WES Report Identifies a Growing Demand for Undergraduate Programs

NEW YORK, March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The growth in international academic mobility is being driven by well-funded students in undergraduate programs, according to a new report to be released on March 5, 2013 by World Education Services (WES)—a New York-based non-profit organization. In 2012, the number of international undergraduate students in the U.S. reached an all-time high of a quarter million, and together with enrollments at the associate's level surpassed those at the graduate level. This signals a resurgence of international students in undergraduate programs after almost a decade (2002-2011) where graduate students comprised the majority of the international student population.

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The report, International Student Mobility Trends 2013: Towards Responsive Recruitment Strategies [http://www.wes.org/ewenr/13mar/feature.htm], identifies recent student mobility trends and offers actionable recruitment recommendations for higher education institutions. The findings are based on a comparative analysis of available global student mobility data and a survey of international higher education professionals conducted in fall 2012.

The study reveals that international student growth in the U.S. is led by undergraduates pursuing business-related disciplines and English as a Second Language pathway programs. Survey results suggest that external pressure, such as recent budget cuts, are prompting universities to seek more aggressive, diverse, and efficient international enrollment growth.

With international students forming only two percent of overall undergraduate student enrollment, the U.S. has the greatest potential to attract more international students as compared to the U.K. and Australia, which have 13 percent and 24 percent of the total undergraduate population as international.

"We are witnessing a growth in demand from new segments of international students at the undergraduate level who are younger, technologically savvy, financially endowed and in need of more help with English. This segment is more attuned to word-of-mouth communication via social media and demands more support services, as opposed to the traditional segment of self-directed, mature graduate students. To adapt to the changing needs and preferences of international undergraduate students, we recommend a framework for responsive recruitment strategies that emphasizes the interplay of technology, partnership, and research. This approach will help institutions understand what works and what doesn't, and then prioritize resources, build capacities and deploy cost-effective outreach strategies," says Dr. Rahul Choudaha, Director of Research and Strategic Development at WES, New York.

About World Education Services (WES): World Education Services, Inc. (wes.org) is a non-profit organization with almost forty years of experience in the field of international credential evaluation and research. WES Research and Advisory Services (wes.org/RAS) offers research-based actionable solutions for higher education institutions on student mobility, international enrollment, and transnational education.

About the Research Report: The research report is available for download from the WES site at wes.org/RAS. Registration is open for a free interactive webinar on March 28, 2013, where the authors will discuss key findings, trends and implications of their research.

SOURCE World Education Services