The number of international students in American private K-12 rose two percent year over year during the 2023-24 school term, this according to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). While seemingly a modest figure, this was the first year of increase since the pandemic, when the total number of foreign students fell by over one-quarter (27 percent).
Many factors led to this decrease, but the demand for an international education is rebounding. To help your school take advantage, we lay out five strategies to ensure greater impact when marketing to international students.
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1. Certify Your School
If your school is brand new or hasn’t recruited international students before, there are a few compliance tidbits to sort out first. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must certify all schools hosting foreign exchange students, specifically with its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).
Institutions able to host F visa students include private K-8 and all schools with grades 9-12 that feature one or more of the following classes:
- Language training and instruction, only with designation from a nationally recognized accrediting body.
- Classes in liberal arts or fine arts.
- Instruction in the professions.
Schools that can recruit M visa students include vocational high schools serving grades 9-12. Notably, schools primarily using remote learning are ineligible for SEVP certification.
As part of the certification process, schools must submit Form I-17, supporting documentation, and corresponding payment. SEVP also conducts site visits reviewing facilities and interviewing staff.
Maintaining certification requires the use of designated school officials (DSO) to update student information in government databases. In addition, these employees must also advise international students on certain school-related activities and maintaining eligibility. One of these DSOs must be the principal DSO (PDSO), in charge of all liaising with DHS.
Once certified, admitted students must submit certain documents (including Form I-20) and enter the country on either an F or M visa. Students can re-enroll at SEVP-certified private schools for as many years as desired.
2. Build International Partnerships
Successful international recruitment hinges on partnerships with external organizations skilled in finding talented students interested in studying at an institution like yours.
Most commonly, schools coordinate with international education agents, who recruit and assist students living in targeted regions. These agents match students with schools, help facilitate application submission and entrance exams, assist with document translation, and advise on visa applications and bureaucratic updates.
For schools with a robust history of international instruction, offering a referral incentive to current and former families can grow your international applicant pool in a cost-effective way while strengthening school community across the world.
If you’re looking to strengthen tactical recruitment operations, learn how your peers market to international students through relevant industry associations and events. The Institute of International Education (IIE) and the Alliance for International Exchange are likeminded organizations with myriad resources for international recruitment, and the National Association of International Educators Annual Conference & Expo holds ample opportunities to discuss pressing issues in recruitment, curriculum, and support for foreign students.
3. Keep Student Data Fresh
Successful marketing to international students hinges on resonant messaging, being able to understand what prospective families are seeking and articulating why your school meets those expectations.
To do this, group your contacts according to shared qualities, thus creating message lists tailored to marketing campaigns, a process called audience segmentation. This way, families only receive relevant information, increasing the likelihood of action.
There are two major types of data private schools collect to best inform these campaigns. Demographic data comes from application forms, questionnaires, and interest forms, reflecting information about the individuals themselves, such as student gender, age, nationality, etc. Behavioral data, on the other hand, reflects how contacts interact with your marketing efforts, including your emails, website, and communications. This data provides insights into contact interest, which when acted upon lets you to target those most likely to apply and enroll.
For example, if you intend to run a campaign centered around student home country or website interaction, you will need to ensure your marketing database already captures this information and is constantly maintained.
4. Send the Right Message
Once the right audience is set up, it becomes easier to match the right message with the right platform for each campaign. Here are some helpful content ideas likely to resonate with prospective students.
- Testimonials Let applicants hear from current students on the classes they enjoy, the student experience at your school, and the sense of community.
- Virtual Tours Give students an online tour of your campus, including classrooms, cafeterias, and dorm rooms, to provide an immersive preview of life at your school.
- Life on Campus Once you understand why prospective students are drawn to your school, reinforce this interest with more information on desired courses, programs, and extracurricular activities.
- Financial Aid Opportunities For families dealing with the hefty expenses international study abroad requires, financial aid opportunities often provide a compelling differentiator when compared to similar schools.
- Practical Information Provide information on visa applications, accommodation opportunities, social activities, and academic expectations to help families plan the logistics of their children’s overseas education.
5. Be Aware of Email Privacy Laws
Email privacy laws vary from country to country, and many have their own frameworks for regulating how data is handled, stored, and shared. Take a look at some of the privacy laws for the top countries of foreign exchange students sent to America.
- China (36 percent of the international students in U.S. private K-12): Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL)
- Canada (seven percent): Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
- Mexico (seven percent): The Mexican Privacy Law
- South Korea (seven percent): Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA)
- Japan (five percent): Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI)
Marketing to international students in these countries requires adherence to strict laws regarding how personal data is processed and protected. Most mandate clear consent before organizations can store family information, the subjects of which must be informed about the purpose of data collection.
When storing information and transferring it across borders, organizations must take intentional steps to protect contact data. In the event of a data breach, your school must take quick action to alert proper authorities and those affected.
In some countries, subjects have the right to correct their information or have it deleted from organizations’ databases upon request.
Learn How to Best Market to International Students with Ravenna
Recruiting students from around the world presents special considerations, but smart tactics and a convincing message can convince families to enrich your classrooms with unique, global perspectives.
And it all starts with having a student database tailored to the unique needs of private schools and capable of handling whatever data you need to collect – no matter who your school recruits. Learn how Ravenna powers every facet of private school admissions.