When discussing international student flows to the US from Asia, it is easy to stay focused on the two primary stories of China and India. Questions about when China will “bounce back” coupled with interest in India’s surging population growth dominate news feeds as universities continue to recover international student enrollments post-pandemic. The focus isn’t unwarranted - in the 2021-22 academic year, China and India accounted for 51.58% of the total 948,519 international students enrolling in US higher education institutions.[i]
However, the rest of Asia still makes up 17.86% of total enrollments, with annual growth trends providing an even more exciting story.
Despite a post-COVID recovery in the overall sector, China currently sits at an 8.58% annual decline from 2021 to 2022, contributing to most of East Asia’s overall 5.92% decline. Meanwhile, growth in Southern and Southeast Asia is more impressive, ranging from 5.43% in Nepal to 12.76% in the Philippines to 23.25% in Bangladesh.
While navigating the Chinese and Indian student landscape will be critical for university growth strategies, the rest of Asia should not be ignored. The benefits of diversification coupled with the growth potential from smaller countries in South and Southeast Asia can have a meaningful impact on a university’s internationalization strategy.
Country Insights
How can an institution effectively leverage these opportunities as it pursues expansion in other regions of Asia? Below we offer insights on four specific markets - Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines, and Vietnam - highlighting their nuances and offering recommendations on how to optimize a university’s activities in each country.
Bangladesh
With an economy expected to jump 11 places from 35th in the world to 24th by 2030, Bangladesh is poised for employment growth.[ii] However, current academic offerings within the country are not sufficient to support the growing need and development of the required skilled workforce, thus resulting in exponential growth in the demand to study abroad.
Dhaka accounts for nearly 55% of student demand seen by our team in Bangladesh, with North America as the primary desired destination country. With that being said, Sylhet and Chattogram should not be ignored either given consistent growth in these areas in recent years accounting for more than 25% additional share of the market..
Bangladeshi students primarily pursue graduate degrees and are highly sensitive to cost.
Campus location is a significant factor, with students preferring urban areas.
Nepal
According to data collected across various country sources, approximately 125,000 Nepalese studied abroad in the last year, with about 45% of those students pursuing their education in Australia.[iii] However, the recent tightening of visa issuance in Australia has led Nepalese students to open their search to other countries, with Canada growing its Nepalese student population by 258% due to stronger visa approval rates. The US currently captures about 9.5% of the outbound Nepalese population, with 5.43% growth in the last reported year.[iv]
Nepalese students primarily pursue bachelor degrees, with our team seeing only about 30% pursuing graduate studies. STEM fields broadly remain the dominant areas of interest. However, students specifically focus on data science and artificial intelligence or concentrations in engineering such as earthquake, tunnel, and/or highway.
Kathmandu is the primary hub for agents and students, with the majority of educational consultancy organizations based in the capital city.
While most students prefer to gain work experience in the US after graduation, MBAs and hospitality graduates tend to return home due to increasing opportunities in those fields.
Philippines
Nearly 49,000 students from the Philippines currently pursue their education overseas according to data collected from reporting organizations across the primary destination countries.[v] While 65% of those students choose institutions in Canada and Australia, the US saw a 12.76% increase in Filipino students from 2021 to 2022.[vi]
The average age of applicants seen by our team in the Philippines is 30 years old, with mature applicants as advanced as 60. The majority of these students are married and look to bring their families when enrolling overseas.
Nearly 50% of our applicants come from Metro Manila, but an additional nine regions in the country are seeing growth in student demand.
Most Filipino students in the US tend to be J-1 visa holders given programs packaged and offered through universities. The designation of English as an official language in the Philippines also makes this population unique compared to many other Asian countries.
Vietnam
While Vietnam has seen slower growth than other countries in the region, the US remains a top destination for Vietnamese students, second only to Korea. US institutions are particularly interested in Vietnamese students given their attraction to community colleges and English language programs over graduate-level offerings.
Vietnam is the #2 source market for international students in US community colleges and #6 across all US education offerings.[vii]
Of the students supported by team members in our Vietnam office:
38.9% enroll at community colleges
16.7% enroll at liberal arts colleges, and
44.4% enroll at universities
Vietnamese students recognize their English skills need development and look for opportunities accordingly that take this into account.
Marketing & Outreach
International educators know that Asians are not a monolith. Understanding both the cultural nuances and the most effective platforms in each country is necessary to engage prospective students effectively.
Further, speaking to these students with the approach and context of their specific country - such as using examples of current students and alumni from the same nationality - is critical for building rapport and credibility.
Below, we offer the key people, platforms, and approaches that resonate with each country based on the experiences of our teams in each market.
By understanding the nuances of and opportunities in each market, universities can tailor their approach to maximize recruitment from each country. Doing so will not only contribute to increases in international enrollments overall, but also further diversification of an institution’s student body and assist in de-risking the overreliance on any one particular country.
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ABOUT Leap GeeBee
Leap GeeBee offers a wide portfolio of services supporting international education, including opportunities for universities to attract and recruit a variety of target student populations. With over 55 offices across the world, our team provides expertise on recruiting students from all four of the countries discussed above, along with several others including India, the UAE, and Brazil. Connect with our team to learn more about the various ways we can help you achieve your international strategy goals.
[i] Open Doors® 2022 Report on International Educational Exchange. (2022, November 14). All Place of Origin. https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/all-places-of-origin/
[ii] Cebr. (2022, December 26). World Economic League Table 2023. https://cebr.com/reports/world-economic-league-table-2023/
[iii] ICEF Monitor. (2023, March 22). Outbound mobility trends for five key sending markets in Asia. https://monitor.icef.com/2023/03/outbound-mobility-trends-for-five-key-sending-markets-in-asia/
[iv] Open Doors® 2022 Report on International Educational Exchange. (2022, November 14). All Place of Origin. https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/all-places-of-origin/
[v] ICEF Monitor. (2023, March 22). Outbound mobility trends for five key sending markets in Asia. https://monitor.icef.com/2023/03/outbound-mobility-trends-for-five-key-sending-markets-in-asia/
[vi] Open Doors® 2022 Report on International Educational Exchange. (2022, November 14). All Place of Origin. https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/all-places-of-origin/
[vii] ICEF monitor. (2023, June 21). Vietnam remains a key growth market in Southeast Asia. https://monitor.icef.com/2023/06/vietnam-remains-a-key-growth-market-in-southeast-asia/