International student recruitment: A growing crisis in higher education

In higher education, we’ve seen crises arrive in the form of student protests, campus violence, financial scandals, and so on. Yet today, one of the most pressing crises is global in nature…and out of our hands. Here’s how your international admissions department can respond. 

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Dealing with the international student recruitment crisis

Higher education’s Big Four destination markets have seen a significant drop in international student enrolment over recent years. The question is, how can senior leaders react?

A recruitment drought requires the same type of strategic planning that any other major education crisis demands.

Enhancing your marketing efforts is not enough: you need tailored solutions that respond to the current political, economic and global context. And, you need to balance being transparent and practising your university’s values – without risking being defunded.

Get started with these steps.

1. Use the Hubbub crisis communications framework

A geopolitical crisis, like this shift in international student recruitment, often has a domino effect, triggering other smaller crises on campus. For example, ICE raids and visa changes for international students could, quite understandably, cause your students to panic. 

In response, your communications team should be monitoring student sentiment to understand the impact of what’s happening on the global stage. At the same time, you should be proactive in your efforts to reassure students by sharing timely statements in response to developments. Our crisis communications framework can help. The document is a dynamic, chronological timeline to determine the severity of the internal crisis in your institution and what needs to be done.

The framework keeps everyone at your school on the same page, meaning your response is more unified and productive. It also means that you’ll be better positioned to pivot if there are any other curveballs along the way. 

With the crisis communications framework, you can:

• specify your purpose and goals (e.g. ensure that all affected students are able to successfully renew their study abroad visas);
• define and organise stakeholders according to priority;
• assign roles and responsibilities to the people dealing with the crisis;
• and state metrics that will assess each stage and its outcomes.

2. Take a strategic storytelling approach

Strategic storytelling is about showcasing what you can offer international students – and using past examples to prove it.You can talk about your international student support services (orientation programmes, English support, housing assistance, airport pickup, counselling options, etc.), and show – not tell – how diverse your student body is. 

Give your current international students platforms to share their stories in their own voices. This could be via social media takeovers, student-led talks or student mentors who work directly with prospective international students. 

Another savvy storytelling technique is to move away from what your university can offer international students. Instead, focus on what international students are already contributing to your campus. This can be a quiet rebuttal of government policy, while at the same time shows international students that they are welcomed and appreciated at your school.

For example, use:

• An interactive website display that shows the impact of international students (e.g. the number of languages spoken on campus, the economic addition to the local community, research papers written by international students)

• Dedicated weekly slots for international students to share stories through short videos, podcasts or written profiles
• Testimonials from volunteer/advocacy groups where international students have been core members

Remember that your storytelling doesn’t have to call out controversial politics, but it can demonstrate your institution’s values, resources and track record.

3. Implement ambassador programmes

A recent survey found that students trust university presidents and other executive officials the least on campus. It’s not wise, then, to have these people be the spokespersons during a recruitment crisis.

An ambassador programme gives international students access to trustworthy, empathetic peers who have already gone through the process. Your ambassadors can give future students direct, honest advice about their own experiences, while still advocating for your university. They can share content on social media to address concerns and answer questions, and walk viewers through daily life on campus. 

Ambassadors build closer relationships with incoming international students and reassure them faster. Developing this trust early on positions your university as stable (despite what’s happening in the broader world).

4. Form transnational education partnerships

Transnational education (TNE) partnerships put your university in front of students in their home countries. They also allow you to leverage the expertise of personnel in your international target markets. In the 2022/2023 academic year, UK universities had more than 606,000 TNE students around the world.  

TNEs come in many forms, but the most popular include:

• Offering courses/qualifications from your university in students’ home countries
• Partnering with local market insights organisations to learn about international students’ preferences and competitor universities in their market
• Partnering with international labs/workshops to offer in-person classes as part of online courses 
• Working with migration companies in target markets to secure more students’ visas to study in your institution
• Programmes where students start locally but can transfer to your university campus at some point

A longer-term step is to consider fully functioning  ‘offshore campuses’ where you provide the same teaching, resources and values of your university in your target markets. For example, Monash University, the largest university in Australia, has a campus in Kuala Lumpur, and has plans to open more in South Africa and Indonesia.

A crisis with a clear message

We’re now seeing the effects of the international student recruitment crisis, but the full repercussions may take longer to develop. Higher education marketers have to act now to recognise the crisis, understand how it’s impacting/will impact your university, and make a plan to manage it.

The institutions that tend to the crisis earlier will be the ones that avoid potentially irreversible problems down the line, and the ones that establish a more resilient international student recruitment strategy and revenue stream.