How We Communicate with International Applicants Matters Now More Than Ever
In December we held an away day for teams who work across recruitment, marketing, admissions, outreach and global mobility at Leeds Beckett University. The theme was inclusion, and with the help of equality and diversity expert Stephanie Amor, we explored whether the language we use to recruit both staff and students was inclusive and how we can improve. It was a fascinating and important session and many colleagues wrote to us to say how much they enjoyed it. One email really stood out.
This colleague said how much it had lifted her spirits and how it had helped reassure her that she truly was welcome in the UK. Why was this reassurance needed? She is from South East Asia, here on a work visa and two days earlier the Government announced a vastly increased required salary level for foreign skilled workers from £26,200 to £38,700 (alongside similar changes to the spouse visa, which, following a partial U-turn will change to a £29,000 threshold). This was the latest signal that was, well, less than welcoming to international students and workers.
Messaging Matters
International students bring huge value to the communities they join and enrich the university experience for UK students. They bring new perspectives, prepare students for the global marketplace, and build bridges in an increasingly polarised world.
Decisions and rhetoric from the Government about international students is often the opposite from the virtual hug across the seas we universities seek to achieve. Universities UK have run an engaging campaign, #WeAreInternational, highlighting the incredible stories of our international students, to try and counter these unwelcoming actions. The scale of its task to stand out in the cacophony of the debate may feel insurmountable.
But remember the UK still has an excellent reputation for higher education, as evidenced by UCAS’s recent survey of Chinese students, which found that reputation is the number one factor that makes the UK stand out. And students were overwhelmingly positive about their experience, with nine out of ten saying they would recommend the UK as a study destination and 92% saying their course quality met or exceeded their expectations.
And international students regularly report higher levels of student satisfaction than domestic students via the NSS and International Barometer surveys. The sector provides an enriching and outstanding education to students from around the world. So what can we as individual universities do to cut through the negative rhetoric and reassure our applicants? How can we show our unequivocal care and support?
Getting Personal
Personalised applicant journeys for undergraduate domestic students have become widespread in recent years as increased competition has pushed universities to better meet the needs of prospective students. However, I fear international applicants do not always get the same level of personalisation and sophistication in their communications and pre-arrival experience, perhaps hindered by a strain on resource and unhelpful staff structures. International marketing staff often sit separately to the rest of the marketing team, missing out on wider expertise and insight. And personalising to the whole world can feel overwhelming.
But, we need to overcome these obstacles and offer a tailored applicant experience where we put the user experience at the centre of what we do, so each applicant can feel how much they are valued and allow us to create a sense of belonging even before they arrive.
Even a relatively modest amount of personalisation can move mountains in terms of how valued we make our international applicants feel. A country-specific ‘keep warm’ email, a bespoke webinar, a piece of communication in their native language, tailored web pages that are centred around them, not an extra tab to the UK information – this modest amount of extra effort can really show we care.
Understanding the Emotional Decision-Making Factors
At LBU we carried out a market research study with over of 1,100 international students, using surveys and focus groups, to better understand their needs. What emerged was just how emotional the process is. Scholarships are less about the cost saving than the pride of being awarded one. Experiencing independence and gaining confidence is just as important as the study experience. Being able to say you studied in the UK, which is admired globally, will make their family proud.
Students were attracted to applying to UK universities by a combination of practical and emotional factors. On the practical side, students believed the practical and applied nature of a UK university education was superior to what was available at home. They believed a UK degree would lead to a good career and felt our HE sector provided high quality education. On the emotional side, they felt the UK was multi-cultural and that they would feel welcome here – this was of high importance and is something we must ensure international applicants continue to feel.
Trusted Sources
The study also explored which information sources were most useful and most trusted. Talking to university staff at HE fairs, and watching presentations from university staff, were among the most trusted, whilst adverts (print and online) and international agents were seen as less trust-worthy. We’ve used this insight in improving the LBU communications experience, with emails from, and videos featuring, the international staff that students met face to face. Applicants have a named contact to stay with them throughout their journey and can book a call with the colleague when needed. With the same unit of resource, our international recruitment team, have worked hard to deliver this personalised experience, even as our applicant numbers rose sharply.
It has been an important part of our success and, coupled with our digital marketing and AI personalised website, has led us to achieve an increase in international enrolments of 660% in five years. Our marketing, international recruitment and digital colleagues worked hand in hand as one team, ensuring all touchpoints were tailored and optimised. Everyone was focused on making our international applicants feel welcome, and it shone through as a result.
Where to Start: A 3-Step Plan
No university marketing team has all the resources they would like, so how do you bring in personalisation for your international applicants with the people and budget available to you?
First, identify a few countries to focus on initially (or if you are very focused on one large country, split into three or four regions to target). You want to trial just a few things in a few places, to identify what is most valued to your international applicants, before (resources permitting) rolling out your improvements across more countries/regions.
Second, improve your insight. There are plenty of ‘free’ or very low cost ways to do this. Review the enquiries you get from international students. Look at your website data about what sections are most used, which videos are watched right till the end, use a tool like Hotjar to watch users navigate your website in real-time and see where they get stuck. Send a survey to your applicants or ask a few questions to web visitors on your international pages. Talk to agents. Track which communications are most opened and most engaged with. What do they want? What can’t they find? How can you make things easier for them?
There’s also plenty of publicly available market research out there too. For example, the huge GWI survey of Gen Z’ers across the globe highlights how social media has become the number one source of information about brands and products, overtaking search engines and providing a one-stop-shop of information and much sought consumer reviews. This will need to be part of your communications strategy, blending your direct messages with serving the right content in the places and spaces your applicants live online.
Thirdly audit your current communications journey and put some personalised elements into those areas you identify as gaps or weaker parts of your activity. If resource is tight tailor one section of your emails, rather than the whole thing. If your web CMS does not allow for AI to tailor content to where in the world a web user is, ask web visitors what they are looking for and make it easy to find. If you are getting more calls than is manageable, consider whether certain information needs to be more prominently served on your website.
The Time is Now
UK universities are well versed in helping international students settle into their chosen university, with a plethora of activities and schemes to help create a sense of belonging and allowing students to thrive socially and in their students. And we know we are offering a world-class education that helps achieve their lifelong goals. But a one-size fits all applicant journey does not reflect this, and it doesn’t do enough to break through the negative conversation. It’s time for us to work harder to make our future international students feel welcome from their very first contact with us.
About the authors
Charlotte Renwick, Director, Marketing, Recruitment & Admissions, Leeds Beckett University
Charlotte Renwick (MBA, MCIM) has worked in marketing and communications for over two decades, starting her career in PR and digital agencies, for clients such as the BBC and NHS, before moving into HE in 2009. She led communications, events, alumni and fundraising at the University of Bradford, before becoming Head of Marketing and Communications. She moved to Leeds Beckett in 2014 and is responsible for student marketing and recruitment, access and widening participation, admissions and market research.
Joe Rossiter, Director, International Recruitment & Partnerships, Leeds Beckett University
Joe studied at Leeds Beckett University from 2003 to 2008, where he received a BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science, PG Diploma Sport and Exercise Science and a PG Certificate Leadership: Personal and Professional Development. Joe has 15 years’ experience working in internationalisation and was appointed as Director – International Recruitment & Partnerships, Leeds Beckett University, in December 2023. Joe is currently studying a Doctorate in Business Administration, researching the digitalisation of Higher Education and the impact on international strategies.
