The big picture: Enrolment targets

The Landscape for International
Undergraduate Recruitment at UBC
Karen McKellin
International Student Initiative
April 27, 2015
International Student Initiative
• Established by Board of Governors in 1996
• Recruits full-fee paying international undergraduates
• Serves faculties at UBC V, UBC O; reports to the Provost each
campus
• Supports recruitment for Vantage, other entry/bridging
programs, visiting and sponsored students
• Works closely with the faculties and undergraduate admissions
on strategic setting of international targets commensurate
with capacity, admission standards, budgetary considerations,
and market considerations
• Manages international student financial assistance funding to
strategically support recruitment and retention
ISI’s recruitment infrastructure
• Recruitment teams based on both campuses
• Teams aligned for regional focus under a Director
•
•
•
•
• Asia & Europe (A & E)
• Americas, Middle East, & Africa (AMEA)
Established relationships with broad network of international feeder schools
eRecruitment (on-line webinars, chats) the new frontier
On-campus recruitment: student/counselor fam tours, weekly campus tours
Remote recruiters:
• Asia Pacific Regional Office (1.8 fte); India; the UK; United Arab Emirates;
• Kenya and Indonesia (planned)
• Dedicated marketing and communications unit; you.ubc.ca site attracts 3 M
unique visitors/year; active on all major social media channels.
• New strategic partnerships capability – sponsors and third-party recruitment
agents
Three
international
undergraduate
recruitment goals
Scale – find
enough students to
meet each faculty’s
annual international
enrolment targets
Quality –
find students who
can meet program
admission
requirements and
English language
admission
standard
Diversity –
find students from
a variety of source
countries; find
students for our
international
needs-based
scholars program
UBC Vancouver international enrolment in undergraduate
degree programs 2008-2015 (head count)
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Projected
UBC Okanagan international enrolment in undergraduate
degree programs 2008 to 2015 (head count)
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015 Projected
Comparison with Canadian peers Winter 2014
UBC
International
undergraduates (all degree + non-degree)
8,506
Total undergraduates
49,034
International as % of
total undergrads
17%
Top five source countries
1
China
2,786
2
USA
865
3
S Korea
456
4
Japan
325
5
India
266
Toronto
McGill
10,276
67,926
5,882
21,153
15%
22%
China
5,379
USA
1,741
S Korea
583
France
1,330
India
390
China
797
USA
Hong Kong
(China SAR)
281
S Korea
173
271
Pakistan
168
TOP N. AMERICA DOCTORATE-GRANTING UNIVERSITIES HOSTING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, 2013/14
Institution
University of Toronto
University of British Columbia
New York University
University of Southern California
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
Columbia University
Purdue University - Main Campus
University of California - Los Angeles
McGill University
Northeastern University
Arizona State University
Michigan State University
University of Washington
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Boston University
Penn State University - University Park
Ohio State University - Main Campus
Indiana University - Bloomington
Total Int'l Students
12,607
11,965
11,164
10,932
10,843
10,486
9,988
9,579
9,531
9,078
8,683
7,704
7,469
7,273
7,143
7,024
6,800
6,661
Global economic, political and demographic push-pull factors
• International education a growth industry
• 4.5 million students on the move in 2013/14 – growth will be sustained until 2024
• China – currently #1 source of students worldwide but growth is slowing
• India – steady growth; poised to overtake China by 2024
• Hyper competitive
• US, UK, Australia, Germany, Canada, and now China vying to grow their market share
• General perception that US and UK offer higher quality of education than Canada
• World economy improving
• Recovery from recession – set back by falling oil prices
• US jobs growth
• Canadian dollar down – a boon for Canadian exports
• Political factors
• Lingering turmoil in Middle East
• US presidential elections
• Changing Canadian student visa policies
Competitive advantages and disadvantages
UBC advantages
Challenges
• Faculty-driven strategic international
enrolment management
• Bulk of international tuitions flow back to
the faculties
• Largest pool of dedicated financial
assistance funds in Canada and one of
three Canadian partners for MasterCard
Foundation Scholarships
• Canadian student visa policies and right to
work 3 years post-graduation
• Experienced and focused international
recruitment team and worldwide network
of feeder schools
• Commitment to provision of international
student services (eg., JumpStart)
• UBC moving to benchmarked tuition fees –
will no longer have a price advantage
• Maintaining quality in order to maintain
ranking and brand
• Maintaining diversity; risk of too great
dependence on one or two source
countries
• Changing Canadian immigration rules less
friendly to international students who may
want to stay in Canada
• Proliferation of programs geared to an
international consumer– marketing and
recruitment can become balkanized
• No systematic tracking of international
student outcomes post-graduation and
systematic cultivation of loyal alumni