For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Click here to contact Brian Whalen
Executive Director
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Falls Church, VA (February 16, 2021) -- The American International Recruitment Council (AIRC) and the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) collaborated on a brief survey to learn more about how colleges and universities are partnering with international student recruitment agents during the COVID-19 pandemic. All AIRC and NACAC college and university members were invited to participate in the survey and a total of 294 valid responses were received.
Results showed that almost half (49 percent) of the responding institutions currently partner with agents to recruit undergraduate international students. This appears to represent overall growth in the number of institutions partnering with agencies. Private institutions were more likely than public institutions to have agent partnerships (60 percent vs. 42 percent, respectively). Five percent of institutions reported they are actively exploring agent partnerships as a result of the pandemic.
Institutions that do not partner with agents were asked why they do not. The top three reasons given by the 154 respondents to this question were: 1) institution has staff dedicated to international recruitment travel (55%); 2) concern with unethical practice (54%); and, 3) institution has staff dedicated to “armchair” recruitment of international students (45%). 9% of institutions reported that they do not recruit international students.
According to AIRC’s Executive Director, Brian Whalen, “When comparing the survey results to the results of a similar survey done a few years ago, it appears that institutional partnerships with agencies are growing. This is likely due to a wider acceptance on the part of institutions of the effectiveness and benefits of partnering with agents.”
At the same time, Whalen explained that AIRC’s work to certify agencies for meeting industry standards remains critically important. “Institutions that have concerns about ethical practices should be assured that AIRC-certified agencies have demonstrated their ongoing commitment to high quality standards and to serving the best interests of students and institutional partners,” he said.
Full survey results are accessible by following this link.