06/09/2007

Recruitment and admissions:improving the experience of our international students

Dr Jane SherwoodDirector of Graduate Admissions and Funding

University of Oxford

UKCGE, University of Edinburgh, 19th 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 2010

www.international.ac.uk/home/index.cfm

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 (www.qaa.ac.uk)

– “International students – studying in the UK” January 2012, pp. 6 – 14 covering marketing and recruitment and admissions (http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/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 2011-12 - 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 approachwww.graduate.ox.ac.uk/india www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/china

•www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/vod

• Humanities Open Day filmswww.graduate.ox.ac.uk/humanities

• 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 www.rhul.ac.uk/international/home.aspx

• St Andrew’s free app of prospectus and individual subject leafletswww.st-andrews.ac.uk/admissions/pg/prospectus/2012Entry

• Imperial’s interactive campus map www3.imperial.ac.uk/interactivemap

• Brunel’s International Students newsletter x3 pa www.brunel.ac.uk/international/applying-to-brunel/applied-and-waiting/newsletter

How to stay awake when you’re asleep...

• Web-based enquiry-management

• 365/24/7 availability – no timezone or public holiday concerns

• Takes away any fear of spokenEnglish

• 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 faithstudent societies

• Student ambassadors

• Bringing the student perspective in to all our activities

Applicants and alumni – common cause?

• Alumni as living examples ofcareer services and career routes

• Alumni ambassador schemes(before, during, after application?)

• Joint alumni and recruitmentevents – an experiment atPresidency 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 (www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/fundingsearch)

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? www.manchester.ac.uk/international/country

• 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?