It was fantastic this week to be at the OpenApply Admissions Conference in Singapore at Tanglin Trust from November 3-4, 2023. After a 4-year COVID hiatus from this event in Asia, it was a chance for admissions and recruitment professionals from schools worldwide to join together to talk about experiences and share ideas.
There were schools from the subcontinent, Middle East, Europe and all over Asia. There was a wonderful buzz from admissions professionals, who are often siloed in their own work, to be able to talk to like-minded innovators who share their passion and enthusiasm for recruitment, marketing and admissions for international schools.
Here are some of the trends impacting the international schools sector in the rest of the globe:
- Analytics and data tracking is key
For school leadership to understand what funding, programs or support students need, data tracking is key. Following the admissions funnel, schools are getting the information they need to target the parents, students and agents to improve their admissions numbers. Schools need admissions software that allows them to track students from initial inquiry to admissions to offers to acceptance and class start dates.
By understanding where and why students decline offers, change schools or search for other options, schools are better able to meet the needs of the community. With so many international school options around the globe, schools need to define their point of difference, their target students and how to reach them most effectively.
- Inclusivity
Students and parents are looking for more options to support special needs. Traditionally, international schools have often suggested that students with special needs study only in their first language. However, in an inclusive world, this is no longer the norm.
Schools are looking for more effective ways to understand student needs, how to meet with and how to best communicate with families about what support is and isn’t available. Learning support is not optional in today’s world. Schools have to choose how they will support students, not if. It is an inclusive world, and schools are focussing on providing the individual support and attention that students need.
- Middle-Income International Schools
The traditional expatriate package for diplomats and executive are no longer freely offered. Parents and students are not always given the financial freedom to choose the more expensive schools, as they were in the past. Packages are now more defined and limited. This means schools, even ones that enjoy relative exclusivity to foreign families in their corners of the world, are exploring more scholarships, pricing and payment options and other concessions to attract more students to their school.
Overall, it was an amazing two days at the stunning Tanglin Trust Campus in Singapore. There were 73 attendees from 38 schools and 16 countries. Admissions is the “face” of every school, and it was wonderful to see so many of them smiling.
