Meeting the Expectations of International Undergraduate and Graduate Students. A 2014 E-Expectations Trend Report

International student enrollment continues to grow at a rapid pace in the United States. Given these increases, what can campuses do to engage international students and encourage them to enroll? What are the needs, concerns, and preferences of international students, and do they vary from undergraduate to graduate students? To answer those questions, Noel-Levitz and CollegeWeekLive conducted a survey of prospective international undergraduate and graduate students in early 2014. Among the findings: (1) 60 percent of international students said an interest in a particular campus is their main motivation for studying abroad; (2) 58 percent of prospective undergraduates and 49 percent of prospective graduate students acknowledged that their parents were involved in their decision to study abroad; (3) More than 65 percent of all international students listed funding as a concern about studying abroad, which was by far the largest area of concern; (4) International students rated campus websites, college rankings, and conversations with campus representatives and current students as the most influential factors on their enrollment decision; (5) When ranking website content, international students ranked academic, admissions, and cost/financial aid information as the most important; (6) Nearly 30 percent of international students said they use a mobile device as their primary means of accessing the web; and (7) 45 percent of students reported that they had no plans to visit a campus before applying; 22 percent said they would not visit even after being accepted. This report shares the findings of the survey, as well as seven strategies for recruiting international students based on the findings. [For "Recruiting Abroad: Understanding the Expectations and Behaviors of Prospective International Students--A Study of College-Bound High School Students from 146 Countries. An E-Expectations Trend Report," see ED608181.]