We Will Discuss:
• Introductions
• Understanding This Audience
– Data: Prevalence on Transfers
– Transfer Student Pipelines: Sources of Transfer Students
• Benefits of Recruiting International Transfer Students
• Marketing to This Audience
– Challenges
– Tips and Tools: How schools actively market on the ground
(market research, partnerships and agents)
• Important Considerations:
– Title IV Restrictions
– Commission vs. Marketing Fees
Let’s make this a dialogue
Roughly 50% of enrolled students are at 2-year institutions
Transfer Number of International and Domestic Students?
International Student Pipelines in U.S.
Community College International Students
Top Places of Origin (2016)
Community College International Students
Top Places of Origin (2017)
Community College International Students
Top Destinations (2017)
Characteristics
International Community College Students
Pipeline
International Transfer Students
Domestic in-state 2 year college:
A lot of experience, and articulation agreements
Domestic out-of-state 2 year college:
Limited articulation agreements, in favor of the more
internationalized CC
Domestic in-state 4 year college
Domestic out-of-state 4 year college
Direct transfer from overseas universities or technical schools
Reverse Transfer
International 4 year college
By Starting Institution, Where Did They Transfer To?
Cool Tools
Community Colleges:
International Perspective
International Student Motivators
● Affordable Tuition
● Individualized Academic Support
● Improving English skills for TOEFL
● Opportunity to matriculate from a 4-yr,
higher-ranked institution
● Will be able to provide US CC college transcript
Process Efficiencies for Transfer Students
● International Credentials Evaluation not necessary?
Benefits of Recruiting
International Student Transfers
● Full paying international student revenue
● Lower marketing cost/higher ROI
● Lower credential risk
● Higher graduation rates
● More mature students in age and in
accommodation to US education system
● Increase in transfer “phenomenon” and thus a normalizing of
transferring
● International student transfer students do not impact school
ranking for 4 year universities
Challenges to Marketing Internationally
What are the challenges that we see globally?
● Marketing in China is always challenging
● College transfer doesn’t exist in China, all
benchmarked by Gaokao
● Global list generators often produce
leads that go nowhere
Things to consider: Powerful, engaging content
● Build your own lead list using social media advertising
(look alike audiences)
● WeChat in China as a support to your agent network
Specific Cultural Challenges:
Chinese Perspectives of Community Colleges
● Rankings
● Community Colleges do not exist in China
○ The concept is completely foreign and new
● Comparables are 大专 (third tier technical school)
● It is for “bad” students (prestige factor)
● Open admission is viewed as drawback
● It is cheap – the “higher” the price, the “better” the
product. Community College pricing suggests less
desireable
● The image doesn’t fit the middle class demand of
American international education
Additional Challenges
● Agency fees
○ These can be considered “marketing fees”
○ The new model is one in which agent fees are a reality
○ Commission fees are typically 10-15% of tuition
● Retention Rate
● Title IV:
“Section 487(a)(20) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, reads: “The institution
will not provide any commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based directly or
indirectly on success in securing enrollments or financial aid to any persons or entities
engaged in any student recruiting or admission activities or in making decisions regarding
the award of student financial assistance, except that this paragraph shall not apply to the
recruitment of foreign students residing in foreign countries who are not eligible to receive
Federal student assistance”
Suggestions that we offer
● Agents: Commission fees as marketing fees
● Content: Increasingly targeting transfer students with
engaging content that speaks to their concerns,
motivations, aspirations
● Partnerships: 2 year colleges to work with 4 year
colleges to create guaranteed admission pathway
● Student Services: Provide and promote the level of
student support available
Andrew H. Chen
Chief Learning Officer
WholeRen Education
Email: andrew.chen@wholeren.com
Benjamin Waxman
Chief Executive Officer
Intead
Email: bwaxman@intead.com
