Research highlights relationship of study abroad programs to student satisfaction, market competitiveness

Hoboken, New Jersey, May 24, 2012 – StudyAbroad.com, the Internet’s leading source of information on educational opportunities for students seeking study abroad programs outside the U.S., today announced the availability of a new white paper titled, “Recruiting Study Abroad Students: Current Approaches and Best Practices.” The white paper addresses best practices from StudyAbroad.com and other organizations serving students with study abroad programs as well as gaps in existing marketing strategies.

The white paper is comprised of data from surveys StudyAbroad.com and its parent company, EducationDynamics, conducted with a select group of more than 50 institutions and study abroad program providers, as well as best practices StudyAbroad.com has learned from its own experience. The white paper highlights the numerous opportunities for institutions to understand the demand in their market, how to correctly identify study abroad prospects and steps to take to boost current and future study abroad recruitment strategies.

“As interest in study abroad increases among U.S. students, there will be a need for even more polished and strategic approaches to recruitment for academic and cultural experiences overseas. A lack of understanding of who students are, how to find them and how they prefer to be communicated can negatively impact a study abroad program’s ability to grow and be successful,” said Chuck DelCamp, Product Manager at StudyAbroad.com. “This white paper is intended for individuals leading the study abroad marketing efforts at colleges, universities and non-institution based program providers to be able to take the steps needed to run successful programs. The findings included will provide useful insights and practical tactics that will benefit existing and new study abroad programs.”

Based on survey participants’ responses, StudyAbroad.com has uncovered five steps to recruiting study abroad students. This information includes:

* Knowing the market demand for study abroad programs

* Understanding and aligning marketing approaches to student preferences

* Choosing, assessing and adjusting marketing efforts for maximum effectiveness

* Qualifying study abroad student prospects

* Deciding whether (and if so, how) to outsource specific recruitment activities

While the desire to study abroad continues to increase among students, the reality is that many organizations still have much to learn when it comes to making potential participants aware of their program offerings. Competition in the market will continue to climb as well, as more than 70% of survey respondents said they plan to develop brand new study abroad programs in the next year. As the StudyAbroad.com white paper outlines, this means that the criticalness of marketing to the right individuals will only become more important to the process of recruiting study abroad participants.

Organizations interested in ordering a copy of “Recruiting Study Abroad Students: Current Approaches and Best Practices” should contact Chuck DelCamp at 484.766.2955 or cdelcamp@educationdynamics.com.

About StudyAbroad.com
StudyAbroad.com is a web resource of EducationDynamics and the Internet’s leading source of information on educational opportunities for students to study in other countries. It is a comprehensive directory of study abroad and intensive language programs organized by subject and destination. Currently information on more than 12,000 study abroad programs is available and more than two million students visit StudyAbroad.com annually. StudyAbroad.com also offers Destination Portal Pages, a handbook serving as a guide to traveling abroad; Blog Abroad, a blog that chronicles the experiences of students as they study abroad; and financial aid information. To learn more, visit www.StudyAbroad.com.

About EducationDynamics
EducationDynamics is higher education’s leading marketing information and technology services company dedicated to helping institutions find, enroll and retain students. Its content-rich and highly visible education websites, including EarnMyDegree.com, EducationConnection.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, StudyAbroad.com, TestDriveCollege.com, TestDriveGradSchool.com and its special interest microsites, make EducationDynamics the premier provider of qualified prospective students for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of Web-delivered services proven to drive enrollment growth and reduce student attrition, as well as other innovative solutions including LeadWatchLive, its Web-based inquiry management system. Through Aslanian Market Research, the company brings decades of proprietary research, unparalleled market and student intelligence and best practice insights to clients. For more information, visit educationdynamics.com.

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