Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
29th Apr 2026

ICEF Podcast: Sustainable international student recruitment from a UK-China perspective

Expert views on the trends shaping international student recruitment

Listen in as ICEF’s Craig Riggs and Martijn van de Veen recap some of the latest developments in our sector, including the new pressures on the ROI that students expect from study abroad and how education agents are looking at recruitment for Japan.

Martijn is then joined by an expanded panel for a discussion on sustainable recruitment through a China-to-UK lens.

The panel includes Christina Ke, Managing Director of UOffer Global; Dave Amor, Founder and Director of Higher Insights; Jian Li, Deputy Director (Education) with the British Council; Cheryl Xu, Director of China Office for the University of Portsmouth; Kiran Patel, Senior Director Commercial and Deputy Head of China with The China-Britain Business Council; and Tony Lee, Chief Visionary Officer at ICEF.

The discussion occurs as the UK has solidified its position as the preferred study destination for Chinese students, recently overtaking the US on the strength of its strong higher education brand and the efficiency of its postgraduate models.

However, Chinese families are becoming increasingly results-oriented, prioritising employability and return on investment over rankings alone, while the UK government’s International Education Strategy has shifted the focus toward "sustainable" growth.

This creates a new landscape where value, student experience, and strict compliance are paramount, and our panel considers what this means for UK recruitment in China going forward.

You can listen right now in the player below, and we encourage you to subscribe via your favourite podcast app in order to receive future episodes automatically.

For additional background, please see:

Most Recent

  • Survey of 67,000 prospective students highlights gaps between interest and enrolment for study abroad Read More
  • Bipartisan congressional group calls on US administration to preserve Duration of Status for international student visas Read More
  • US ELT weeks fell by nearly -8% in 2025 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

Survey of 67,000 prospective students highlights gaps between interest and enrolment for study abroad Keystone Education Group released its annual report, The State of Student Recruitment 2026, last week. Presenting at the...
Read more
Bipartisan congressional group calls on US administration to preserve Duration of Status for international student visas There was something different about this year’s annual NAFSA conference. The experience was wonderfully familiar in many ways,...
Read more
US ELT weeks fell by nearly -8% in 2025 In 2024, a slow recovery from plummeting international enrolments in the COVID-19 pandemic was underway for US Intensive...
Read more
Report: International students already studying in the UK or offshore through TNE represent an increasingly important recruitment opportunity Tighter compliance thresholds for UK universities recruiting international students – and the associated “Red, Amber, Green” scheme developed...
Read more
Japan: Greater availability of in-country English programmes is exerting some downward pressure on outbound mobility Nearly 170,000 Japanese students studied abroad using one of 41 service providers in Japan in 2025, with the...
Read more
UK: Sponsored study visa issuances down, rejection rates up, and more If you are an international student prospect, where you live in the world increasingly determines where you can...
Read more
Beyond borders: Why student support matters more than ever in transnational education Earlier this year, I found myself reflecting on what I could do a little differently on LinkedIn to...
Read more
ICEF Podcast: Student flows are shifting. Are agencies following suit? Listen in as ICEF’s Craig Riggs and Martijn van de Veen recap some of the latest developments in...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links