Marketing Study Abroad Programs: A Student Recruitment Model

Abstract

The number of American students studying abroad increases every year. That might suggest that recruiting students to participate in such an educational opportunity would present little difficulty. On the contrary, as domestic student participation in such programs has risen, so has the number of competing programs. Thus, the viability of any study abroad program, to a large extent, is a direct result of that program’s recruiting effort. The foundation of that recruiting effort should be based upon an understanding of the factors students deem important in the program selection process and an effective promotional effort focused on those issues. These key factors include student segment(s) to be targeted, program cost and source(s) of funding provided, timing and duration of the program.