Assessing your institution’s program portfolio.
As competition for international students intensifies, are U.S. higher education institutions offering the programmes that prospective students really want?
International students’ academic preferences are evolving, with growing demand for career-focused, interdisciplinary and technology-driven programmes. For universities, understanding these shifts and aligning academic offerings with student expectations is increasingly important to attracting international students and supporting long-term institutional growth.
In our latest whitepaper, Do international students want what you’re offering? Assessing your institution’s program portfolio, international education expert Dr Rajika Bhandari explores how changing student preferences, labour market trends and national policies are shaping demand for U.S. higher education.
Drawing on sector research, data and expert insights, the report examines emerging areas of study and outlines practical strategies for institutions to adapt their academic portfolios, strengthen their competitive position and better meet the needs of future international students.
About the author
Rajika Bhandari, PhD, Author, Keynote Speaker, international Higher Ed expert
Rajika Bhandari is a scholar-practitioner in international higher education and the Principal of Rajika Bhandari Advisors, an international education research and strategy firm working with non-profits, multilateral organizations, higher education institutions, and mission-driven companies. Quoted frequently in the global press, she is a widely published author and keynote speaker; is the author of the award-winning book, America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility; and the host of the World Wise podcast on education, culture, and migration. She previously spent over a decade at IIE leading the research, evaluation, and thought leadership portfolio.