At The PIE Live 2024, there was a clear sense of unison in the sector as we waited for the outcome of the MAC review. At this year’s event – with many universities facing cuts or financial uncertainty – there was noticeably more divide and debate over approaches to international student recruitment.
Some institutions we spoke to are responding with targeted 12-month plans to secure more students in established markets, whilst others are building out five-year strategic plans designed to ‘land-and-expand’ in emerging markets.
What was particularly interesting though was the difference in AI adoption between a largely UK audience in London, and some of the US universities we met at The PIE Live North America in Boston in November, who were adopting an AI-first “human-on-the-loop” approach to market research.
In our session at this year’s The PIE Live Europe – Recruitment and Strategic Market Planning in the Age of AI & Uncertainty – co-delivered with Cato Rolea, Ecctis assistant director of digital transformation, we considered the emerging use cases for AI in student recruitment. How do we (and should we) leverage it? And even if we do, how can we maintain a competitive advantage?
So here are three of our tips for making effective use of AI in student recruitment:
Get clear on your ask – After all, put in a similar prompt to your competitor and you’ll get a similar response.
What is your institution trying to achieve when recruiting international students?
If you’re planning a low diversification strategy, then strengthening automation in the enquiry to enrolment journey is key, but run a search query on pricing and entry requirements and you’ll soon get a rough sense of where your offer sits versus competitors. I say rough because, as we touch on later, fact-checking is essential for AI generated content.
If you’re taking a longer-term view, then consider looking at educational reform data. At Ecctis, our consultancy team is often called upon by overseas governments and exam boards to benchmark new qualifications and conduct gap analyses – and as 20 years of research and consultancy (and more than 400 completed projects) have shown, we’re often in a country 5-7 years before it becomes a clear market for international student recruitment.
So, consider where is undertaking or has undertaken secondary education reform in the last 10 years? Chances are, there’s an emerging cohort marketing opportunity for you as development bank projects drive improved secondary education outcomes – students that may have had to go via an International Foundation Year may now meet Year 1 entry requirements.
Where is introducing English as a Medium of Instruction? With increasing numbers of students starting and studying through English, or taking enhanced programs of English at secondary level, the cohort of students with potential to meet the English language entry requirements for your institution is growing.
Are there any recognition barriers for your qualifications in particular markets? With increasing ‘deep research’ modes in generative AI, you can scan a wider range of resources, and more quickly than human research alone. You can even set a Task Prompt in ChatGPT to deliver a key horizon scan update to your inbox to help keep on top of the key updates that matter to you. But:
User-beware – many common generative AI models, even in deep research mode, remain superficial and inaccurate
We tried running searches via ChatGPT Plus on our previous research and insight studies with mixed results – AI missed some major education reforms and policy despite presenting a ‘global list’ – so offload this task to AI and you risk missing opportunities
We also tried a sample prompt using Perplexity Deep Search:
The result? AI-fabricated statistics! Despite giving links to real sources, we check the sources for ourselves and the information ranged from inaccurate to fully fabricated.
Carefully consider the tools you are using
Most free models will cover the basics you need for research, but everything you include can be used to help train the model further. Enterprise and premium packages typically offer more security with your data and exclude your queries from training.
In conclusion, AI is transforming strategic planning in international student recruitment – offering a powerful complement to research by streamlining processes and uncovering new insights. But while AI can accelerate decision-making, the human touch (‘human-in-the-loop) remains irreplaceable.
We’re still in the early days of this technological journey, so the key is thoughtful integration – leveraging AI’s strengths while ensuring expert oversight and contextual understanding.
So, is your institution avoiding AI or embracing it?
About the author: Abigail Jones is responsible for global intel and strategic research at Ecctis. Having led Ecctis’ international consultancy and education benchmarking activities for over a decade, and headed research teams supporting UK and European ENIC/NARIC initiatives, she has amassed extensive experience in international education and qualifications and a passion for using international education benchmarking to support social and global mobility.
