2-minute Q&A: Expert tips for engaging prospective Indian students

4 Questions for Roshna Mohan, Hotcourses India content writer

Q1: WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR INSTITUTIONS TO ENGAGE WITH PROSPECTIVE INDIAN STUDENTS?

Roshna: One of the easiest ways to engage with prospective Indian students is to address their pain points with visually attractive collateral. Institutions should keep in mind that in India the decision-makers are not the students themselves, but the parents or guardians. Hence the language used should be appealing to both parties. Institutions should also share content about real Indian international students and their experiences of planning their study-abroad journeys.

Q2: WHAT MESSAGING BY INSTITUTIONS TENDS TO DRIVE HIGH INTEREST TO HOTCOURSES INDIA AND ULTIMATELY SWAY INDIAN STUDENTS TO CHOOSE AN INSTITUTION?

Roshna: When it comes to articles, the ones on finances or scholarships tend to top the charts consistently. On our institution profile pages, around 30% of the clicks come from sections that talk about finances. The next top-performing section would be the eligibility criteria. Institutions can use these insights to craft their messaging. Indian students are most interested in whether they can afford the expenses of studying abroad, while also meeting the entry requirements.

Q3: WHICH MEDIA SHOULD INSTITUTIONS BE ON (E.G., VIDEO) AND ON WHICH PLATFORMS SHOULD THEY HAVE VISIBILITY TO BEST ENGAGE WITH INDIAN STUDENTS?

Roshna: The content format that entices our users most are short videos in the form of Instagram reels or 2-3-min long videos on YouTube. Then again, images are more popular on our site than videos. We aim to strike a balance between the two. With regards to the platforms, our younger audience has moved to Instagram and the parents/guardians are still active on Facebook. Hence both platforms are equally important.

Q4: HOW CAN INSTITUTIONS USE ALUMNI STORIES AND EXPERIENCES TO ATTRACT PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS FROM INDIA?

Roshna: Alumni experiences in any form are attractive to our Indian student audience. Institutions can share these stories in the form of Q&As, covering all aspects of an Indian student’s study-abroad life. Some of the topics that they can cover include students’ academic success stories, their career paths, information on whether they stayed in their destination after completing their studies or whether they came back to India, life back in India after their international experience etc.

These topics will pique students’ and parents’ interest. A forum is also a great way to share these stories. The aim should be to make prospective Indian students feel more confident about their study-abroad decision. Conversations about the Indian international students’ struggles and how they overcome them are also great topics to include.