Inside the Applicant s Mind: Understanding Students Study Abroad Decision-making Processes

Transcription

1 Inside the Applicant s Mind: Understanding Students Study Abroad Decision-making Processes Stella Saliari, Senior Academic Relations Coordinator AMBA Business School Professionals Conference Amsterdam, 2 July 2018

2 On One Hand

3 On the Other Hand The New York Times, 19 May 2017 AFRWeekend, 9 April 2017 AFRWeekend, 19 March 2017 The PIE News, 15 September 2017

4 Meet Arum My best friend in Boston complains about snow. I don t like snow. Australia allows students to work after graduation. My dream is to see Wind Mills I want to live in a small city * Canadian side Copyright 2015 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, TOEFL, TOEFL IBT, TOEFL ITP and TOEFL JUNIOR are registered trademarks of

5 Decisions, decisions UK Canada Australia USA Copyright 2015 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, TOEFL, TOEFL IBT, TOEFL ITP and TOEFL JUNIOR are registered trademarks of

6 Decisions, decisions Germany Japan UK Southeast Asia Canada Australia USA Latin America

7 Information Value Chain Intelligence Insights Implications Ideas Implementation

8 This Session s Goals Understand global applicant motivations by identifying the key influencing factors leading students to study abroad Gain insight into international student decision-making processes Glean implications and insights to support international student recruitment efforts

9 The Student Decision-Making Study This online survey was conducted with students planning to study abroad in an English-speaking country, or in a program taught primarily in English. Base: 8,528. Countries surveyed: Europe & Eurasia France Germany Spain Russian Federation Turkey Latin America Brazil Colombia Mexico South/West Asia/Middle East & Africa Bangladesh India Iran Pakistan Saudi Arabia Nigeria East Asia China Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines South Korea Taiwan Vietnam

10 Study Objectives The primary objectives of the research were to develop a profile of the study abroad journey and decision-making process, as well as influencers for each step of the journey: Who initiates the decision to study abroad? What are the primary reasons for studying abroad? Who are the top influencers for selecting a country to study in? What is the duration of the study abroad journey?

11 Who Initiates the Study Abroad Decision? In most countries, the decision to study abroad is most frequently initiated by the student themselves, however, there were some differences noted in specific countries: In Brazil and India, the student s parents play an important role in the study abroad decision. Friends are also an important influencer among Indian students. In China, the student s father is a major influencer in the study abroad decision, in the Philippines, the mother is a strong influencer.

12 Initiator of Studying Abroad South/West Asia, the Middle East & Africa BANGLADESH INDIA IRAN PAKISTAN KSA NIGERIA Myself 45% % 55% 5 My father 15% 2 15% 22% 21% 17% My mother 13% 15% My siblings 9% 7% Another family member 5% 5% 5% My teachers 7% 3% 3% My friends 1 19% 15% 2%

13 Initiator of Studying Abroad East Asia CHINA INDONESIA JAPAN MALAYSIA PHILIPPINES SOUTH KOREA TAIWAN VIETNAM Myself 33% 63% 53% 51% 43% 4 41% 50% My father 30% 13% 1 9% 1 15% 1 My mother 13% 9% 13% 1 15% 12% 13% 1 My siblings 5% 3% 7% 5% 9% Another family member 2% 3% 2% 3% 9% 5% 5% 3% My teachers 3% 7% 3% 7% 3% My friends 11% 11% 7% 13% 11%

14 Initiator of Studying Abroad Europe & Eurasia FRANCE GERMANY SPAIN RUSSIAN FEDERATION TURKEY Myself % 53% 31% My father 15% 11% 17% My mother 13% 1 12% 15% 12% My siblings Another family member 3% 3% My teachers 5% My friends 1

15 Initiator of Studying Abroad Latin America BRAZIL Myself 22% My father 20% My mother 27% COLOMBIA MEXICO 62% 53% 1 1 My siblings 5% 3% Another family member 3% My teachers 11% My friends

16 Insights and Implications Depending on the international mix of students your institution would like to enroll, it matters to know who are the major influencers for your target audience they vary from region to region if not country to country; understanding the nuances can make a difference Feeder country-specific Marketing plans Influencer/stakeholder-specific strategies Campaigns that speak directly not only to the student but parents as well where it matters

17 Ken s Story His path to success

18 What are the Reasons for Studying Abroad? Globally, the three primary reasons for studying abroad are to gain greater career success, get a better job after graduation and to get a better education than what could be achieved in their home country. Living independently and challenging themselves is important to Malaysian students, and becoming well-rounded is important to Indonesian students. For students from France, Germany, Spain, Russia and Turkey, another important reason to study abroad is to experience new cultures.

19 Reasons for Studying Abroad East Asia TOTAL CHINA INDONESIA JAPAN MALAYSIA PHILIPPINES SOUTH KOREA TAIWAN VIETNAM Greater career success 51% 52% 60% 32% 60% 6 42% 3 60% Get a better job after graduation 47% 49% 53% % 30% 39% 65% Get a better education than in my home country To learn a new culture 47% 4 55% 53% 6 50% 21% 42% 59% 53% 52% 45% 30% 35% 33% 41% 67% 5 To challenge myself 42% 45% 53% 43% % 47% 62% To become a more well-rounded person So I can travel and experience new cultures To have a fun experience 42% 41% 29% 43% 40% 33% 67% 50% % 52% 73% 55% 52% 6 37% 32% 31% % 43% 57% 35% To live independently 27% 27% 45% 15% 5 30% 9% 29% 47% M y parents are encouraging me to study overseas To represent my culture 18 % 16 % 22% 1 17% 19% 9% 9% 2 21% 20% 9% 17% % M y field of study is not offered in my home country To please my family 14 % 10 % 17% 11% 1 1 9% 11% 9% 11% 12% 11% 9% AVERAGE IM PORTANCE BY COUNTRY 33% 3 43% % 2 30% 42%

20 Reasons for Studying Abroad Europe & Eurasia TOTAL FRANCE GERMANY SPAIN RUSSIAN FEDERATION TURKEY Greater c areer suc c ess 51% 43% 40% 5 51% 47% Get a better job after graduation 47% 37% 41% 47% 4 3 Get a better educ ation than in my home c ountry 47% 1 19% 33% 37% 30% To learn a new culture 4 37% 40% 40% 35% 37% To challenge myself 42% 29% 4 32% 21% 20% To become a more well-rounded person 42% 31% 2 43% 4 3 So I can travel and experience new cultures 41% 43% 4 51% 47% 35% To have a fun experience 29% 31% 31% 30% 11% 27% To live independently 27% 22% % My parents are encouraging me to study overseas 1 13% 12% 13% 1 To represent my culture 1 13% 12% 7% 17% My field of study is not offered in my home country 1 9% 7% 11% To please my family 7% AVERAGE IMPORTANCE BY COMPANY 33% 25% 27% 30% 27% 2

21 Reasons for Studying Abroad Latin America TOTAL Greater career success Get a better job after graduation Get a better education than in my home country To learn a new culture To challenge myself To become a more well-rounded person So I can travel and experience new cultures To have a fun experience To live independently My parents are encouraging me to study overseas To represent my culture My field of study is not offered in my home country To please my family AVERAGE IMPORTANC E BY C OMPANY BRAZIL COLOMBIA 5 1% 60% 47% 18 % 16 % 14 % 10 % 33% 3 41% 3 45% 22% 23% 31% 11% 7% 13% 30% 21% 15% 5% 3% 2 11% 1 5% 5 25% 27% 43% 59% 53% 27% 4 47% 20% 29% 50% 49% 52% 4 1% 61% 41% % 69% 4 47% 42% MEXICO 3 32%

22 Decision-making study After deciding to study abroad, how many months to decide which country to study in? Turkey Japan Taiwan Russian Federation South Korea Brazil Germany All France Philippines Spain China Colombia Mexico Malaysia India Indonesia Pakistan Nigeria Iran Bangladesh Saudi Arabia Vietnam

23 Decision-making study After deciding which country to study in, how many months to decide which institutions to apply to? Turkey Japan Russian Federation Taiwan South Korea Indonesia Brazil All France Germany Spain Colombia Philippines Nigeria China Saudi Arabia Malaysia Mexico India Iran Pakistan Bangladesh Vietnam

24 Implications and Ideas Acknowledge that the process of attending HEIs is part of a broader personal journey consisting of multiple milestones and motivations Use the hierarchy of reasons relevant to a particular national audience when messaging the benefits of studying at your institution Turn to alumni who can speak as real life case studies and use them in collateral materials or as mentors for when acceptance letters are offered

25 Implications and Ideas How International Student friendly is your website? - Pages dedicated to students from particular countries - Resources highlighted to support such communities on campus - Quick turnaround on inquiries How active is your alumni network back in the feeder country? What about country-specific alumni pages on social media? Is a refer a friend incentive program possible?

26 Case Study: Bringing It All Together Activate Your Dreams

27 Summary/Conclusions Today s study abroad process has many influencing factors. The more we know, the better we are able to address and have students that will be a good fit, arrive on campus and stay through to graduation Both rational and emotional elements play into today s international students decision-making process. Speak to both. Don t get lost in the big picture. Drill down a bit further. It is essential to consider by nationality, by field and by level of study.

28 How to contact: Stella Saliari