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Return to Bulletin Home - January 2009 |
Findings Released from 2008 ICEF Agent Barometer During the recent ICEF Berlin Workshop, Will Archer, director of the market research firm i-graduate, presented an overview of the 2008 ICEF Agent Barometer study. The ICEF Agent Barometer is the most comprehensive survey of its kind, and the 2008 edition was the largest ever with nearly 1,100 agents from 119 countries responding. In terms of undergraduate referrals, 66% of study respondents indicated they are currently placing students in the UK, followed by the US (57%) and Australia (53%). Similarly, 68% of responding agents referred students to the UK for postgraduate studies, whereas 57% referred students to the US and 54% to Australia. All of the major English-speaking destination countries were well ranked as "very attractive" or "attractive" by the study respondents, including the UK (94%), the US (93%), Canada (91%), and Australia (91%). Interestingly, however, when agents were asked to rate the most attractive destination for different levels of study, America was the clear favourite for both undergraduate (35%) and postgraduate (44%) studies, followed by the UK, Australia, and Canada. In contrast, the UK was seen as the preferred destination for language and foundation studies, while Australia was the first choice among study respondents for vocational programmes. Archer summed up some of the broader implications of these findings by noting, "While the USA is the largest market for international students, it has not previously had a particularly commercial approach. The use of education agents is not common with many institutions...However, this is soon set to change as universities in the USA are developing and implementing international student recruitment strategies and an increasing number of universities are appointing agents to recruit on their behalf. [This], combined with the fact that agents still consider the USA as an unbeatable study destination, is likely to have an effect on UK recruitment of international students as institutions in the USA begin to market themselves more fiercely in a bid to attract a greater share of international students." The ICEF Agent Barometer is a unique global survey of qualified agents, and a joint venture of ICEF and i-graduate. Further information is available on the i-graduate website or by contacting i-graduate's Felice Nightingale or ICEF. |
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