December 14, 2020

Social Media News

If you are using social media marketing to attract international students, this Webcertain webinar on Tuesday (12-15) this week. Content looks promising on upcoming trends to watch.
What do social marketers say are the top trends in social? ROI begins with social, listen first, engagement tied to identity, and meeting your purpose matters. Good report from Hootsuite.
Social media behavior has changed in the last year. How you represent your institution on social when it comes to advocacy is a delicate path to take if your words aren’t backed up with practical action. Useful take from WeAreSocial.
For those still figuring out how your student audiences use Instagram, don’t ignore the customer service side of social. If they’re connecting with you there, you can ensure they’re being heard.

International Education News

Big Picture Issues

Always a right time to share the good work that EducationUSA is doing for students in securing admissions and scholarships. This article shares details of 20 low-income, high ability Nigerian students who are headed stateside.
While not on the DHS site yet, the news that fall guidance for current intl students re: hybrid and online education extends to the spring. NAFSA has also confirmed this welcome news.
With all the changes induced by the pandemic, what will intl student recruitment look like in 2021? According to this ICEF Monitor piece, 24 hour recruitment cycles and virtual events will define the next year.
What’s quite refreshing and ultimately ironic for the outgoing administration is the role of former intl students and immigrants in the development of Covid-19 vaccines.
So what does the future of US-China relations in a Biden administration look like for intl ed? Will the path of more openness be the one chosen or a middle path that keeps a cautious eye on China be more appropriate? What do you think?
A former top official at Duke Kunshan believe there is hope in future relations with China, and has been working toward a shared university partnership framework to which US and Chinese institutions could commit to moving forward.
From the Chinese perspective, senior officials believe there is room for cautious optimism, with the hope that barriers to people-to-people exchanges will be removed. This dance will take two to work. Let’s trust but verify, no?

Solutions Central

For intl students looking at an MBA, now may be the best time to apply as a recent Kaplan survey revealed less than 20% of 100 top US programs are still requiring the GMAT for 2021 applicants.
Being last isn’t all bad, if you’re an intl student looking at studying economics at U. of Pennsylvania. Econ will now be classified as a STEM-discipline there, making Penn the last of the Ivies to make that jump: Two extra years of OPT for intl students.
If there’s one immigration regulation I hope gets revised in the next administration it would be making the F-1 student visa dual-intent, instead of non-immigrant. What a difference that would make for visa interviews!
Thought-provoking piece! One lesson learned from the pandemic’s impact on campus is the importance of place in the educational, social, and home environments in which we operate.

On-Campus Happenings

Did Purdue’s successful fall semester prove that a large public institution can get it right when implementing a mostly in-person academic term/year, unlike many of its Southern peers? Maybe so.
Another Big 10 institution, Indiana U. at Bloomington reveals that the more students took in-person courses this fall term, the less likely they were to test positive for Covid-19. Counter-intuitive or appropriate safety protocols?
In a recent WES #intlednow Twitter chat, I shared several takeaways from how Covid-19 has impacted US campuses from an intl student perspective. Here is a summary of those highlights.

Global Roundup

Following in the footsteps of the recent pilot program in the Northern Territories for entry of 63 intl students to Australia, the state of Victoria has submitted its plan to re-open to intl students: 250,000 students, worth $13.7 billion, supporting 79,000 jobs.
Australia will certainly need to open borders sooner rather than later to regain what has been lost before it’s too late. Intl students have been turned off coming due to closed borders in Australia and New Zealand.
While I am not a fan of this site’s sensationalist, click bait headlines, the survey results of Australian university staff are deeply concerning if they are to be believed. Are there still significant issues with intl students being admitted with sub-par English scores?
Meanwhile in mainland Europe, Campus France has launched a global campaign to promote study there featuring current intl students and alumni. Makes sense to me.
And in Germany, DAAD has been receiving a sharp rise in demands for scholarships from students looking to study abroad with some program up 70%, while there been a 20% increase in applications from inbound overseas students.
NZ is still closed to all but about 200 intl PhD and post-grad students that have received a govt exemption. Further restrictions for another 12-18 months are forcing many new intl students to look at virtual or overseas pathways.
For intl students in the UK, some good news: they will have access to the vaccine, free of charge, due to their mandatory participation in the NHS health scheme.
Apparently, the financial hit to UK institutions from an expected decrease in non-EU student tuition revenue in this 2020-21 academic year will not be as severe (only 10%) as predicted.

December 14, 2020

SMIE Consulting Midweek Roundup