The number of students from China studying abroad is steadily increasing. This slideshare offers a basic understanding of student recruitment in China.

1. Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101
Slide 1
Understanding Student
Recruitment in China 101

2. Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101
Slide 2
1) Student Recruitment in China
2) Understanding Cultural Differences
3) Student Mobility Changes
4) Optimizing Website Communication
5) Alumni Networking and Transnational Education
Overview
Source: Higher Education Marketing – Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101

3. Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101
Slide 3
 China represents a source of endless fascination for college
and university admission departments.
 According to the Chinese Ministry of Education, the number of
students from China studying abroad rose by 17.7% from 2011 to
2012, up to 399,600 - easily the largest international student
population in the world.
 As desire for a foreign education soars, interest in the ultra-
competitive gaokao Chinese college entrance exam is
steadily shrinking.
 More and more younger students are instead taking Western
standardized exams, such as the SAT and TOEFL, with an estimated
30% increase in students under 18 taking the latter last year.
Surging Asian demand for the SAT has prompted recent plans for its
redesign.
1. Student Recruitment in China
Source: Higher Education Marketing – Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101

4. Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101
Slide 4
 While the country's capacity has expanded, some wealthy
Chinese parents believe their homegrown courses are too
rigid and one-dimensional.
 However, when attempting to enroll their children in the best
overseas schools, there is a tendency for them to assume
that the same political and economic connections will apply
elsewhere, and it is not uncommon for admissions agents to
be offered substantial sums in expectation that their son or
daughter with poor grades will be accepted.
1. Student Recruitment in China
Source: Higher Education Marketing – Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101

5. Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101
Slide 5
 Patience is required when developing strategies for Chinese
student recruitment.
 This mammoth market was barely accessible even a few years ago
and there exist significant differences in value systems to be aware
of.
 China's swift economic ascent has created many new millionaires
and a highly ambitious middle class with a taste for luxury, which
includes a world-class education.
 Since Chinese students are more likely than their American peers to
demand technology in the classroom, state-of-the-art facilities and
innovative technological integration should be promoted.
 As energy efficiency and innovative design have been identified as
national development priorities, engineering is the most popular
undergraduate major in China.
2. Understanding Cultural Differences
Source: Higher Education Marketing – Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101

6. Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101
Slide 6
 Increasingly restrictive visa requirements in the US and UK
and concern for return on investment are working to the
advantage of schools in Canada and Australia.
 The Canadian government has placed a recent focus on targeting
"priority markets" to brand the country as an ideal study destination,
and last year reached an agreement with China to expand two-way
academic mobility, aspiring to reach a combined goal of 100,000
students studying in each other's countries within five years.
 While China is considering a ban on unregistered foreign-based
agencies recruiting for study abroad, many institutions have official
representatives in China to overcome the complications of applying
overseas.
 The immensity of recruitment potential in China means that there
remains great opportunity for smaller or more vocational schools,
including partnering with larger agencies.
3. Student Mobility Changes
Source: Higher Education Marketing – Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101

7. Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101
Slide 7
 Prospective Chinese students tend to choose a destination
country in the first step of their selection process through
Chinese search engine Baidu.
 They commonly seek a "top university" in a particular subject, with
no specific place or institution in mind.
 Effective content strategy and development begins with
having a dedicated Chinese expert to focus communication
towards your best programs and key selling points for this
market.
 Although Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are blocked there, many
schools are breaking through the Great Firewall of China by using
national platforms like Sina Weibo, which hosts over 400 million
users - including 80% university students!
4. Optimizing Website Communication
Source: Higher Education Marketing – Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101

8. Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101
Slide 8
 An alumni network is an excellent resource for international
recruitment and retention.
 As word of mouth and networking is particularly important for
Chinese marketing, procedures should be implemented to ease the
transition of current students, while communicating non-judgmentally
the cultural differences.
 As Chinese higher education becomes more harmonized
with other parts of the world, we will see more transnational
education in which students can receive foreign degrees and
certifications from their home country.
 Long-term institutional commitment is necessary for building
meaningful Chinese recruitment and broader internationalization
should be the end goal.
4. Alumni Networking and Transnational
Education
Source: Higher Education Marketing – Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101

9. Understanding Student Recruitment in China 101
Slide 9
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