Agency-based recruitment has belatedly been embraced by U.S. colleges and universities even as it is becoming passé, one example among many that the US has much to learn from the rest of the world.  It is only one of a growing number of options in the international student recruitment “bag of tricks” and already has limited utility in increasingly competitive markets such as Vietnam. 

Those schools that are most successful will be those that invest in branding and marketing.  This is especially important if you’re not based in California, Texas, Washington or northern Virginia, where over half of all Vietnamese students are studying.  Even universities and colleges in the most popular host states can “prime the pump” by aggressively marketing themselves in Vietnam.  

Institutions that don’t adopt a proactive approach to spreading the good word about their programs and services through marketing and promotion run the risk of getting lost in the mix. 

With apologies to Bob Dylan. 🙂