300
Global economic impact (billion)
5.5
Annual growth rate (%)
5.6
International students (million)
Who is ICEF
ICEF is the global market leader in business-to-business networking events and services for the international education sector. For over 25 years, we have been connecting education institutions and carefully chosen student recruitment agents with destination marketing organisations to create new partnerships and resources for international student recruitment.
Our unrivalled global programme of online and in-person networking events offers destination marketing organisations an efficient and cost-effective platform to introduce their brand and access new clients in growing markets.
Access customers at their most receptive with ICEF
International students represent a unique opportunity for Destination Marketing Organisations: They are active economic contributors to their place of study and base their decision on where to go, not just on their vocation/career plans, intended qualification and choice of education institution, but also on the appeal of a city, region or country.
As international students stay longer and spend more than the average tourist while also encouraging visits from friends and family, securing the attention of this group has a number of significant advantages. With their contribution to your location’s soft power, adding to its regeneration and development, attracting students can kickstart change. Last but not least, these students can become your lifelong ambassadors after graduating.
Each year, millions of students from around the world choose to pursue their studies in higher education abroad. Popular study destinations such as the US, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany and Australia are well known for attracting large numbers of inbound students, while up-and-coming destinations like the UAE, Singapore, Malaysia and Argentina have also been experiencing growing numbers of international students from their respective regions.
Historically, most international students come from Latin America, Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
How our network can help you
The majority of international students around the world find their final education institution and programme of study through international student recruitment agencies based in their home countries. These study abroad agencies are specialist recruiters who know the application and immigration process for their key markets, giving expert advice and guidance to would-be students. Education agencies are therefore critical in introducing new study destinations, identifying the right programmes abroad, and assisting students with advice.
Student recruitment agencies, as well as the education institutions abroad, are ideally positioned to partner with your organisation. They can build awareness of your city or region as a study destination – and you can meet them at ICEF networking events. With access to information in many of these outbound student countries sometimes being difficult, a recommendation from an agent to a student is often a key factor in their decision as to where to study.
Webinars for Destination Marketing Organisations
Study Destination Marketing:Promote your city or region as a study destination
September 2020 • The promotion of cities as study destinations
Market intelligence for Destination Marketing Organisations
ICEF Monitor is the leading source of market intelligence for the international study abroad sector. Browse the latest articles relevant to destination marketing below:
Surging Q3 travel numbers boosting overall global arrivals this year
The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reports that the recovery of global travel volumes has accelerated throughout 2022. An estimated total of 700 million tourists travelled internationally between January and September this year – a benchmark that more than doubles (+133%) the international arrivals for the same period in 2021. Those 700 million traveller also representContinue reading…
The push for diversification in foreign enrolment
The following feature is excerpted from the 2022 edition of ICEF Insights magazine and is reprinted here with permission. The entire issue of the magazine is available to download for free at icef.com/insights. The Australian Strategy for International Education (2020–2030) report succinctly articulates the issue facing educators everywhere: “The covid-19 pandemic demonstrated that dependence onContinue reading…
Summing up international student work rights in 14 top study destinations
It’s been a year or so since we published our last summary of post-study work rights in leading destinations, and there have been important changes since then. Knowing that many prospective international students investigate work rights policies when making decisions about where to study, several governments have extended the time that students pursuing certain degreesContinue reading…
Survey says Australia a top choice among prospective international students
New IDP research shows that Australia’s popularity as a study destination is steadily improving. Australia still trails Canada in this regard, but it is closing the gap. The Emerging Futures research was conducted with 11,000 prospective students, applicants, and current students in August 2022. Canada remains the top choice for 27% of surveyed students, unchangedContinue reading…
Global tourism has recovered to roughly 60% of pre-pandemic levels
International tourism is not yet back to pre-pandemic levels, but it is getting there. From January to July of 2022, the number of international arrivals was 172% higher than in the same period in 2021. In all, about 60% as many people were travelling internationally in the first half of 2022 as compared to 2019.Continue reading…
Planning for international student recruitment in the ‘new normal’
“The biggest change for us is the emphasis on who our students are,” said Stuart Bannerman, Associate Provost Vice Chancellor International for the UK’s London South Bank University. Mr Bannerman was speaking as part of a feature panel at the ICEF Higher Education event in Barcelona. The panel was moderated by Ian Cann, Director, AmericasContinue reading…
Affordability a rising factor in international students’ choice of destination
Agents responding to our latest ICEF Agent Voice survey said that students are prioritising affordability above all else this year when deciding where to study abroad. Three-quarters of agents said that “cost of study and living” is the most important factor for students, above even work and immigration opportunities. Suffice to say, for many studentsContinue reading…
Students grappling with effects of a strong US dollar
All indicators point to surging demand for study abroad among pandemic-weary college students. However, it is increasingly clear that devalued currencies, inflation, and knock-on effects of the Russia/Ukraine war may dampen that demand in several important outbound markets. In recent weeks, we’ve reported on agents’ feedback about student decision-making factors in nearly a dozen countries,Continue reading…
What role can agents play in diversifying foreign enrolment across a wider range of fields of study?
Over the past few years, schools and universities have picked up the pace of their diversification into emerging markets, often to mitigate heavy reliance on two or three source countries. But as much progress has been made on this front, many institutions are still dealing with another issue: foreign enrolments are often concentrated across aContinue reading…
International arrivals up 225% through May 2022
International travel volumes are surging this year. The latest data from the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer reports just under 250 million international arrivals for the first five months of 2022. This represents a nearly 225% increase over the 77 million arrivals reported for January–May 2021. A better benchmark, however, might be that that year-to-date volumeContinue reading…
Upcoming events
To find out how ICEF can help you access this rapidly growing market, please contact us or browse our upcoming events:
Testimonials
Engaging ICEF has greatly assisted Study NSW to develop a strong foundation for our international student alumni strategy.
Toshi Kawaguchi, Study NSW, Australia
Service Provider
I enjoy regional ICEF events. The agents are well vetted, and they come with well-researched questions. It shows good preparation. This was my second time attending ICEF Southeast Asia, and I highly recommend it.
Julia Salema , Study Insured by Ingle International, Canada
Service Provider
This event was absolutely incredible. We met many promising contacts, the
event was executed seamlessly - and it was fun! Can’t wait to see the business
opportunities that develop as a result of this.
Lauren Adams, Voxy, USA
Service Provider
