Maximize Your International Student Recruitment ROI

With universities around the globe trying to diversify their student populations with qualified international student applicants and ultimately acceptances, multiple marketing tactics have become an essential playing piece in the recruitment game. However, tighter budgets have motivated higher education recruiters to make sure they are getting the biggest bang for their buck.

Diversifying your student population has a myriad of benefits, including financial and cultural. These students not only help satisfy admissions goals, but their worldly backgrounds and cultural differences lend diversified and non-homogenous points of view within the classroom, enriching the academic experience for all students, both foreign and domestic.

The key is to attract qualified students who will have the highest chance of not only matriculation, but graduation. For instance, a student who has taken and scored well on the TOEFL iBT test for English language proficiency will have a good chance of completing the program they are accepted to due to the highly academic nature of the TOEFL test content.

Aside from the usual “hard return” marketing metrics one would typically use to measure recruitment efficiency such as cost per lead, cost per application, cost per enrollment and revenue contribution, there are other equally effective ways to recruit for diversity that will benefit your university’s population and enrich your various programs, while still producing a strong return on your investment strategies.

• Brand awareness: Not only making sure your institution’s brand has a presence within the global education community but ensuring that the image is a positive and inviting one will allow international students to not only find you but want to apply to your academic programs. Promoting your institution’s international student support both on campus and within the community to address things such as homesickness and “culture shock” will go a long way in making that diverse student population feel welcome and want to stay to complete their studies. 
• Student satisfaction: Understanding the level of international student satisfaction at your institution is key to not only retaining your student base but acquiring new international students. Surveys and testimonials are an effective way to measure this and the information you obtain can also help you improve in areas where necessary.  Student satisfaction can help improve retention, graduation, and alumni engagement rates. Additionally, showing “a day in the life” videos of international students at your institution are a good way to promote student satisfaction and positive experiences.
• Alumni relations: Your past international students are the best promoters to your future international students. They can relay their experiences with everything from taking the TOEFL iBT test, to the application process to taking advantage of all the things your institution has to offer. Nurturing these relationships is one of your best tools to gain high quality applicants which will, in turn, satisfy your ROI objectives. 
• Partnerships: Partnering with a company like TOEFL that not only is a leader in English language assessment but acts as a collaborator with your recruiting team with tools such as the Partner Program and ETS Data Manager.

Measuring the ROI of international student recruitment is not an easy task, but it is essential for making informed decisions and demonstrating the value of diversification to senior leadership. By using a combination of hard and soft metrics, and staying engaged with your international student population, you can better understand your strengths and weaknesses, optimize your strategies and budgets, and achieve your goals and objectives.