Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF

Beyond student recruiting: agents’ roles as counsellors

How do international student recruiters prepare young people for their studies overseas? As parent and student expectations continue to increase, the role of student recruitment agencies has changed and evolved beyond the admissions process to include additional services surrounding the visa and travel process, as well as the counselling process. Today we sit down with Director & CEO Pushpinder Bhatia of PAC Asia Services, an agency based in New Delhi, India that helps foreign students throughout the various stages in their international education attainment. Mr Bhatia shares best practices and techniques that have led his agency to achieve a high visa success rate, such as documentation and background checks and profiling of students. His agency also focuses heavily on pre-departure briefings, including mock visa interviews and tips regarding how to adjust culturally, socially and academically. Traveling and living in a foreign country is not always easy even for the most seasoned of pros, and for students who are shy or coming from rural areas, it can be an overwhelming experience. Mr Bhatia shares a personal anecdote of one such student, showcasing how agents today operate not just as recruiters, but also as trusted counsellors.

Access to education

The second half of our interview turns the focus on India's access to education. Predictions abound as to the future of India, such as:

  • By 2020, China and India combined will produce 40% of global graduates.
  • By 2030, the number of college-age Indians is estimated to reach 400 million.
  • By 2050, India's population will swell to 1.6 billion people; it is on track to overtake China in 2028.

With a growing youth population and an under-supply of university places to satisfy demand, India is on a mission to redress the discrepancy between its economic potential and its education system. A number of reforms are underway, foreign branch campuses are now allowed to operate there, the vocational sector is getting a boost, and funding has been earmarked to improve the quality and standards of education. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are also active locally, and Mr Bhatia discusses the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on both individuals and communities in India, and shares one such example with us regarding his work with Round Table India. For more information on the Indian market, we recommend our recent article on the current and potential effects of the rupee's fall on Indian students' intentions to study abroad, as well as the international education market as a whole.

Most Recent

  • UK’s stiffening compliance regime already having an impact on international student recruitment Read More
  • Search data highlights surge in student interest in Asian and Middle Eastern destinations at mid-year Read More
  • Australia raises enrolment limits for 2025/26 but are they reachable? Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

UK’s stiffening compliance regime already having an impact on international student recruitment It would be fair to say that compliance is top of mind for international educators in the United...
Read more
Search data highlights surge in student interest in Asian and Middle Eastern destinations at mid-year Aggregated search data from Keystone Education Group reveals a distinct spike in student interest in destinations across the...
Read more
Australia raises enrolment limits for 2025/26 but are they reachable? A joint 4 August 2025 media release from the Ministers for Education, Home Affairs, Immigration and Citizenship, and...
Read more
US: International commencements could drop by 30-40% this September A new analysis from NAFSA and the research consultancy JB International projects that international student commencements in the...
Read more
Nearly 30 Canadian language programmes closed in Q1, marking the “sharpest decline in the sector’s history” The peak body for Canada’s language training sector is sounding the alarm. Languages Canada reports that more than...
Read more
Recruiting in Taiwan: An established student market adapting to demographic change Fast Facts Population: 23.4 million Youth population: 9.8% aged 15–24, but the population is ageing Youth unemployment rate:...
Read more
Australia’s central bank highlights importance of international students to national economy The Reserve Bank of Australia, the country’s central bank, has released a special bulletin on the economic impact...
Read more
Measuring the impacts of the first full year of Canada’s foreign student enrolment cap In January 2024, Canada’s immigration ministry (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC) announced a two-year cap on...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links