Enhancing international student recruitment through peer-to-peer engagement – TAP 3 is here

According to research from The Ambassador Platform, 85% of prospective students say that talking with real students is either ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ important when they are researching their study options. Peer-to-peer engagement can benefit student recruitment by mobilizing the authentic student voice and sharing it with prospective students at all points in the decision-making journey, helping to increase the chances of successful outcomes for students and institutions alike.

Key points in this article include:

• Around a third of all students do not finish their higher education studies.

• 50% of prospective students have a strong preference for testimonials from students currently studying at the institution.

• More than 70 IDP partners are using IDP x TAP joint P2P services.

Institutions are facing many challenges, so how can they be sure investment in peer-to-peer is a sound one? IDP partners already have free access to peer-to-peer services that can enhance the student experience through human connections and, ultimately, improve conversions.

In this article, we look at the latest developments at The Ambassador Platform and explain how the new conversion service, TAP 3, evolved through research and a fundamental goal of helping students achieve their dreams.

Research shows that fewer than two thirds of students who enroll in a higher education program go on to finish their degree which means that more than a third have felt unable to complete their studies. At IDP, our overarching mission is to ensure more international students can transform their lives through international education and it is crucial that we help them achieve the best fit when they make that incredible leap to study overseas.

Studies reveal that international students often struggle to experience a sense of belonging and don’t feel accepted as part of the host institution and local community. These feelings of social exclusion can hinder successful outcomes. Research has also indicated that to thrive throughout the duration of their program, creating a balanced network of international and domestic student relationships and interactions is necessary to promote social satisfaction.

It is clear that an important factor in fostering success for international students is helping them to make the right connections throughout their research, application and finally, through their studies.

Retaining international students and enabling quality outcomes begins the moment a student starts researching their study options. It is therefore important to understand the factors that will facilitate a better institutional fit and foster better social and academic relationships.

The Ambassador Platform has looked extensively at how interactions with active students at the institutions being researched can assist in creating better outcomes. Their 2024 survey showed that ‘talking with real students (online or in person)’ was the second most valued source of information on institutional websites. When asked what types of content are particularly valuable, respondents showed a strong preference for interviews and testimonials of students who are actively studying at the institutions (50% and 39% respectively), and interviews with academics (44%), followed by videos and student generated content (both just above 35%).

There are five key factors in why peer-to-peer engagement creates best fit outcomes:

1. Authenticity and Trust: Some prospective students see peer interactions as more genuine and trustworthy compared to traditional marketing materials and messaging. Student Ambassadors provide real, relatable insights into campus life, which can be more influential than polished advertisements.

2. Enhanced Decision-Making: Peer-to-peer conversations help prospective students make more informed decisions. They can ask current students about academic practices, campus life, and local culture, gaining a realistic perspective on what to expect from peers who are actively experiencing student life.

3. Increased Engagement: Engaging with current students can deepen prospective students' interest in an institution. This is particularly impactful during the application and enrollment processes, when authentic student advice can sway decisions.

4. Social Validation: Today’s prospective students highly value social proof. Hearing positive experiences from peers who have already navigated the same path can significantly influence their choice of institution.

5. Community Building: Peer interactions foster a sense of belonging and community. Prospective students can envision themselves as part of the institution’s community, which is crucial for their decision-making process.

More than 70 of IDP’s global Core Partners and Digital Marketing partners have already signed up to our exclusive TAP x IDP joint products and are using our new peer-to-peer (P2P) technology, which includes Community and Conversion services.

P2P Community is our content-focused P2P service that enables prospective students to browse user-generated content, such as photos and videos, created by student ambassadors to offer a view of student life.

P2P Conversion service compliments the Community product by allowing prospective students who are further along in their search journey and have already shortlisted subjects of interest to chat with student ambassadors to learn about their experiences.

The Ambassador Platform originated as a Software as a Service company (SaaS) but has evolved into a recruitment service powered by peer-to-peer technology. In September 2024, extensive research among its college and university partners identified three core challenges in the student recruitment sector:

• Conversion is the number one issue

• Tighter budgets mean investment in services has to yield returns and simplify workload

• College and university partners need better tools to understand the impact of peer-to-peer services

The research led The Ambassador Platform to completely rebuild their platform - new database, new architecture, new approach. Everything about TAP 3 is designed around these core challenges.

TAP 3 features include:

1. Community building in one app: Prospective students can build profiles, interact with current and prospective students, and receive targeted support based on their journey stage.

2. Intelligent community management: The system captures personal interests and engagement patterns to support decision-making.

3. Active management service: TAP's team actively manages student engagement, connecting them with relevant community members and content.

4. Impact reporting and ROI calculation: TAP 3 tracks student progression and provides comprehensive impact reports.

Students using peer-to-peer engagement and viewing user-generated content feel that this content is authentic. Prospective students prefer interviews with students already studying at the institution above other forms of content.

Institutions that mobilize voices from their student body can boost their appeal among prospective international students and quality interactions with active students during the research stage can sway the decision making process.

We know that a significant portion of students fail to complete their studies, so initiatives that foster better fit and a more authentic view of student life can help arriving students to integrate more successfully.

TAP 3 has been built to address key sector challenges and deliver conversion outcomes through active management and strategic intervention. The platform doesn’t just facilitate connections, it drives results.

IDP Core Partners and Digital Marketing partners can sign up at no additional cost for joint services P2P Community and P2P Conversion provided by IDP x TAP. More than 70 IDP partners are already taking advantage of these products.

IDP and The Ambassador Platform are key innovators in the sector and there are plans to expand the services across other IDP websites – watch this space. The Ambassador Platform has recently carried out more research which takes a deep dive into student experiences of peer-to-peer engagement in their international education journey and this will be published soon.

George Oleson, CEO at The Ambassador Platform, said, “The latest iteration of The Ambassador Platform, developed in collaboration with IDP, makes harnessing the awesome outcomes of peer-to-peer recruitment easy, safe and measurable.

“By combining intelligent technology with active management, we're enabling institutions to deliver personalized, peer-powered experiences that drive both student satisfaction and enrollment outcomes.”