the i graduate icef agent barometer 2013€¦ · the icef agent barometer is now in its 7th year....

Copyright © IGI Services 2013

The i‐graduate ICEF Agent Barometer 2013

ICEF North America WorkshopVancouverMay 12, 2014

John DemerDirector ‐ Americas


The ICEF Agent Barometer is now in its 7th year.

Online survey developed in partnership by i‐graduate & ICEF.

Since the pilot study in 2007, we have collected valuable data from over 6,500 responses.

The 2013 study ran for 6 weeks during September and October.

1,194 responses were collected from 117 nationalities in this wave.

These 1,194 agents collectively sent 330,000 students over the last 12 months

The i‐graduate ICEF Agent Barometer

Introduction


Agent Barometer 2013 – Profile of respondents

Placements by programme and destination

Best destination per education sector

Attractiveness of study destination

Student mobility concerns/difficulties in 2013

Marketing / Working with institutions

Conclusions

The i‐graduate ICEF Agent Barometer

Content


Agent Barometer 2013:Profile of respondents


Agent Profile

117 Nationalities represented


Size of agents – Total placements

N.B. The agents that either indicated no placements or who skipped this question have not been included in the above chartSlide 6Base: 995

39% of agents are placing between 51 and 200 students annually.


PlacementsBy programme and destination


Base: 1042

For which programmes do you recruit students?

Language courses remain the largest market, followed by University UG and PG degrees.


In the next coming 12 months do you expect to send more/less/the same?


Approximately how many students do you expect to place overall in the next 12 month?


Which study destinations is best for the following programme levels?

Language courses (n=703)

% of Total Rank 2013 Rank 2012 Rank 2011 Rank 2010 Rank 2009

United Kingdom 44% 1 1 1 1 1

Australia 18% 2 2 2 3 2Canada 13% 3 3 4 4 4USA 11% 4 4 3 2 3Germany 4% 5 5 6 7 5

New Zealand 1% 8 5 5 5 9

The UK remains the most popular destination for language courses (44%) and rankings remain relatively fixed across the years – especially for 1stplace suggesting an established reputation of the UK



Secondary and High School (n=567)

% of Total Rank Rank

Rank 2011 Rank 2010

Rank 20092013 2012


USA 26% 2 2 2 2 2

Canada 24% 3 3 3 3 3

Australia 12% 4 4 4 4 4

New Zealand 5% 5 5 5 5 5

The UK and the US remains the most popular destination for Secondary and High School placements – ranking positions have not changed since 2009.



Vocational diploma/Further education (n=537)

% of Total Rank 2013

Rank 2012

Rank 2011

Rank 2010

Rank 2009

Australia 36% 1 1 1 1 2Canada 21% 2 3 3 4 4United Kingdom 18% 3 2 2 2 1USA 10% 4 4 4 3 3New Zealand 5% 5 5 5 5 5

Australia has a strong reputation for vocational diploma/further education and is 15% ahead of the 2nd best study destination (Canada).



University: Undergraduate (n=654)

% of Total

Rank 2013

Rank 2012

Rank 2011

Rank 2010

Rank 2009

USA 28% 1 1 1 1 1United Kingdom 24% 2 2 2 2 2

Australia 19% 3 4 3 4 3

Canada 19% 4 3 4 3 4

Australia and Canada are interchangeable over the years in 3rd and 4th position, whilst the US and the UK remain fixed in 1st place and 2ndplace respectively.



University: Graduate/Postgraduate (n=655)

% of Total

Rank 2013

Rank 2012

Rank 2011

Rank 2010

Rank 2009

USA 30% 1 1 1 1 1


Australia 19% 3 4 4 3 3

Canada 17% 4 3 3 4 4

Again, Australia and Canada are interchangeable over the years in 3rd and 4th position, whilst the US and the UK remain fixed in 1st place and 2nd place respectively over 5 consecutive years.



University: MBA (606)

% of Total

Rank 2013

Rank 2012

Rank 2011

Rank 2010

Rank 2009

Rank 2008

USA 41% 1 1 1 1 1 1United Kingdom 31% 2 2 2 2 2 2

Australia 11% 3 4 3 3 3 3

Canada 8% 4 3 4 4 4 4

The US is a well‐established destination for MBA courses – 10% ahead of the UK (2nd) and 30% ahead of third place (Aus)


Overall attractiveness of study destinations


Drivers of study location choice


Drivers of study location choice – top 4 agency countries

India China Brazil Russia

(45) (26) (32) (27)

Location

Cost of studyAdmission requirements/Flexible entry

requirements

Language of teaching

Easy access to visas

Employment prospects

Word of mouth/personal recommendation

Safety

Support for international students

Performance in rankings/league tables

Accreditation of courses

Scholarship and financial aid

LifestyleStudents from the same country/province

already studying there

Transfer of credits policy

Links with local institutions

Other


Overall attractiveness of Study Destinations in 2013

Note: Excludes respondents that indicated they ‘Do not know’Traditional markets remain top of ‘attractive’ list


Year‐on‐Year: Traditional markets

• Canada’s constant growth stagnated in 2013 levelling off at 64%.

• Australia continues recovering from the 2009 and 2010 dip.• USA remains most attractive country overall.



Note: Excludes respondents that indicated they ‘Do not know’

Chinese Agents




Indian Agents




Brazilian Agents




Russian Agents




Turkish Agents



Table shows the mean scores calculated from a 4 point scale (4=very attractive, 1= very unattractive)

Africa Asia Europe Latin AmericaStudy Destination Average Base Average Base Average Base Average Base

Australia 3.55 119 3.40 367 3.26 174 3.29 55Canada 3.70 118 3.42 349 3.51 183 3.81 63China 2.64 78 2.55 198 2.71 136 2.58 43France 3.22 97 2.81 227 3.06 163 2.79 39Germany 3.14 96 3.06 257 3.30 164 3.13 46India 2.06 72 2.16 194 2.03 124 2.48 46Ireland 3.25 102 2.81 242 3.13 168 3.04 49Italy 3.13 94 2.69 200 2.98 144 2.66 38Malaysia 1.89 62 2.60 214 1.99 105 2.90 50New Zealand 3.29 103 3.19 301 2.98 155 3.02 48Russia 2.07 72 2.40 176 2.32 117 2.76 46Singapore 2.03 64 2.79 243 2.49 105 2.34 35Spain 3.11 93 2.65 198 3.12 153 2.79 38Switzerland 2.97 92 2.83 222 3.10 145 3.09 44Thailand 1.92 65 2.01 167 2.06 99 2.23 35UAE 2.09 57 2.23 171 2.18 100 2.92 49United Kingdom 3.73 115 3.29 340 3.73 179 3.58 64USA 3.73 115 3.49 338 3.74 180 3.73 63Japan 2.59 78 2.65 190 2.55 123 2.54 28South Korea 1.94 64 2.26 170 1.99 96 2.18 34

• North America (US and Canada) is the most attractive study region for Asia and Latin America based agents.

• Europe and Africa based agents rate the US and the UK as the most attractive study destinations in 2013.

Copyright © IGI Services 2013 Image sourced from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blatantworld/5052373414/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Overall attractiveness of Study Destinations (traditional markets)

by region

Europe 2013 2012 2011 2010Aus 3.26 3.28 3.19 3.25Can 3.51 3.44 3.4 3.15NZ 2.98 3.06 2.99 3.08UK 3.73 3.66 3.76 3.59USA 3.74 3.6 3.71 3.52

Asia 2013 2012 2011 2010Aus 3.4 3.46 3.32 3.1Can 3.42 3.7 3.48 3.38NZ 3.19 3.17 3.23 3.17UK 3.29 3.63 3.32 3.49USA 3.49 3.72 3.62 3.57

South America 2013 2012 2011 2010

Aus 3.29 3.46 3.58 3.63Can 3.81 3.7 3.63 3.67NZ 3.02 3.17 3.34 3.33UK 3.58 3.63 3.66 3.79USA 3.73 3.72 3.62 3.7

Africa 2013 2012 2011 2010Aus 3.55 3.09 3Can 3.7 3.63 3.24 3.62NZ 3.29 2.88 2.87UK 3.73 3.52 3.18 3.7USA 3.73 3.62 3.52 3.68

UK and US remain the most attractive markets for European agents.

Table shows the mean scores calculated from a 4 point scale (4=very attractive, 1= very unattractive)

Canada is the most attractive destination for South American agents.

The attractiveness of Canada, the UK and the US decreased amongst Asian agents compared to 2012.

The UK and the US are equally attractive to Africa‐based respondents.


Student mobility concerns / difficulties in 2013


Main concerns/questions/complaints students and parents have:

Base: 817


Student mobility concerns/difficulties year‐on‐year 2009‐2013:

The majority of the agents think that ‘study visa’ are an increasing concern in 2013.


Student mobility concerns/difficulties experienced

By agent office country (top nationalities)

Values India (53) Pakistan (39)Russian

Federation (35)

Brazil (33) Nepal (30)

Study visa 64% 87% 77% 36% 93%

Work visa 21% 33% 20% 45% 23%

Financial 53% 36% 43% 64% 40%

Insurance 2% 5% 3% 3% 7%

Accreditation 11% 18% 11% 15% 20%Global Economic Situation 40% 54% 31% 64% 47%

Safety 25% 13% 0% 3% 20%

Other 19% 8% 3% 6% 10%


In which countries did you encounter concerns/difficulties with visa regulations?

The majority of the agents have felt the impact of changing visa regulations ‐ particularly in the UK.


In which countries did you encounter these concerns/difficulties?

Financial concerns


In which countries did you encounter these concerns/difficulties?

Safety


Marketing


Main ingredients in a successful school/agent partnership:


Effective marketing for institutions:

Ranking – TOP 10

Top 10SERVICES Quick response times to enquiries and applications 3.69 1

SERVICES Regular communication updates 3.50 2

SERVICES Agent manual with fees and information 3.49 3

PACKAGES AND OFFERS Financial support schemes, including scholarship/bursary schemes 3.41 4

PACKAGES AND OFFERS Having guaranteed entry to specific education institution programmes 3.34 5

SERVICES Agent training workshops organised in the destination country 3.33 6

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS AND CAMPAIGNS Individual institution brochures 3.31 7

SERVICES Regular visits to education institution by you or your staff 3.31 8

PACKAGES AND OFFERS Making packaged offers which include English language plus institution entry 3.23 9

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS AND CAMPAIGNS Participation in education exhibitions in your country 3.21 10

Table shows the mean scores calculated from a 4 point scale (4=very important, 1= very unimportant)


Summary

For almost all countries and all education sectors, agents are expecting to place more students in 2014, than they placed in 2013 …US (81%), the UK (76%), Canada (73%), Australia (71%)

US perceived as the “best” in undergraduate, graduate, MBA and work & travelUK perceived as the “best” in language courses, high school, foundation courses

USA maintains ranking as the most attractive study destinationCanada leapfrogging the UK into 2nd place for the first time

Concerns over student visas has peaked in 2013, with USA now ranked 4th over these visa concerns … 1) UK, 2) Canada, 3) Australia, 4) USA

Just as the drivers/concerns of study location choice differ amongst agent countries, so too, should your marketing message

Effective communication confirmed as the main ingredient (71%) in successful educator‐agent partnerships

the i graduate icef agent barometer 2013€¦ · the icef agent barometer is now in its 7th year....

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