MENA Special: Recruitment in the Middle East and North Africa

[WEBINAR] The fluctuating political climate in the MENA region is inevitably framing local sentiments about higher education. This is why Studyportals is zooming in on the developments and trends impacting student mobility and international recruitment within the region.

In this webinar, Studyportals’ Levent Gaşgil and Koç University’s Global Engagement Manager, Melissa Abache, look at student recruitment with a critical eye and focus on the example of how Koç University is recruiting international students in the MENA area. Based on these analyses, we offer recommendations on the best practices in the shifting international recruitment marketplace and how to optimise and measure the effectiveness of recruitment efforts.

Focus on MENA region

Due to increasing global and local competition and in the context of major political shifts such as the Brexit process and the underlying concerns of changing visa policies, recruiting international students is becoming more complicated. Students’ ambition to study abroad, however, has only increased. The region represents a market where pursuing a degree from a prestigious institution in the West is traditionally seen as a necessary stepping stone to a successful career. War and conflicts have further encouraged those who can afford higher education degrees to apply overseas.

MENA is undoubtedly an emerging exporter of international students: With a population of 400 million, 70% of which under 30, it makes up for a potentially 140 million upcoming Gen Z-ers looking for an education in the coming decade. The internationally mobile portion of those students is supported by local scholarship programs as well as by their families. Some countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran deserve particular attention. With Saudi Arabia’s GDP comparable to that of The Netherlands and Switzerland, the country’s financial capability to send its student population abroad is an emphatically important factor in the future context of international higher education.

The Student Journey

Student’s behaviour toward choosing a degree abroad has shifted dramatically. In this webinar, Levent Gaşgil covers the following topics:

• How universities can connect with students in the discovery, engagement and decision phases
• The shift in the target group, and how to engage with Generation Z
• Best practices and implications for conversion

Case Study: Koç University

Targeting students in the MENA region for a scholarship program

The interplay of cultural specificities and family ties is a major catalyst for MENA students’ decision-making process. Melissa Abache lends her experience with the following:

• Koç University and their approach to targeting MENA students for recruitment
• How the University is using online portals to inform marketing activities throughout the year
• How a three-person marketing team is successfully leveraging online tools to recruit best-fit applicants

Watch the Webinar Recording