Social Media News

It’s always a good idea for social media staff to review available top marketing and listening tools. Solid piece from Social Media Explorer on some useful services to consider.
Whether you have it thrust upon you or you seek it out, to do social media well for your job, you need a special skill set. Here’s what to look for in a good social media manager.
While we intl educators certainly get the need to speak to our target audiences in languages they understand, how many of us are applying that logic to our social media posts?

International Education News

Big Picture Issues

I like the Soft Power Index. For the 3rd year running the index clearly showing the US in the top spot with 65 current heads of state having been educated in the States, with the UK in 2nd with 57.
Are colleges “learning to live forever changed” as a result of the pandemic? While some have been forced to backtrack on being fully in-person in a return to normal pledge, others have taken a much more cautious approach.
Always excited to see this kind of positive press from the Times of India, sharing how the U.S. is benefiting among Indian students eager to begin their studies abroad.

Solutions Central

As leaders we need to be open to feedback. Whether we get the most open and honest assessment of our work may depend more on how we have set ourselves up for such potential critiques. Useful piece from Intead.
Happy to be quoted in this ICEF Monitor article on the power of peer recruitment for international admissions.
Encouraging to see this kind of news coming out of Africa regarding increasing student interest in studying abroad. Winners - US, France, UK, Canada. Losers - Australia, China, Japan. Interesting.

On-Campus Happenings

As the numbers start coming in for this fall’s enrollments, schools like Iowa State continue to see a drop in intl students, down from a high in 2016 of 4,131 to 2,352 this fall, a 43% drop over 5 years.
While some big publics saw declines in intl students this fall, Indiana U reported a 4% increase, its first increase since 2016.
At the University of South Florida this fall saw record increases in international students. Well done!
Meanwhile the U of Illinois main campus: “With the COVID-19 pandemic, many international students deferred admission from 2020 to 2021, resulting in 2,859 new international student enrollments for fall 2021 – up from 1,521 a year ago.”
The University of Illinois at Springfield saw a modest increase of 17 new intl students over fall 2020, despite the university struggling with overall enrollment declines.
Here’s an interesting story: at Western Illinois a new record high of 658 intl students broken down - new (424) and returning (234). The last peak in international enrollment occurred in 1987 with 574 students.
At Miami of Ohio, a bad fall for new international enrollments, with the blame laid on the overreliance on China for its students, politics, and a new $58K/year cost.
What a difference a year makes. Last fall, students at UNC were partying willy-nilly as Covid-19 cases soared. This year, with rising numbers again, students now demand stricter vaccination and testing policies.
This past week’s new policy from the Biden administration to force all employers with 100+ employees to require vaccinations of all employees will impact US colleges many of which were looking for political cover to do so.

Testing Debates

If you’re interested in the broader implications of the test-optional movement on international students, check out this Wednesday’s NAFSA webinar on the subject.
For undergraduate students applying to US colleges in the last year via Common App, only 43% submitted SAT or ACT scores, down from 77% the year before. While no intl specific numbers - overall trend down looks to continue.
The team at Pearson have joined the online/from home English language proficiency community with its reduced time, at home edition of the PTE Academic, joining TOEFL and IELTS (in 2020), as well as Duolingo (2012) with at home versions.

Global Roundup

Apparently, there is a strong correlation between Australian unis tuition fees and their rankings. But will that trend continue in light of the damage done by Covid-19 travel bans and the need to reopen borders?
Apparently, intl students in Canada’s Student Direct Stream, who pay $10,000 in a “Guaranteed Investment Certificate” and a full year up front, are getting stuck in visa purgatory. Not good.
Are the extra hurdles and costs due to Covid-19 that Indian students hoping to attend Canadian colleges becoming too much? They’re not helping, that’s for sure.
Not for the first time, international students who had been studying at Chinese universities pre-pandemic are petitioning the government to be let back in after 20 months stranded at home.
The UUKi has identified South Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam as key markets in which UK unis should be investing student recruitment efforts.
Apparently, it’s not all smooth sailing for Chinese students heading to the UK this fall with visa delays unexpected costs. Perhaps a blip, but worth some attention.
More from the UUKi report: “The report suggests that the UK’s exit from the EU has “severely affected” EU student recruitment, adding that “the UK cannot take its attractiveness as a study destination for international students for granted.”

SMIE Consulting Midweek Roundup

September 13, 2021 edition

On-Campus Happenings

Testing Debates

SMIE Consulting Midweek Roundup