What We Learnt from the International Study Panel at Our Recent Study Fair
With our Pulse insights indicating an uptick in interest from international students for autumn 2023, now is a key moment to capitalise on this momentum and secure your international numbers for the coming academic year.
But what is it about the UK that makes international students want to study here? And what key selling points should you be highlighting in your recruitment activities?
As part of our recent virtual study fair, we hosted a panel of international Masters and PhD students who answered questions about what it’s like to study in the UK. We’ve summarised the most valuable insights to help with your international recruitment strategy!
Why do international students choose to study in the UK?
We know that the UK is one of the world’s most popular study abroad destinations – but what makes it so attractive to international students?
Here are four factors that were at the forefront of our panellist’s minds when they chose to study in the UK:
#1 Cutting-edge facilities and research
Up-to-date facilities are a major draw for international students, particularly those studying STEM subjects. Our Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Masters student explained that the laboratory equipment available in the UK allowed her to investigate the practical applications of theories she’d learned during her undergraduate degree.
A second panellist was drawn to his Petroleum and Gas Engineering Masters in part because it incorporated Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, tools which have only been applied to the field in the last couple of years.
Placing an emphasis on the facilities available at your university, as well as how departments are exploring novel applications for emerging technologies, is key to recruiting international students!
#2 Degrees with versatile applications
As a whole, our panellists were drawn to their course in the UK because of the broad range of career doors it would open. One panellist cited the uniquely interdisciplinary nature of her course as it allowed her to combine subject as one overall degree which was not available in her home country.
Another panellist studying Business Analytics said that the skills provided by her course would qualify her to practice in multiple sectors including financial, marketing and data analysis. The option to choose between multiple fields post-graduation was key to her choice of university.
Career flexibility was a key consideration for everyone. Courses allowing for multiple specialisations, and which can be more easily tailored to fit a student’s personal interests, could be particularly appealing to international students, especially where not offered in their home country.
#3 Smaller class sizes
Our panellists also valued the fact that smaller class sizes in the UK allowed for one-on-one discussions with academics and meant that they felt lecturers were more responsive.
One was particularly appreciative of regular check-ins with her lecturers to ensure she was not falling behind, and another recalled that one of his lecturers would take the time to send out weekly emails with job opportunities in the field.
It could be useful to emphasise the availability of academics for personalised support through office hours or email in your course descriptions and international marketing. Why not get some of your student’s favourite tutors to do a welcome video on social and talk about the support on offer?
#4 Academic track record
Being taught by academics with well-established reputations was of particular importance to our panellists, both because of their body of theoretical knowledge and the real-world examples they could share from having worked in the field. Make sure the specialist expertise is highlighted in your course listings!
What challenges do international students face?
While UK universities are fantastic places for international students, studying abroad can present unique challenges – so why not tackle these head on in your marketing?
Several panellists struggled to secure job offers prior to graduating due to the 20 hour per week work cap for international students. Highlighting the opportunities available under the Graduate Route is essential to international recruitment. It’s important to emphasise that students will be eligible to work full-time once they’ve completed their degree – and that this can (and should!) be effectively communicated to potential employers.
Other struggles ranged from difficulties with referencing to the cost of living and the UK’s ever-changeable weather (though frequent rainfall was actually a plus for our Atmospheric Physics PhD student!). Acknowledging and providing reassurance on these concerns could help build up the confidence of international applicants.
Where possible, get the student voice in to talk about how they’ve tackled areas such as financial management and budgeting, organisation and critical essay writing. These came up several times as aspects of international study that our panellists initially found challenging, but which presented an opportunity to develop new soft skills.
Hopefully this post has given you an idea of how you can more effectively tailor your recruitment strategy for international students! For a dive into the data, check out our recent Pulse survey of international study trends.
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