06/09/2007 Recruitment and admissions: improving the experience of our international students Dr Jane Sherwood Director of Graduate Admissions and Funding University of Oxford UKCGE, University of Edinburgh, 19 th April 2012

Overview Opening questions Where to look for help on what to do Making the most of the web Communication –How? –By whom? –About what? Fair assessment Smooth transition

Opening questions The ‘assumption of homogeneity’ trap What distinctive needs can we identify? Separation or integration? Doing some research...

Asking our applicants Focus groups with current students Graduate Admissions and Funding surveys –Offer-holders –Those who turn down their offer –Surveys of those who attend events we organise (Open Days, events overseas) Student Barometer –your own results –UK Higher Education International Unit report March

Asking our applicants

Taking professional advice QAA –Quality Code for HE Research Degrees (draft January 2012, indicators 5, 6, 7, and Quality Code B2 – admissions ( –“International students – studying in the UK” January 2012, pp. 6 – 14 covering marketing and recruitment and admissions ( uments/International-students.pdf) British Council – new structure to services UKCISA – UK Council for International Student Affairs SPA – Supporting Professionalism in Admissions

Getting some personal experience Oxford’s recruitment events in China, India, Germany, US, Australia... and Manchester

Other approaches Overseas offices Overseas campuses Agents

Working the web Graduate admissions is Oxford’s third most popular site after home page and lead story, over 2M visits pa Focus on web, re-envisioning the paper prospectus A regional approach

Humanities Open Day films Student video competition Student photo competition for prospectus Podcasts – lectures online Remote access to reality?

Others’ good ideas Live online chat –At Liverpool with their International Team for an hour a week –Royal Holloway has live chat available 10-4 Monday-Friday St Andrew’s free app of prospectus and individual subject leaflets Imperial’s interactive campus map www3.imperial.ac.uk/interactivemap Brunel’s International Students newsletter x3 pa waiting/newsletter

How to stay awake when you’re asleep... Web-based enquiry-management 365/24/7 availability – no time zone or public holiday concerns Takes away any fear of spoken English Reduces repetitive tasks for staff Analytics allow you to focus on improving the information you provide

Moving paper processes online – how far can you get? Online applications –99% online at Oxford in 5 years References – 85-90% online at Oxford Applicant portal But paper still counts – transcripts, visa applications

Tailored communications Alongside the applicant, from enquiry to entry Customer relationship management software Event & web signs ups Remote vs in person ‘conversion’ activities – not all international students are overseas!

Student to student Our most effective tool? Regional and faith student societies Student ambassadors Bringing the student perspective in to all our activities

Applicants and alumni – common cause? Alumni as living examples of career services and career routes Alumni ambassador schemes (before, during, after application?) Joint alumni and recruitment events – an experiment at Presidency University, Kolkata

Fees and funding – don’t forget the obvious Foreground scholarship information Be clear about costs – fees and living expenses Oxford’s new Fees, Funding & Scholarship Search tool (

A fair assessment International qualifications - understanding what you’re seeing NARIC – or local equivalence indices like Manchester’s information for International Students by country with qualifications & English language scores? Helping applicants to understand what makes a competitive application e.g. –state GPA equivalents to ‘first’, ‘2i’ –indicate clearly if GMAT/GRE are required English language qualifications The role of interviews

Smooth transitions From applicant to registered students Visa advice English language support incl. pre-sessional courses Upfront information about course content and delivery – bridging the gap from existing educational experience Many British Council offices have a pre-departure day for students travelling to overseas universities Alumni and scholarship funders pre-departure events Academic skills development – early intervention, individualised, in discipline

Discussion points What can we do at a national level? What can we do at an institutional level? Do you know of –impressive examples? –areas of weakness?