Practice Area Column

Changing Expectations, Changing Approaches

In a postpandemic world, recruitment and enrollment professionals share how they are adapting to evolving international student expectations.

From communication preferences to campus mental health services, international students' needs and expectations are changing. Photo: Shutterstock

Margaret Beal

March 14, 2024

The global nature of international education lends itself to constant change. Professionals in the field are accustomed to pivoting on a dime in response to factors that are often outside their control—whether that’s a pandemic, natural disaster, or geopolitical event. And those outside factors, along with changes in generational preferences, are key drivers in shaping the expectations international students have of potential study options.

In more than 126,000 student reviews collected for StudyPortals’ 2023 Global Student Satisfaction Awards, the average rating students gave their overall satisfaction with their study experience was 4.21 on a scale of 1 to 5—up 3.7 percent since the previous report in 2021. Many factors, including students’ country of of origin, affect their expectations and decisions, notes Edwin van Rest, StudyPortals cofounder and CEO. “Students from countries of origin where the quality of education was perceived as lower or where there are fewer study options were more satisfied with their student experience,” he says. Conversely, students from countries with a higher perceived quality of education that weren’t always met.

Data aside, it’s no secret that there have been significant shifts in how and where potential international students communicate with recruitment and enrollment professionals, what they expect on campus, their postgraduation plans, and more over the past few years. From communication preferences to campus mental health services, international enrollment management professionals share how they are addressing changing student needs and expectations.