Based on surveys of 3,469 prospective students from 124 countries and 197 school counsellors presented at the forum, four in five students remained confident they would study overseas, weighing an average of 2.86 destinations.
Speakers argued universities risk losing applicants who have not yet committed if recruitment strategies fail to address the gaps identified in the data.
“Institutions that see it clearly will come out ahead,” said Rohan Pasari, founder and CEO of Manifest Global.
The findings are based on surveys of 3,469 prospective students from 124 countries and 197 school counsellors, presented at the forum.
Representatives from the student recruitment platform highlighted three disconnects: a gap in what universities communicate to prospective students, a gap in who is equipped to advise students, and a “timing gap” in when universities enter the conversation.
Institutions that see it clearly will come out ahead
Rohan Pesari, Manifest Global
The first gap concerns a mismatch between universities’ communications and students’ actual information needs. Asked what signals to them that a university will get them a job, 34% pointed to graduate employment rates and 30% to internship, placement or co-op access. Rankings and reputation, the metric institutions most commonly lead with, was selected by just 12.7%.
“You’re leading with the metric students trust least,” the research noted.
The pattern holds in how universities communicate, not just what they communicate. One institution cited sent 16 emails per student across the recruitment cycle, against a peer average of 26.
Despite sending fewer, 86% of its communications were rated as engaging, compared with a peer average of 70%, “the highest ratio in the peer group,” speakers noted.
UK-bound and US-bound students also prioritise different information. Around 21% of UK-bound students cited program fit as their primary reason for choosing a destination, against 12% of US-bound students, who leaned more toward institutional reputation and expected salary outcomes.
The second gap concerns the preparedness of school counsellors to advise students on labour markets and employment outcomes, a theme that recurred throughout the day’s discussions.
Counsellors are students’ single biggest information resource, cited by 71.9% when searching for guidance. Yet of the 197 counsellors surveyed, only eight described themselves as “very confident” in their understanding of current labour markets, while 38 said they were only “somewhat confident.”
Most update their knowledge “monthly or less frequently.” As presenters put it: “The channel students trust most is flying blind on careers.”
The gap widens on emerging fields. Asked how confident they were advising on skills in demand in areas like AI, renewable energy and cybersecurity, only seven counsellors said “very confident,” while 36 said “extremely unlikely” or “slightly confident.”
One contributor argued that “it is time for international teams to get alongside their careers service to design, training and information for the counsellor audience”.
Speakers said students are increasingly asking about graduate employability, but many counsellors lack the information to answer confidently. An Indian school counsellor said universities provide insufficient information on opportunities beyond the classroom, including student societies, leaving counsellors “searching for the wrong terms” while trying to prepare students with the skills that “make you employable.”
The third gap concerns when universities enter the conversation relative to when students are deciding. 87% of students started researching universities before age 16, and 88% had already decided which country to study in before university outreach typically begins.
“The shortlist is often formed before you reach them,” the research found, concluding that “by the time you market to them, the decision is nearly made”.
A different picture for the UK
Layered onto these three gaps is a finding specific to the UK’s competitive position. UK-bound students were less likely than US-bound peers to have finalised their destination (58% had decided, against 71% of US choosers) suggesting they are “likely still actively comparing options”.
The two destinations are also perceived differently. Only 22% of UK-bound students planned to stay in the UK after graduation, against 36% of US-bound students, with the research framing the US as “a place to stay” and the UK as “a stepping stone.” Half of those choosing the UK said they would follow career opportunities “wherever they lead”.
Roughly half of both UK and US choosers said they would switch destination for a better scholarship offer elsewhere, described as “the single biggest vulnerability for both”.
The discussions also pointed to differentiated strategies needed for China and India. Some 74% of Chinese students had already decided on their destination, with 48% choosing the US, leaving universities “a limited window to influence their choices”.
Indian students were far more open: only 59% had finalised a destination, split between India (22%), the US (20%), the UK (18%) and Singapore (8%). Some 51% percent said they would switch for a better scholarship, making them “the most price-sensitive cohort in survey” and representing “a longer recruitment window” for institutions willing to engage early.
Closing the gap: whose job is it?
The workshop closed with a call to rethink how universities engage prospective students, arguing that recruitment is increasingly about demonstrating long-term career outcomes, “not simply promoting partnerships”.
That, speakers said, requires better support for the counsellors who remain among the most influential voices in a student’s decision. The signal gap, the counsellor gap and the timing gap are not separate problems for separate teams to manage. They are the same problem.
