INTERNATIONAL ENROLLMENt management
Starts at AIRC
Our Members
AIRC (pronounced "air-sea") is a dynamic network of accredited educational institutions, service providers, and student recruitment agencies that seek to promote standards-based international
student recruitment and enrollment practices.
Annual Conference
The AIRC Annual Conference is the only event dedicated solely to international student recruitment and enrollment strategies.
AIRC PROMOTES ETHICAL, STANDARDS-BASED INTERNATIONAL enrollment strategies.
As a leader in the field of international enrollment management, AIRC develops and provides essential resources, services, and programs for its 400+ members to advance their recruitment goals and adhere to standards. AIRC is a 501(c)(3) membership association and a Standards Development Organization (SDO) registered with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.
OUR EXPERTISE
- Professional Development
- International Enrollment Management Resources
- Educational Agency Certification
- Conferences and Events
- Advocacy for the Sector
- Networking and Partnerships
Current & Upcoming Events
Latest News
Over the past several months, the education community has closely followed and responded to policy decisions that have significantly affected the recruitment of international students to U.S. institutions. As we continue to navigate these evolving challenges, Leap GeeBee and our university partners remain committed to driving forward, supporting not only yield efforts for the Fall 2025 intake but also encouraging applications for future terms. Several recent strategic discussions with our institutional partners have revisited the concept of application incentives and flexibility on admissions requirements. While such incentives encourage students to submit applications, do they ultimately work? And, do they simply drive up application volume or do they actually improve other points of the application funnel? Application fee waivers Application fees serve a variety of purposes in the admission process. Practically speaking, there are real costs to be covered in the processing of application materials. Conceptually, the application fee can be an intentional barrier, requiring students to have enough genuine interest in a school to pay the fee. However, incremental costs build quickly as students prepare their application materials, and seemingly nominal amounts in US dollar terms can be significant in the home countries of potential students. Additionally, the initial application is only one of many touchpoints during the admissions process when a university can engage with great students. Lessening the barriers to apply brings more students into a university’s funnel, thus increasing the volume of potential students to admit and ultimately enroll But, what does the data tell us? Out of 138 universities recently reviewed, 98 of the institutions (71%) provided application fee waivers. Perhaps not surprisingly, these institutions received 98.2% of applications submitted during the observed time frame. Admit rate was effectively the same across the two pools. However, offer acceptance as measured through I-20 issuance was lower for fee waiver schools, at 36% compared to 48% for those who required the fee. While conversions for app fee waiver schools were lower by 12 percentage points at the I-20 issuance stage, the higher volume generated by these schools provided a strong enough base to outweigh these losses in ultimate enrollment numbers.
AIRC is pleased to release our 2024-2025 Annual Impact Report. Take a look at AIRC's successes this past year and our future plans.
Millions of students pursue international education every year. It's a movement that's continued through global shifts in affordability and access, and will continue to grow. In fact, some sources project there will be over 9 million international students by 2030. To see how future students' priorities are shifting and what factors are shaping their journey, the team at ApplyBoard, an international student mobility platform, runs a semi-annual Student Pulse Survey. Since the first survey in 2022, over 3,500 students have shared their thoughts. The most recent survey ran between February 25, 2025, and March 12, 2025, and collected insights from nearly 850 students. Let's take a closer look at which programs and careers students are aiming for, how changing policies are affecting their plans, and which study destinations are gaining ground. Key Findings: In the survey, affordability was the most commonly cited determining factor when choosing a study program. It was noted as important by 77% of respondents. 92% of surveyed students indicated some level of interest in studying in the US. Due to rising costs, just over one in four students are considering different study destinations than they'd initially planned. Strong Interest for Studying in the US Rises When asked where they'd like to study, 65% of respondents were only interested in studying in one or more of the following destinations: Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the UK, and the US. The survey also looked at students' specific levels of interest in these destinations:
