Tag Archives: StudyAbroad

StudyAbroad.com Reveals Best Practices, New Findings in Study Abroad Recruitment White Paper

May 25, 2012 straightlinepr Leave a comment

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.

Contact:
Kavitha Thimmaiah
Communications Strategy Group
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
(303) 433-7020
kthimmaiah@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com

Education

StudyAbroad.com Survey Reveals Student Motivations and Concerns When Pursuing a Study Abroad Program

March 13, 2012 straightlinepr Leave a comment

More than half of respondents say a study abroad program’s reputation for a vibrant social and party life is at least a somewhat important factor in program selection; 20 percent indicated that a lower drinking age was also at least somewhat important.

Chester, PA, March 12, 2012 – Recent research shows cultural experiences, the opportunity to live abroad and the ability to travel are very important to college students when it comes to potentially studying abroad. These motivators, along with other findings, were revealed in a February 2012 survey of college-aged students across the U.S. conducted by StudyAbroad.com, the Internet’s leading resource for information on study abroad programs.

The survey, which was completed by 380 students who visited StudyAbroad.com, took note of the factors students find important as they consider selecting a study abroad program, what motivates him or her to do so and what might prohibit him or her from realizing a study abroad experience.

Twenty percent of survey respondents cited a study abroad program’s reputation for a vibrant social and party life as an “important” factor in the selection process. Just over one-third (35.8 percent) consider it at least “somewhat important.” When surveyed about how important a lower drinking age is when evaluating what study abroad program to select, one in five respondents felt it was at least “somewhat important” (nearly 10 percent (9.3) indicated it was “important,” 11.8 percent indicated it was “somewhat important”).

In addition, when asked, “What is your motivation for pursuing a study abroad experience?” and given a selection of reasons, respondents indicated the following were “very important”:

* Cultural (63.1 percent)
* Live Abroad (58.5 percent)
* Travel-Related (51.6 percent)
* Academic (45.3 percent)
* Professional/Resume Booster (45.3 percent)

More than half (53.1 percent) indicated social reasons were “important,” with nearly 30 percent saying they were “very important” (27.2 percent).

The survey also asked students to identify the factor that has the biggest impact on their ability to make a study abroad experience a reality. Nearly 70 percent of respondents indicated it is money; 50 percent of those who indicated that money was the biggest obstacle said they’ll only be able to study abroad if they figure out how to pay for it, one-third are afraid they won’t be able to afford it.

Additionally, the survey asked respondents about graduate study abroad as well. For those considering graduate school in the future, more than one-third of respondents (34.2 percent) indicated it was very likely they would pursue their graduate degree abroad instead of in the U.S.; 10.8 percent said they are planning on earning their master’s degree abroad.

StudyAbroad.com is a web resource of EducationDynamics, which offers information on more than 12,000 study abroad programs. For more information about study abroad opportunities 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 ChristianEducation.com, 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 www.educationdynamics.com.

Contact:
Lindsey Mikal
Communications Strategy Group
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
303-433-7020
lmikal@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com