Assessing your institution’s program portfolio.

While the number of international students coming to the U.S. has recovered since the peak of the pandemic, U.S. institutions continue to face significant competition from each other and from other countries to attract international students to their campuses. Although the discourse around attracting and recruiting international students has focused primarily on demographics and national policies, a key issue that does not receive sufficient attention is how the academic interests and aspirations of prospective international students have shifted over time and the extent to which institutions’ offerings have kept pace with a new generation of international students.

Yet global surveys reveal that 60% of prospective international students report that the specific programs or courses offered are the primary driver of where to study, ahead of the specific
institution and before the destination country.¹ Further, when choosing a program of study, the top three factors driving students’ decisions are internship opportunities (36.9%),
practical curriculum (23.6%), and a resume-enhancing program (17.2%).

To guide U.S. institutions on how they can better align their overall program offerings with current demand from international students, this report addresses the following key questions:

• How has demand for various subject areas and programs of study shifted over time amongst international students who plan to study in the U.S.?
• How do current shifts and trends across industry, the labor market, and national policies impact and shape international student
  demand?
• What are the key takeaways for U.S. institutions on how to rethink and align their programs and course offerings to attract international students?

Framed by these three broad questions and based on available reports, secondary data sources, and expert opinion, this report enables fresh thinking and equips institutional leaders with ideas and tools to rethink their academic programming and develop new and innovative academic programs that are designed to reach a diverse range of future international students. Aligning academic offerings with student demand also has implications for the resilience and sustainability of institutions, and for the future success and employability of international students.