AACRAO, "The Changing World of International Recruitment"

11-Dec-2009 by Zeeshan Aleem

from AACRAO Transcript: http://www.aacrao.org/transcript/index.cfm?fuseaction=show_view&doc_id=4518

The Changing World of International Recruitment

IDP Education, the world's largest student placement firm, has released a list of ten universities that pay for its international recruitment services, reports Inside Higher Ed. The release is considered by many as an indicator that outsourcing international recruitment services to private agents may be gaining acceptance in the higher education community.   

"As the number of traditional college students drops and overseas institutions advance their recruiting efforts, U.S. universities face unprecedented competition that, if left unchecked, could lead to another iconic American industry succumbing to foreign competition," Mark Shay, North American director of IDP Education, said in a news release. "Our charter partners are being proactive in working to compete for students worldwide."

While international recruitment itself is not a new phenomenon, commission-based recruitment has historically been stigmatized. In the U.S., many officials involved in college admissions are skeptical of the merits of contracting out recruitment, seeing the goal of a private agent as likely to be at odds with the mission of a university – a placement firm is motivated by commission revenue, while a university is most interested in qualified students who are a strong fit for the school.

Yet just a couple of days after IDP Education's release, the American International Recruitment Council, a new standards-setting body, announced that eight independent agencies that recruit college students from abroad have passed a rigorous certification process – another sign of the growing legitimacy of third-party agents in recruiting international students, reports Chronicle of Higher Ed.

"There is a real sense of significant momentum building," Mitch Leventhal, chair and president of the year-old recruitment council, told the Chronicle. "I think we're on the cusp of more institutions working with agents."

Related Links:

Inside Higher Ed
http://www.airc-education.org/AnnouncementRetrieve.aspx?ID=34568

The Chronicle of Education
http://www.airc-education.org/AnnouncementRetrieve.aspx?ID=34569

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