International Recruitment and its Impact on U.S. Higher Education

[00:00:00] Speaker: You're listening to Filling Seats: The State of Enrollment Marketing in Higher Ed, hosted by StudentBridge. In this podcast, you'll learn what's working to grow, shape, and sustain enrollment at colleges and universities directly from fellow enrollment marketers, thought leaders, and Ed Tech individuals.

[00:00:18] Host: Hello and thank you for joining me today for episode 45 of our Filling Seats podcast series. Today, we'll be focusing on the impact of international recruitment and study abroad for enrollment as it pertains mostly to the US higher ed environment. I'm joined today by a good friend and special guest, Dr. John Niser. Hello, John.

[00:00:35] John Niser: Hi, Jonathan. Thank you for inviting me. Happy that we're going to be able to talk about this important subject.

[00:00:42] Host: Yeah, and for our viewers and listeners, last time we had an audio issue, this time our podcast service has gone down, so we switched to good old Zoom. I hope it's going to work just as well as other things, but we'll see that later. But look, John, I know, obviously I've known you for several years. My last guest before last was also an international guest. So we have quite a lot of international guests on here, but tell us a little about yourself, John. And obviously I can hint an accent there, but tell us a little bit about your story so far.

[00:01:09] John Niser: So I'm serving now as vice president for international operations at Fairleigh Dickinson University. I'm British, Swiss, and now American. I've got a few passports—kind of the Jason Bourne of education. Well, I speak a few languages as well, which I guess you pick up on the way as you travel. But I've been in international education. I've been CEO of schools in Europe and now in the US for some 30 years, something like that. So, you know, I bring a little bit of experience in international recruitment and operations.

[00:01:42] Host: Great. And of course, we've been working together through Fairleigh Dickinson University for several years, and appreciate your partnership there. But today we're talking about international recruitment. I think the first area to really ground ourselves on is that this is a revenue driver, right? It's not just something to show off or an ego boost. It's true revenue. Let’s talk about that because one of the stats I saw...

[00:02:12] John Niser: It's an interesting point, because I think we have moved from a time when colleges and universities did international recruitment because they had to have "international" in the name or somewhere. And it wasn’t ego, but it was something that decorated the university. Now, I would say it’s a much more revenue-focused look at what international education is about. As universities are facing some financial constraints and recruitment issues, you start looking at this and saying, "Do we really need it?" And the question is, you only need it if it’s making money and generating some revenue. That could be—well, we’ll talk about this later—it can be different sources. For my university, I’m responsible for a third of the university’s revenue now, which is coming from international operations. So, you know, it can be substantial.

[00:03:13] Host: So you're responsible for a third of the overall revenue that has to come from international operations, right? Yeah, just let that sink in. Look. So, yes, it’s gone away from maybe that naming protocol, like international airports that fly one flight to the Bahamas. I mean, this is truly committing to international. In the 2022–2023 academic year, international students contributed $40 billion to the US economy. That’s a 19% increase over the prior year, though I’m sure the prior year was down due to the impacts of the pandemic and everything else. That’s a huge amount of money, and you're like a third of your own university’s revenue. How else do international students really contribute to the US economy?

[00:03:57] John Niser: You’ve got to think about it in terms of offshore revenue and domestic revenue, and those are very different. Domestic revenue is basically students coming in from outside, from the world, and complementing your university enrollment. That has traditionally been a good source of revenue, but it’s also subject to political shifts, world geopolitical situations, external and internal factors. We had a period of time where the administration was clamping down on this, and, you know, the whole conversation around immigration. Australia has just announced it’s putting a complete cap on international student recruitment. Canada is doing the same thing. So you have to look at this. There’s the incoming student, but then there’s revenue you can generate outside by running programs abroad, having centers abroad. We have a campus in Vancouver that's generating a substantial number of students and revenue. These are ways to diversify. If you’re just looking at bringing students in from outside, you’ll be dependent on a lot of variables that you don’t control.

[00:05:37] Host: Now, of course, in the US market, we always look at net tuition and whether, you know, they subsidize and everything else. We talk about international students paying the full ticket. How much of your focus is trying to get students to get as close as possible to full tuition?

[00:05:52] John Niser: That’s a great question. Because, see, the kind of secret that nobody’s really talking about is agent commission and discount rates, okay? That comes and eats up the difference. And there's always a balance. You can say, "All right, if I pay more commission, will I get more full-fee-paying students?" Because I’m grabbing the attention of an agent who’s going to be more prone to sending students to me, since their commission is based on a larger amount of money. That depends. And I think we’re going to talk a little about strategy later on. At the same time, there are very few universities in the United States that can say, "I don’t care—it’s full tuition or you’re not coming." We know the names of those who can do that, but there are fewer and fewer of them. Most of us are clambering for the same student pool, and very often in the same markets. As soon as a market becomes good, everyone’s going there, discounting, trying to get the student, and giving more commission.

[00:07:18] Host: Let me stop you for a second. I’d like to ask something, because before you said something that nobody's talking about, let's get controversial. Why aren’t people talking about it?

[00:07:28] John Niser: Because for a long time, paying commission was forbidden, basically, by the accreditation agencies. Just like you can’t give financial incentives to your admission people in the US, there was the idea that you couldn’t give commission to an agent. The problem was that Canada, Australia, Great Britain—they were all giving commissions. And so American universities were kind of out of the market. When I was in Switzerland as CEO of these campuses, I was giving 15, 20% commission to agents, and I was laughing at American universities whose hands were tied behind their backs. I got the attention. And I know. So my competition wasn’t the US—it was the UK, Australia, and other places. That’s changed now. There are rules around this, but the main issue with agents isn’t commission. It’s how they represent you. Misrepresentation is the bigger risk from an accreditation perspective. The other thing with agents is that you walk into their office, you meet them, and they’re all nice. You have tea, but then 10 minutes later, your competitor is in their office, and the agent’s attention is on the next school. You have to develop relationships with these agents.

[00:09:19] Host: Better tea won’t do it. You’ve got to actually develop a relationship. You can’t just bring better biscuits. That makes sense. I’ve become friends with you and others in the industry, and you quite often go on these international recruitment drives, long flights to India. I think, "Wow, they must always be going together." But do you see that competition on the ground in these international territories?

[00:09:49] John Niser: Yes. The days of these organized venues, like Study America or Study Switzerland, where you had a booth and a busload of students grabbing pens are gone. It’s no use. Now, it’s a more concerted effort between online presence, personal trust, and developing relationships on the ground.

[00:10:36] Host: You bring up online, which always piques my interest—where StudentBridge hangs its hat. We help colleges and universities recruit through creating superior digital experiences. How are you seeing the adoption of digital in places like China, India, and Africa? Is it mainstream?

[00:11:05] John Niser: Very interesting question. Put yourself in the perspective of a family that's thousands of miles away, totally ignorant of the US education system, and bombarded by agents. They don’t know what’s good or bad, which is why they rely on agents. Online is important, but in many cases, it’s a verification point. Someone tells them about a school, they go online to verify, and that online presence is critical. Being translated, relevant to the market—it all matters. They’re not going to hit "Enroll now," but they’ll check, compare, and recheck. It’s about building trust and showing something they can relate to. Videos showing where their kids will eat or live—those things matter to parents 5,000 miles away.

[00:13:36] Host: Let’s talk about global competitiveness and enrollment. You want to attract high-caliber students. How are universities going about attracting that top talent?

[00:13:55] John Niser: You’ve got a recruitment cycle. Think of it as a booking window. If you get closer to the enrollment date without securing enough students, you’re forced to make concessions. A seat in a university is perishable inventory—if you don’t sell it, it’s gone. If you want top students, you’ve got to be early in the booking window and make an effort to select the ones you want. I’ve seen universities wait until six months in, then scramble for students, ending up with those who aren’t the best.

[00:15:29] Host: One thing I’m surprised about is that a lot of schools don’t do foreign language marketing materials. I know US universities require English proficiency, but wouldn’t people respond better to marketing in their native language?

[00:16:02] John Niser: Enormous impact. It’s the difference between pride and arrogance. You can be proud of your institution, but it’s arrogant to expect everyone to speak your language. It’s about respect. You’re trying to help them make an informed choice, and you can’t do that if you don’t communicate in a way they understand.

[00:17:21] Host: I 100% agree. You’ve got to show you’re investing in them before they invest in you. We could do more with foreign language marketing—captions, videos, everything. You’re speaking to parents and teachers as much as students.

[00:18:07] John Niser: The argument against it is that you can’t translate into every language. But you have to be strategic. Where are your strengths? If it’s Swahili, do it in Swahili. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. That’s where universities often make mistakes—trying to recruit everywhere at once.

[00:18:50] Host: Don’t they make the same mistake domestically too? Trying to recruit everyone, everywhere?

[00:19:02] John Niser: Exactly. Even with a big budget, it becomes granular. You put $10,000 into a small village in India because you know it works there. Even large budgets spread thin quickly.

[00:19:47] Host: Let’s talk about how international students raise the institution’s profile. Does having international students help retain domestic enrollment?

[00:19:59] John Niser: It does, but you have to be strategic. If you have a classroom where the majority are international, domestic students may feel out of place. You have to balance it carefully. Schools that flooded their classrooms with students from one country ended up hurting their reputation.

[00:21:26] Host: So it’s about keeping a diversity mix at the program level. But let’s switch gears and talk about study abroad programs. You mentioned how these can be big recruitment tools.

[00:21:47] John Niser: Study abroad is changing. It used to be a feature. Now, universities look at the cost-benefit ratio. If you send a student abroad, you lose that tuition revenue. You have to think strategically—do you have enough volume to justify running your own center abroad, or are you better off partnering with third-party organizations?

[00:24:56] Host: The Open Doors report says study abroad rebounded to more than half of pre-pandemic levels in 2021–2022. About 189,000 students studied abroad. How does study abroad help universities when students come back?

[00:25:45] John Niser: Study abroad has been elitist. It was mostly middle-class students who could afford it. Now, with more diverse students, we need to think about how to make international experiences accessible. Shorter, more focused programs may be the future—like doing fashion in Milan or banking in Switzerland. It’s not just about the experience anymore, but about making students more marketable for future jobs.

[00:28:32] Host: How can universities use study abroad programs to attract domestic students? Can they make it more democratic?

[00:28:50] John Niser: Just having study abroad isn’t enough. Everyone has it. You need to link it to job prospects and make it affordable. It has to be part of a broader strategy to make it accessible to more students.

[00:29:29] Host: What about partnerships with international institutions?

[00:29:39] John Niser: Many partnerships don’t do anything for you. They only help the other institution recruit by showing they have ties with American universities. You need to be more intentional. Asymmetric partnerships work better—where both sides get something, but it’s not the same thing.

[00:33:41] Host: There’s a difference between legal and ethical partnerships, right?

[00:33:45] John Niser: Absolutely. But the main issue is whether the partnership is worth the effort. You need to be sure you’re getting something out of it, like actual students.

[00:34:42] Host: What about post-graduation outcomes for international students? Do they take the knowledge back home or stay in the US?

[00:34:42] John Niser: International education can be part of a country’s immigration strategy, like in Canada and Australia, where they use education as a filter for skilled immigration. The US hasn’t been as strategic, and it depends heavily on who's in the White House. We need predictability and clear pathways for students to stay if needed.

[00:37:39] Host: One stat says for every three international students, one job is created. But in 2024, 36% of student visas were rejected. What’s happening?

[00:38:13] John Niser: The last two years might be outliers due to the pandemic. But embassies abroad have a lot of power over who gets visas. If universities and agents prepare students well, rejection rates should go down.

[00:39:47] Host: As we wrap up, let's talk about the importance of support systems for international students.

[00:40:00] John Niser: International students are lost when they arrive. They’ve lost all their usual reference points. Little things, like welcoming them at the airport, can make a huge difference. We need to help faculty and staff understand cultural differences too. Normal isn’t the same everywhere.

[00:42:12] Host: Where is all this going? Hybrid, online—what’s next?

[00:42:22] John Niser: I’m not a big fan of online for international students—they need the in-person experience. But preparing them with online classes before they arrive could be beneficial. We should also think about pricing and how we can offer better options through yield management, adjusting pricing for less popular time zones, for example.

[00:44:19] Host: Well, it’s been an absolute pleasure having you here today, Dr. Niser. Thank you for joining us. That’s all we have time for today. To our listeners, thank you for tuning in to today's Filling Seats podcast. For more content, please visit our website, www.studentbridge.com, and subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode. Thank you, John, and see you all soon.

[00:45:10] Speaker 1: This is the Filling Seats podcast hosted by StudentBridge, where we help enrollment teams achieve more by fusing authentic storytelling with industry-leading technology and personalized digital experiences. To connect with this episode’s guests, check out the show notes. If you enjoyed the episode, leave a rating and review, and don’t forget to subscribe. For more information, go to www.studentBridge.com/podcast.