Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF

Macro Trends Page 1 of 12

Planning for international student recruitment in the ‘new normal’

“The biggest change for us is the emphasis on who our students are,” said Stuart Bannerman, Associate Provost Vice Chancellor International for the UK’s London South Bank University....

Affordability a rising factor in international students’ choice of destination

Agents responding to our latest ICEF Agent Voice survey said that students are prioritising affordability above all else this year when deciding where to study abroad. Three-quarters of...

Students grappling with effects of a strong US dollar

All indicators point to surging demand for study abroad among pandemic-weary college students. However, it is increasingly clear that devalued currencies, inflation, and knock-on effects of the Russia/Ukraine...

What role can agents play in diversifying foreign enrolment across a wider range of fields of study?

Over the past few years, schools and universities have picked up the pace of their diversification into emerging markets, often to mitigate heavy reliance on two or three...

International arrivals up 225% through May 2022

International travel volumes are surging this year. The latest data from the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer reports just under 250 million international arrivals for the first five months...

Agents indicate significant international student interest in working while studying

At ICEF Monitor, we regularly report on research about agents’ perceptions of demand for study abroad and the factors influencing prospective international students’ choice of destination, institution, and...

Are more US employers shifting away from degree requirements?

“Jobs do not require four-year college degrees. Employers do,” says a recent report from The Burning Glass Institute, a US-based research centre focused on “the future of work...

London takes top spot (again) in ranking of student cities

QS’s “Best Student Cities” ranking for 2023 has been released, and it is informed by the perceptions of more than 98,000 current and former students. This year, 110...

Survey finds international students more focused on the future, and careers in particular

What a lot has changed in the span of two years – or even one. Looking back on our reporting in 2020 and 2021, prevalent themes included students’ struggles...

Latest ranking tables reveal continuing global shifts in economic and academic influence

The ascent of Chinese universities up world university rankings has slowed in pace since the last time we checked in on the Times Higher Education (THE) World University...

Global survey shows that many language schools and agents will need to raise prices due to inflation

Language schools and agents have been severely affected by the impacts of the pandemic over the past couple of years – losing students, staff, and revenue to the...

Latin American institutions increasingly prepared to compete for international students

In the landscape of international education, there are sometimes stories and trends that show just how much this industry can do to better the world – to make...

Visa processing delays a hurdle for major study abroad destinations this year

There is a growing disconnect between pent-up demand for study abroad and significant visa processing delays in the countries students want to study in. As a result, agents...

Mapping labour market skills gaps in leading study destinations

Ever more, leading destinations for international students are tying their immigration strategies to skills gaps in their economies, as well as their allowances for students working while studying...

Are employers recognising alternative credentials in hiring decisions?

Despite continuing interest in the idea of alternative qualifications such as microcredentials, digital badges, and industry-recognised certificates, the verdict is still out on how much return on investment...