{"id":844,"date":"2022-09-12T07:10:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-12T07:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cialfo.co\/blog\/?p=844"},"modified":"2025-03-04T07:17:45","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T07:17:45","slug":"emerging-markets-what-countries-should-you-focus-on-this-recruiting-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cialfo.co\/blog\/emerging-markets-what-countries-should-you-focus-on-this-recruiting-season","title":{"rendered":"Emerging markets: What countries should you focus on this recruiting season?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the world continues on the path to a \u201cnew normal\u201d, after what seems like a lifetime of endless Zoom instruction and meetings, in-person visits are helping university teams build stronger relationships with high school counselors. These events offer unique opportunities to get to know potential students on a personal level, and learn about their interests, accomplishments, career aspirations, and preferred destinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, many admissions teams are facing reductions in both staffing and budgets – making it more critical than ever to strategically plan their travel to ensure the best return on investment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While we may no longer be in the worst phase of the pandemic, it still continues to impact many areas of university recruiting – from rising travel expenses to changing trends in student mobility<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Therefore, it\u2019s essential for admissions professionals to identify the leading places and reach the students most likely to apply to their institutions before<\/em> solidifying travel destinations or school visits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, China and India have been the top senders of undergraduate students to U.S. colleges and universities. According to a 2021 Open Doors report<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>from the Institute of International Education (IIE), China accounted for 34.7 percent of all international students studying in the U.S. followed by India with 18.3 percent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, as we shared in one of our latest reports, India, China, & Elsewhere: Projecting How International Student Mobility Will Evolve<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, the number of students from China continues to decline for myriad reasons. As universities look to address those declines, they should also be working to identify new global markets for opportunity – another topic addressed in our report. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emerging countries recruiters should visit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To ensure diversity and expand opportunities for students across the globe, universities should avoid over reliance on any one country to achieve their international recruitment goals. While China and India still top the list of countries sending undergraduate students to study in the U.S., recent data shows that there are several major untapped regions around the world with qualified students seeking education abroad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

IIE data<\/strong><\/a> from 2021 identifies a few of the countries that are seeing more international students interested in studying in the U.S., including Sub-Saharan Africa, Brazil, The Southern Cone of Latin America (Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile), and Southeast Asia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During Cialfo\u2019s speaking session at this summer\u2019s International ACAC conference, all admissions leaders on the panel mentioned increased interest in Latin America in addition to Southeast Asia and Africa. Panelist Shawn Felton<\/strong>, Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions with Cornell University<\/strong>, spoke of his institution\u2019s efforts in those countries and the impact of utilizing virtual events for outreach. He said that pre-pandemic, a lot of recruiters were looking at international diversity and aiming to use scholarship funds they may have. So, they were focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa, the Southern Cone, Southeast Asia, and working-class students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c One of the silver linings we saw from the pandemic was the expanded reach all of our schools had because of virtual engagement. We started seeing applications from students who weren\u2019t the wealthiest of the wealthy and not from the schools where we often saw international applicants. We began getting applicants from regions and places we hadn\u2019t even heard of.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Shawn Felton<\/strong>, Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions, from Cornell University<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leveraging EdTech for hybrid outreach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Digital recruiting platforms such as Cialfo can also play a vital role in helping admissions teams easily identify emerging countries for potential students and map their recruiting strategies accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few ways admissions professionals can utilize Cialfo to ensure they are optimizing their efforts in the right places, whether in-person, virtually, or balancing a mix of hybrid outreach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n