When it comes to serving international students right now, one of the biggest challenges is simply making sure everyone across the diverse education ecosystem has accurate information.
It’s a tall order when things are changing so quickly, but we’re seeing institutions infuse calm by tapping into the same mechanisms they have long relied on to ensure international student success.
I had an opportunity at NAFSA recently to participate in a conversation with some of the institutions and organizations that are the most experienced and innovative in serving international students. The panel included Christine Wach of IDP, Sherif Barsoum, Senior Associate Vice President for Global Services at NYU, and Allison Yokom, Senior Director, International Undergraduate Enrollment at Queen’s University in Ontario. Predictably, much of the conversation shifted to how to keep everything rolling in the current environment, and how they are successfully:
- Using AI technology to empower families to find information in seconds, in local language and time zones.
- Automating processes to free up time for questions that require understanding and empathy.
- Leaning on members of the global ecosystem such as trusted education agents and recruitment counselors.
- Reinforcing on-campus communities as a place where students themselves perpetuate accurate information.
Here are 7 tips for institutions to drive international student success that are relevant in today’s shifting policy environment.
1. Double down on building relationships with trusted education agents and recruitment counselors.
Education agents and counselors serve students beyond recruitment and school selection, and can act as your first line of defense against misinformation. Relationships with education agents and consultancies with long-standing credibility in the ecosystem, such as IDP, who led the panel discussion, are invaluable in this regard. IDP is a 50+ year old education agency that places 100,000+ students every year. They work with nearly every institution in Canada and approximately 250 in the U.S.
2. Take steps to vet your roster of education agents and recruitment counselors.
At Queen’s University in Canada, they rely on a pretty rigorous RFP process in place for agents (per provincial law) and continuously evaluate those partnerships through the lens of student success metrics. U.S. universities can take lessons from systems and processes in place in more agent-experienced countries and lean on partners that have worked with education agents across the world for many years
3. Focus on scaling education agent and consultant training.
Agents want to make sure they have the latest information to give to students. This is why it is important to build out a network to deliver that, collaborating with partners who are up to date on the latest regulations and standards globally, and putting protocols in place to scale training and share updates appropriately
4. Implement AI in a way that drives better conversations with students and families.
Students do not want to talk on the phone, but sometimes their families do. When they’re visiting your digital properties, make sure the audience finds whatever information they’re looking for, right away. A few examples include:
- NYU students can use a chatbot to find information quickly on the website.
- To give students and families a sense of how difficult it may be to get a study permit, Queen’s University partnered with a company that renders a score and makes this available online. This helps them have far more productive conversations with a licensed immigration advisor on staff.
5. Double-down on in-person connection.
In-person connections have become even more important in an AI-enabled world. Authentic connection is a great conduit for good communication. NYU is exemplary in this regard – with its “iHub” dedicated to international student programming that serves up 400+ in-person events a year – ranging from shopping outings to preparing for job interview sessions to etiquette tips at an American dinner party.
6. Let families hear information from the source.
Families and students want to hear about current students and families that are going through the same things as them – including what it’s like to be a student in that school or in that country. Make sure to include their stories and voices as you share information and provide relevant examples.
7. Meet students where they are looking for information.
Dynamics are shifting and as competition across the world for international students increases, localization becomes more important. Students and families are becoming more discerning consumers; increasingly doing a lot of their own research and due diligence. Meet them where they are looking for this information – their different social media channels and in their local language. Localization extends to the point of payment. Remove any source of friction – whether that means access to local payment methods, clarity on total cost with foreign exchange (FX) conversion, flexibility in payment and more. If you do not, they will look to other institutions, in other regions, that provide that ease.
For our part, it’s an exciting spot to be in as the global payments experts, and Flywire is taking the lead on education agent solutions around the world. We currently work with more than 4,000 institutions and 20,000 agents worldwide, helping to digitize and support the entire student financial journey.
For more information on international student recruitment and retention:
Read our 3 ways US institutions can boost international student recruitment in 2025 blog for additional tips and best practices
Access our International Education Agents 101 guide to learn how to complement your enrollment efforts
Watch our Higher Ed at a Crossroads webinar with EY-Partheon and University of Massachusetts to discover ways to successfully navigate the enrollment cliff and policy shifts