International Student Recruitment Research Articles

Customer Orientation in Higher Education: The Missing Link in International Student Recruitment?

This paper suggests that the service mindset of academia needs attention to ensure that the potential of university–industry linkages for creating value is used strategically in building advantage in the increasingly competitive market for international higher education. Universities should clearly articulate the value of the higher education–employability interface in the context of growing competition for international students. The paper studies university–industry linkages by deconstructing the relationship with a focus on university–industry service interactions in international higher education service delivery and use and by analysing the relationship elements and dynamics that affect the market for international student recruitment, placements and employability. The relationship marketing paradigm is applied to explain that, by adopting a market-driven, customer-oriented mindset, universities could build strategic relationships with industry, communicate their international higher education services to industry better and more forcefully and develop competitive advantage in attracting and retaining international students.

The Commercialisation of UK Higher Education and the Growing Language Dynamic in China

Growing competition within the field of higher education requires universities to understand and mitigate the different external forces that affect the management and orientation of institutions. The globalisation of the sector has required universities to not only expand its horizons into distance learning but to interact with international cultures, demands and needs of students (Healey, 2007). Yet one can question the effective assimilation into UK university programmes of international students, especially given the existence of language barriers. While the recruitment of international students provides an alternate stream of funding, universities need to ensure that adequate duty of care alongside thresholds of quality remain. This paper intends to highlight the growing impetus for globalised education alongside the need for universities to not only widen their target markets but also learn to embrace new orientations and technologies alongside the needs of the modern paying student. It highlights the internationalisation of higher education (HE) and the potential issues that occur as part of a language dynamic, examining the Chinese context and the usage of modern technologies such as the Internet as an aide to HE.

The design of an international mobility programme for PG law students at Brunel Law School: putting theory and policy into practice

This study presents a pilot project and steps undertaken by Brunel Law School of Brunel University West London (UK) in response to the new challenges and pressures brought by globalisation in higher education. In the last few years there has been emerging consensus in the literature on the importance of internationalisation of higher education and student mobility as a tool for its achievement. Correspondingly, in the UK there has been a significant policy shift from the recruitment of international students to the development of collaborative agendas with overseas institutions and the student experience as the common platforms for the international activities of UK institutions. Thus, the aim of this study is to share with the legal education sector the experience of developing such a process of internationalisation through the design of a sustainable mobility programme for taught postgraduate students which has met the favourable response and financial support of the UK public funding system.

The Internationalization of Higher Education and International Student Recruitment in Taiwan

The Internationalization of Higher Education and International Student Recruitment in Taiwan

Headed for the Heartland: Decision Making Process of Community College Bound International Students

Despite record growth in international student enrollment at U.S. community colleges, little is known regarding how the international students learn about—and ultimately decide to attend—community colleges. This research study identifies the decision making factors and explores the sources of information utilized by international students who attend community colleges. Using a qualitative case study design, 13 international students from four different Illinois community colleges were interviewed. These colleges are charter members of the Study Illinois consortium, an international student recruiting initiative involving the U.S. Department of Commerce and Illinois higher education institutions. A multitheoretical framework encompassing world culture theory, push-pull theory, and cognitive decision making theory served as a lens for analysis of the interview data. The findings revealed that community college international students experience a distinctive decision-making process when selecting their destination institution. Excerpts from the international student interviews illustrate that students were so overwhelmed with information that they relied on trusted personal contacts or professional educational agents to assist them at critical points in the decision process. The research study resulted in a decision-making model that illuminates ways in which practitioners can strategize international student recruitment and where their efforts would be best served.

Existentialist internationalisation and the Chinese student experience in English universities

Much of the ‘internationalisation’ that is currently observed in English universities is driven, whether directly or not, by economic and financial rationales associated with a particular neo‐liberal discourse of globalisation into which higher education has been subsumed. This is particularly true for the recruitment of international students into English universities. We present a case for the recasting of the higher education internationalisation agenda in terms of Sanderson's existential internationalism. Such an agenda promotes inter‐cultural understanding over financial motives and demands a focus on personal engagement with the Cultural Other. We report on the findings of two studies of Chinese students studying at English universities to examine the extent to which their experiences reveal evidence of a context that could support such a personally transformative internationalisation. We find that, far from illustrating the potential for development of genuinely international communities, these students' accounts are commonly of marginalisation, indifference and ‘otherisation’ that lead instead to social and cultural withdrawal into national groups and a heightened sense of national identity.

Students interviewing students: the Aston University—Hong Kong project

AbstractThis article provides an account of undergraduate sociology students conducting indepth interviews with international students from Hong Kong. The research is locating in a broader project of identifying rationales for the recruitment of international students. One of the shortcomings of previous research was that the student voice and rationale were missing. We have addressed this by involving undergraduate researchers in the collection and analysis of data. This project report draws on one of the reflections of the student researcher.

Engaging the disciplines in internationalising the curriculum

The claim by universities to be ‘international’ has spread world‐wide over the last two decades and this has been largely interpreted to mean the recruitment and support of international students. Little attention has been paid to what this means for curriculum development. This study was carried out to explore disciplinary understandings of the concept of internationalisation of the curriculum (IoC) and ways academics might be encouraged to engage with the discourse. Staff at all campuses of an Australian university, including campuses in Malaysia and South Africa, were interviewed about their views on internationalising the curriculum. The interview tapes were transcribed and the scripts analysed using Becher’s categorisation of the disciplines to explore disciplinary differences in the discourses. The learning communities of the ‘hard pure’ disciplines were found to be resistant to engaging in the discourse of internationalisation, while all other discipline areas recognised the effects of the contextualisation of knowledge and the need to consider the future multi‐cultural work environments of their students. The possible reasons for the resistance of the hard pure discipline group are explored and ways to facilitate their engagement in the discourse. La revendication par les universités qu’elles sont devenues « internationales » s’est répandue globalement depuis deux décennies. Ceci a généralement été assimilé au recrutement d’étudiants étrangers et à leur soutien. Les implications de ce phénomène pour le développement des cursus n’ont pas été étudiées en profondeur. Cette recherche a été entreprise en vue d’explorer le sens donné par les disciplines au concept d’internationalisation des cursus, et comment les universitaires peuvent être encouragés à s’approprier le discours. Des entretiens ont été effectués avec les membres du personnel de tous les campus d’une université australienne, y compris les campus situés en Malaisie et en Afrique du Sud, au sujet de leur vision de l’internationalisation des cursus. Les enregistrements transcrits ont été analysés à l’aide de la catégorisation des disciplines de Becher de façon à explorer les différences disciplinaires au niveau du discours. Les communautés apprenantes provenant des disciplines « pures et dures » semblaient être résistantes à s’approprier le discours de l’internationalisation, tandis que les autres domaines disciplinaires semblaient reconnaître les effets de la contextualisation sur le savoir et la nécessité de prendre en considération les environnements professionnels multiculturels futurs de leurs étudiants. Les raisons possibles de la résistance observée au sein du regroupement disciplinaire « pur et dur » sont présentées, ainsi que des façons de faciliter leur appropriation du discours.

LIBERALIZATION AND THE PUBLIC SECTOR: THE PRE‐EMINENT ROLE OF GOVERNMENTS IN THE ‘SALE’ OF HIGHER EDUCATION ABROAD

Much recent scholarship concerning liberalization has emphasized the role of regulatees, rather than governments, in promoting liberalization. This article examines such scholarship in the light of an important development in the British and French public sectors—the creation of new agencies (the Education Counselling Service and EduFrance) to ‘sell’ British and French higher education to potential international students. The new agencies attempted to induce two things: competition amongst higher education institutions for the recruitment of international students from developed and emerging economy countries, and the commodification of these students. This article shows that, contrary to existing theories of liberalization, governments were pre‐eminent in pushing forward this liberalization, while higher education institutions attempted to hold it back.

Exploring the unknown: Levinas and international students in English higher education

This article will start with a description of a small, pedagogic event: a snippet of conversation recorded in a classroom as part of a research project on working in groups with postgraduate students. I will use these few minutes of data to illustrate several of the arguments I wish to make about the policy of increased international student recruitment in English higher education. More specifically, the recorded conversation will act as a springboard into some reflections on the ways in which international students are positioned within the higher education system in England, in terms of policies, pedagogic practices and the research literature on international students. The argument will centre on the idea that English higher education institutions are on ethically dubious grounds in terms of their relations with international students, and that these flawed relations are reflected in pedagogical practices in the classroom. These reflections will draw from the writings of Levinas to explore the current failure of staff and students in sharing responsibility towards the experiences of the ‘other’.

China’s Education Market and Foreign Suppliers of Education Services

International trade in education services belongs to the category of international trade in services, which takes education services as its object. It has grown substantially over the past decades. Now it is a billion dollar industry including recruitment of international students, establishment of university campuses abroad, franchised provision and on line education. The education market in China is very large and still lack of development. It means opportunities to foreign suppliers of education services. WTO requires each member nation to make its own schedule of commitments in education services, and to explain its limitations on market access and national treatment as well as other limitations. Therefore, to understand China’s education market, you must understand China’s commitments in education services upon entry into WTO. This paper explains China’s commitments in education services under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and provides rough pictures about the meaning of China’s commitments to foreign suppliers of education services that are eager to either enter into China’s education market or absorb more Chinese students.

China’s Commitments in Education Services and Their Impact

International trade in educational services has grown substantially over the past decades. Now it is a billion dollar industry including recruitment of international students, establishment of university campuses abroad, franchised provision and on line education. WTO requires each member nation to make its own schedule of commitments in education services, and to explain its limitations on market access and national treatment as well as other limitations. In the schedules of commitments, commitments are split into two sections: First, “horizontal” commitments which stipulate limitations that apply to all of the sectors included in the schedule; these often refer to a particular mode of supply, notably commercial presence and the presence of natural persons. Any evaluation of sector-specific commitments must therefore take the horizontal entries into account. Second, specific commitments which apply to trade in services in a particular sector or subsector are listed. This paper examines China’s commitments in education services under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). It provides rough pictures about the impact of China’s commitments on its education services.

9 - International Student Recruitment: South African Rationales

In this paper, we focus on the rationales for the recruitment of international stu- dents to universities in South Africa. Through the use of in-depth interviews with international officers at a cross-section of South African universities, we argue that there are competing and complementary rationales for the recruitment of international students. Some South African universities follow international trends in terms of international student recruitment while others adopt a different ap- proach. The analysis locates the rationales of international student recruitment as part of an internationalisation process within the context of globalisation.

Australian educational institutions' international markets

PurposeThe global market for international students have become highly competitive and many institutions, particularly higher education institutions, rely heavily on fee income from overseas students. This study aims to examine the countries from which Australian education institutions draw such students and used this information to better understand such patterns.Design/methodology/approachData were obtained from a sample of 225 schools, colleges and universities that were actively engaged in the recruitment of international students and correspondence analysis and cluster analysis were used to examine the recruitment choices made by these institutions.FindingsIt was clear there were three groups within the data that had different recruitment strategies. Group 1 (local players) institutions were primarily established to cater to the needs of international students studying in Australia and had a narrowly focussed recruitment strategy. Group 2 (global players) were institutions (mainly universities) operating both within Australia and offshore who recruited widely. Group 3 (minor players) institutions were mainly high schools that engaged in international student recruitment only on an ad hoc basis.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was undertaken within a single country. However, the findings, which highlighted the international student recruitment patterns of the responding education institutions, suggested they paralleled the types of activity found among other types of exporting firms.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests managers in educational institutions seeking to engage in overseas markets must make a strategic choice as to the level of their commitment to internationalisation and that this will impact on the choices they make about the way they recruit international students.Originality/valueThere are few studies of education institutions in the international marketing area and even fewer have examined the issue of geographic recruitment choices. This study provides useful statistical evidence of the types of strategies that are likely to be found in this sector.

International student recruitment to universities in England: discourse, rationales and globalisation

The recruitment of international students to universities in England has become a central issue in an era of globalisation for university administrators, senior managers, international offices and heads of schools and faculties. We examine the policy rationales for the recruitment of international students to England. Through the use of in‐depth interviews with key role players at four English universities, we compare the rhetoric, rationales and reasons for the recruitment of international students. A range of discourses can be identified in the recruitment of international students and an economic competition rationale is dominant. This is expressed within the discourse of globalisation.

Strength in Diversity: Enhancing Learning in Vocationally-Orientated, Master's Level Courses

Postgraduate education in geography, especially at the Master's level, is undergoing significant changes in the developed world. There is an expansion of vocationally oriented degree programmes, increasing recruitment of international students, integration of workplace skills, and the engagement of non-traditional postgraduate students as departments respond to policies for a more ‘inclusive’ higher education. This paper sets the context by outlining some programmatic changes in selected countries (Australia, the UK, and the USA). The authors briefly reflect on how postgraduate ‘bars’ or ‘levels’ are defined and explore in detail what ‘diversity’ or ‘heterogeneity’ means in these new postgraduate settings. They then explore some practice examples drawn from their own experiences, recognizing that relevance will vary in other contexts. Finally they consider how diversity can be harnessed as a strength that has potential to enhance taught elements of contemporary postgraduate education in and beyond the discipline.

Recruitment Of International Students Into Cameroon Tertiary Institutions In The Absence Of International Offices

This paper highlights the importance of Cameroon\'s tertiary institutions\' cooperation links with other African Universities given the rebirth of Organisation of African Unity as African Union, and the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD). The present system of recruiting international students is haphazardly been handled by different departments and cooperation links are preferred with American and European Universities ignoring their African counterparts. The paper argues that in order to maintain useful and meaningful links with other African Universities, international offices are necessary in supporting this process and more importantly, the recruitment of international students. The paper further discusses the recruitment of international students into professional schools which are now affiliated to some of the newly created six state Universities and the effects of the bilingual nature of Cameroon vis-a-vis international students. The paper concludes with an emphasis on the establishment of structures to adequately handle and facilitate international students\' recruitment as well as other specific issues relating to their welfare.International Journal of emotiaonl psychology and sport ethics Vol. 8 2006: pp. 58-66

Institutional and managerial factors affecting international student recruitment management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate international student recruitment from an institutional perspective and to consider institutional factors that may affect recruitment.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative study is undertaken in which education marketing practitioners are interviewed regarding aspects of international student recruitment at their institutions. Interview data are analysed by NVivo and categorized into four institutional factors: marketing department size, employee qualifications, institutional recruiting experience, and institutional focus.Findings – Differences are found to exist between universities and secondary schools in terms of their current international education recruitment practices. The percentage of international student cohort appears to be largely responsible for sectoral differences.Research limitations/implications – Findings presented are from a sample of secondary schools and universities in Australia and New Zealand. Further research is require...

British Universities: The “Coal Exporters” of the 21st Century

There are surprising parallels between the once substantial coal export trade of the United Kingdom and present-day international student recruitment to its higher education sector. This article uses the history of the coal trade to highlight two points. The first is that onshore international education has a particularly favourable impact on the U.K. balance of payments. The second is that the global education market is characterised by a number of features that could ultimately prove highly detrimental to the growth in U.K. inward student migration. Recent attempts to reinforce Britain’s market position by means of a more coordinated trade strategy are thus timely. Even so, the article concludes that long-run forecasts of foreign demand for U.K. university places should be treated with caution.

Trends in International Student Mobility: A Study of the Relationship between the UK and China and the Chinese Student Experience in the UK

This article will examine the current trends within international student mobility, focusing on the UK and China. It will delineate the forecasts for future growth and the development of the international trade in education. The years 2004 and 2005 saw the first decline in the number of Chinese students opting to study in the UK since the launch of the Prime Minister’s Initiative. This is an issue of concern as it contradicts forecast growth rates and has major implications for the financial health of a number of universities in the UK. Through the discussions on the motivations of host and sender countries, the student experience will be considered as a possible reason for the decline in interest from Chinese students. A sample UK University will be a case study to examine the relationship between the student experience, the resultant word of mouth and the effect this may have on recruitment. The aim is to enable greater understanding of the Chinese student experience and the effect it may have on international student recruitment.