

2011/12 (IIE 2012).

•In 2010, the international student population reached nearly 3.6 million worldwide, according to UNESCO data released in 2012, soaring by almost 50 percent over the past six years (2.5 million in 2004). Competition for international students is becoming more intense and complex, as reflected by the diminishing global market share of the four key players—the U.S., the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, and Canada. Although overall growth of globally mobile students is expected to continue, its composition in terms of where they come from, where they are going, their level of study is changing andinstitutions must consider government policies to measure their efforts in recruiting globally.

•Driven by increasing affluence in source countries like China and government initiated scholarship programs as in Saudi Arabia, more fully‐funded students are heading abroad. It is reported that in 2012, over 95 percent of Chinese students studying overseas were self‐funded. Similarly, as of January 2012, two‐thirds of Saudi students pursuing higher education abroad were funded by their government.

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Trends in Recruitment Practises

• Practices range from the traditional models of attending international recruitment fairs/tours to evolving models of lead

generation and working with agents. Based on WES analysis, we find that emerging recruitment practices fall into one of

three dominant themes: 1) technology for expanding reach in a cost‐effective manner; 2) partnerships for creating

pathways and visibility; and 3) research to prioritize efforts and measure return on investment (ROI).

• The institutional website is a powerful—if not the most powerful—tool for student segmentation, especially when

customized for an international audience. As a previous research report noted, university websites are the top information

source—ahead of family and friends, social media, education fairs, and agents for international students. According to

Feroze Khan, vice president of international programs at Stratford University, they have “discovered that a good website is

also a very useful resource to drive students to make enquiries and select schools.” Others are enhancing their website by

translating microsites into foreign languages and adding videos. Less frequently, but still worthy of mention are the use of

blogs, Facebook, and Twitter for outreach. One university uploaded a FAQ page to keep applicants updated and another

used social media to inform prospective students about recruitment officers’ overseas travel.

To achieve international enrolment goals in a cost-effective manner without compromising the ideals of internationalization, HEIs would need to:

•Understand the decision-making processes, needs, and preferences of the new segment of international undergraduate

students: Unlike the graduate segment, the decision‐making process of undergraduate students is more susceptible to external

factors, such as location, parents, support services, and word‐of‐mouth via social media. Their mobility patterns and preferences

are also distinct from international graduate students. Higher education institutions cannot simply extend the practices designed

for recruiting and admitting graduate students to this unique and emerging segment of undergraduate students.

•Adopt responsive institutional strategies and practices that are mapped to student needs: International enrolment strategies

are effective and sustainable only when they are aligned with the specific needs and preferences of the targeted student

segment. Proactive universities and colleges can respond effectively to the rise of well-funded international undergraduate

students by developing their internal capacities and implementing a strategy based on the iterative interplay among technology,

partnerships, and research.

There is no magic formula for achieving sustainable international student enrolment growth, especially in the unpredictable

environment of globalization. Each recruitment strategy has its own promises and challenges, and yields varying measures of

success. But by implementing a holistic strategy based on technology, partnerships, and research, institutions can make their

international student recruitment responsive and productive.

About this presentation

This presentation has information from multiple organizations including statistics agencies from the UK and the USA. The content covers some of 2012 and 2013 data. Many of the views are based on research and experts in the industry.

Alan Bahia 2013