Opportunities still strong for international students in Canada as higher education policies unfold

What can institutions do to recruit the right students now, while also putting in place processes that will help for the long term?

Canadian institutions and agents worldwide can make the application, admissions, acceptance and payment process as seamless, simple and transparent as possible. This can be achieved through centralized technology solutions such as Flywire’s StudyLink platform that engages both students and recruitment agents at every critical step of the admissions and payment process, creating a more efficient, secure ecosystem that streamlines the student experience. It boosts confidence in Canada as a preferred destination for international study while also helping to remove roadblocks to visa processing.

Provide transparency in the admissions process

Students get discouraged when they lack visibility into the application process and can’t figure out how to share necessary documentation, according to Livia Castellanos, VP, Marketing, Recruitment & Admissions and University Partnerships at Navitas.

“It is important to have a tool that provides transparency of the admissions process to each and every applicant,” she said.

Flywire’s StudyLink platform has helped Navitas, a pathway provider, adapt to this new reality, allowing them to convert high-quality applications quickly and streamline the payment stage of the admissions process to provide a better, faster experience for staff, students, and agents.

Accelerate application turnaround times by making it easier to view, upload and access required documentation

On a recent Flywire webinar, University of South Australia, who faced similar policy changes within the Australian market, shared advice for Canadian institutions and the education agents they partner with on how to best navigate the market conditions.

In the past, where students would apply to, say, four institutions in Australia, they’re now applying across four different countries, Rishen Shekhar, Director of Global Recruitment and Engagement at University of South Australia shared.

That means application turnaround time is much more important to boosting conversion rates as institutions compete globally for the best students.

“Turnaround time is one of the most crucial decisions with students when they know that visa processing times across multiple countries are at extended periods. The sooner we can get back to them, the simpler we make the process of paying, accepting and issuing the confirmation of enrollment,” Shekhar said.

Use data to focus on your best applicants, encourage new markets

Navitas takes an active approach to diversifying their international student population. It’s critical to understand emerging countries and get granular on each applicant by leveraging technology solutions.

And new markets are emerging. According to new analysis from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, students from countries including Bangladesh, Ghana, Guinea, and Senegal saw higher approval volumes for permits year-on-year as of Q1 2024.

Having a system to scale as needed is a big part of that, according to University of South Australia’s Shekhar. “You do not find a new China or India overnight,” he said, and it’s important to leverage technology to execute against a strategic international enrollment plan.

With the right enrollment tools, it is easy to see where applicants are in their journey alongside their conversion probability of success from both an institution acceptance and receiving a study permit perspective. Flywire’s StudyLink priority assessment feature helps institutions see students most likely to enroll. Navitas uses this intuitive functionality to send targeted communications to students, say, with higher conversion probability, to make sure those applications are fully submitted and prioritized for admission decisioning.

Invest in flexible, proven technology that agents already use to help streamline processes

More than 20,000 education agents already use our StudyLink Partner Portal - a massive benefit in terms of consistency, trust and adoption of best practices. As Jason Howard, our Global Head of Admissions and Recruitment Solutions at Flywire said, “Agents want quick turnaround times and transparency so they can help the applicant better. Flywire’s StudyLink Partner Portal makes it very easy for agents to submit and manage applications to their partner schools.” And with all information automatically centralized into a dashboard, education agents can easily integrate their CRM systems via an API to StudyLink.

Connecting agents, students, families and institutions through Flywire’s StudyLink platform has helped Navitas and University of South Australia decrease application turnaround times from weeks to days, while increasing the likelihood of conversion by embedding tuition deposit payments directly within the application process to secure enrollment. Additionally the priority assessment feature has allowed Navitas and University of South Australia to enhance the efficiency of processing international applications by fast-tracking admissions for the highest quality applicants based on the institution’s unique admissions and genuine student criteria.

“Having that link between the admissions, the payment portals and the communication channels out to the agents is absolutely critical at the moment,” Shekhar said.