UNC Charlotte recently hosted a panel discussion on the topic Strategies for Internationalization, Recruitment and Retention, featuring recruiting experts from Queens University, UNC Greensboro, the U.S. Commercial Service, Sannam S4 and UNC Charlotte’s Graduate School.
The panel shared best practices, opportunities and considered what the future holds in the international higher education market.
Education service exports ranked 5th among service exports in 2018, according to the U.S. Commercial Service, a division of the Department of Commerce. For the 2017/2018 academic year, U.S. schools hosted over one million students and reported $45.3 billion in education exports, supporting over 455,000 U.S. jobs. [1] These numbers have been slowly trending downward, yet China, India and South Korea remain lucrative pools to cultivate for recruiting purposes. China alone has 28 million university students, many of whom seek a western education to “top-off” their academic career.
The panel said competition worldwide for students at the graduate and undergraduate levels is intensifying. Some drivers behind that trend include:
- Many countries are developing programs such as industry partnerships and guaranteed work placement post-graduation to entice their student population to stay in-country.
- Many U.S. institutions, such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Chicago, have placed entire programs in a host country like Hong Kong.
- A number of Asian countries (China, Japan and South Korea) that have traditionally been rich sources for student recruits are experiencing low birth rates. There’s just not enough student body to go around.
The panel also discussed what is working and what can be done even with dwindling budgets. Dr. Joël Gallegos, UNC Charlotte’s Assistant Provost for International Programs (OIP), described how the University is trying new ways to tap the market. His OIP division is currently recruiting a staff member to help bridge the geographical gap between the Charlotte campus and the world. Their duties will include greater outreach and UNC Charlotte presence in some of these countries.
Having an international student base broadens the institution’s diversity and enhances its culture. The top fields of study by international graduate students here at UNC Charlotte can be found in Computing & Informatics, Engineering and Liberal Arts and Sciences. There are over 1,300 international graduate students enrolled as of fall 2019.
[1] Data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis
