In 2020 COVID-19 has taken international education, thrown it in a dumpster and put a match to it. International students, educational institutions and education agents have generally had a year to forget.
Amidst that doom and gloom, some education agents in India are feeling optimistic about a market recovery in 2021.
Navneet Singh, an immigration consultant and a representative of the Association of Overseas Education Consultants says that large numbers of applications are starting to roll in.
We are getting an overwhelming response from students for next year. I think they are also anxious about studies after a year of disruptions. Admissions for next year are in full swing now.
Students have also started to travel to Canada and the UK. Australia is also hinting at allowing students to travel.
Admissions for May and September intakes have started for Canada. The UK and Australia are accepting applications for the January, March and July intakes. However travel restrictions and quarantine requirements vary significantly between these markets.
Jatin Wadhwa, director of a Chandigarh-base education agency said:
Canada has now started issuing visas to travel. We are receiving applications from students for next year but the number is comparatively lower, which is likely to increase in the coming months.
Rakehshwar Walia, who runs an immigration and education agency in Khanna, said:
Things are slowly coming back on track and we are hoping to get good response from students for the May and September intakes.
Education agents to drive market recovery
It is likely that education agents will play a key role in the recovery of the global international education market in 2021 as the world emerges from the worst of the COVID-19 crisis.
We covered this issue in a recent post: “3 reasons why education agent use will soar after COVID“.
Recent data from QS shows that:
- education agents represent an increasingly important marketing channel in the pandemic as international travel is not possible and face-to-face student fairs are not happening
- More than 1 in 5 students responding to this year’s QS International Student Survey have worked with an agent.
Unis, colleges and schools need an effective agent channel
An effective international student recruitment strategy using education agents requires two basic elements:
- A critical mass of professional education agents in your target markets.
- Effective engagement, communication and collaboration with your agents.
If your institution is looking to launch an education agent recruitment channel from scratch, or you want to get better results from your current agent network, AgentBee can help.
Check out our agent recruitment and management solutions for educational institutions – click here.
Source: Hindustan Times