Simon Emmett - End of Year Reflection 2024

In 2010, American historian and former Harvard University President, Drew Faust, said “As the world oscillates between openness and insularity, many worry that we are entering a more inward-looking period, when states begin to resurrect old boundaries, and national concerns trump international aspirations.”

Although these words were spoken 14 years ago and we went on to see a boom in international education, after this past year, it could be easy to be drawn into these worries again. A year is a long time in higher education.

However, despite the challenges, the knocks, the policy changes, the caps and the rhetoric our international education community has faced, I have never felt prouder to work in our sector. More than ever, our purpose is clear. As a sector, we help people transform their lives through international education. More than ever, there is a spirit of collaboration, unity and resilience among our sector colleagues, as we band together to show how the world is a better place thanks to international students.

However, we’re still very much at a crossroads for international recruitment. Governments are broadly supportive of international students and acknowledge the rich and valuable contributions they make to campuses and communities across the world.

But the same governments want the sector to be responsible with their international student growth plans and are looking for us all to step forward with strategies that are both sustainable and compliant. The sector wants this too – the boom/bust cycles institutions in many study destinations have found themselves in leaves planning teams scratching their heads with how to predict academic cycles, accommodation provision and student support. In the boom times, pressure on ancillary services in communities can often come under undue and unplanned pressure, which can lead to negative perceptions towards international students from the public.

We’ve learned that when the public perceive there to be a problem, the government quickly comes under pressure to respond – which can lead to decisions like we’ve witnessed in Australia and Canada where international student recruitment numbers were capped (albeit in Australia, the Bill to enact these caps did not pass Senate).

What we have seen this year, more than ever, is the power of partnerships to tackle some of the big issues around perceptions – and not just those of the public.

In the US, IDP developed the Survey on a National Strategy for U.S. International Education to identify collective strategic priorities for international education in the U.S. among higher education leaders and stakeholders. The survey was created in consultation with organizations such as AIRC, IIE, NACAC, NAFSA, The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, and the U.S. for Success Coalition, bringing cross-sector voices to the table. This important piece of research was presented to four US government bodies including the Departments of State, Homeland Security, Commerce, and Education.

In Canada, IDP partnered with leading Canadian sector organizations on a survey to provide a voice to the international education industry at a pivotal time following major policy announcements, including a cap on new study permits and limitations to post-graduation work permits. The insights of the survey were presented to the Canadian government. Collaboration between government and institutions is essential in Canada to avoid long-term damage to the sector. IDP is committed to sharing its leading survey data and insights to bring the student voice and perspective to these discussions and lead best practice.

In May this year, the then UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, called together a Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), chaired by Professor Brian Bell from Kings College London, to look at any ‘abuse’ of the Graduate Route – which was the mechanism for international students to stay back in the UK after completing their studies to take up employment. The sector rallied behind the cause - the UK International Education Champion, Sir Steve Smith, worked closely with Universities UK International to collect the evidence required to show the Government how critical the Graduate Route was to the attractiveness of the UK as a study destination. IDP was able to provide data to the MAC to show the impact that some previous policy changes had made, in order to show the Government they had ‘done enough’ to stem demand for the UK. The MAC determined there was no abuse in the system and the Graduate Route got a reprieve.

In Australia, IDP partnered with the international education’s peak body to bring more than 1,900 industry experts together for the Australian International Education Conference (AIEC). In a year where the Australian sector was dealt major blows and surprises, AIEC provided a much-needed forum for the industry to connect, regroup and make a plan to move forward.

These partnerships continue to be critical to the overall health of the sector and will remain critical as we look to how we commit to the principles of sustainable and compliant growth.

How might this look in practice for IDP, as we move into 2025?

Recruit with compliance and transparency

• We will ensure that the advice prospective students receive is informed and accurate, and that there is a clear line of sight to who is providing that advice. We’re proud of our sector leading training, AIRC certification in the US, AQF compliance for the UK and measures in place to ensure integrity and quality underpin all our services.

• We will continue to ensure that commercial agreements do not influence student (or counselor) choice.

  Our service model is proudly centred on providing impartial, trusted advice to our students.

• We will guarantee that all students details are verified, including their ability (via a high-stakes test) to speak English. Our goal is not only for students to be successful and ready for study – but also to ensure they are ready to fit in with their peers and the academic staff at the institution they enroll in. Recent IELTS research found that confidence in English boosts social engagement, reducing isolation and improving mental health among international students.

• We commit to understanding students' intentions and warn them about potential risks. For example, at IDP pre-departure sessions, we will alert them about unethical operators who might encourage them to switch to work visas or change providers.

All partners – public and private – must work together to deliver outstanding student experience and outcomes

• We will continue to work with our partners to ensure that student expectations are set appropriately and delivered on.

• It includes the academic program, but also broader student experience, accommodation, support with part-time work and then post-study opportunities.

• We should all actively and actionably listen to students. Together we can use their insights to drive best practice and use data to spot patterns and areas for improvement.

Promoting a quality experience and great outcomes

• By ensuring the right students are in the right programs, and they are having an outstanding student experience, we can promote this to prospective students with clarity and confidence.

• We will continue to promote the great work our clients do to support students after graduation – for example, on our student-facing India Webinar in November, the Vice-Chancellors from the Universities of Glasgow and Birmingham launched career support in India for students returning after UK study.

• IDP will continue to step forward with key partners and governments including NAFSA, CBIE, UUKi, Education NZ, Education Ireland, IEAA, Austrade and the British Council.

A year might be a long time in education, but a year of international study can change the future of the many students who use IDP to fulfill their study dreams. At IDP, we all take our role in helping students make the right decision to set them on a path for success seriously. We’re committed to ensuring those decisions are embedded in responsible practice and driven by the right motivations, with the right focus on quality outcomes. We’ll do this best in partnership with the sector and the governments, whose support we want to protect (and grow) by showing we are listening and responding to their concerns.