Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF

Middle East Page 1 of 45

Recruiting in Iran: Demand remains high in this challenging market

Demand among Iranian post-graduate students for study abroad has been very high in recent years, not the least because: Access to undergraduate education in Iran has expanded massively...

Recruiting in the Emirates: Big goals, world-class education, and new scholarships

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a fascinating student source country as well as a major enroller of international students. UAE has one of the world’s top education...

Scholarships, modernisation, and student mobility: Recruiting in Saudi Arabia now

Geography: Southwest Asia. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) shares eastern borders with the Arabian Gulf, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, while its western border flanks the Red...

UAE sets a new tone for scholarship programmes in the Persian Gulf

The United Arab Emirates has launched a new scholarship programme that aims to send 6,000 Emirati students for degree programmes in the US and Canada by 2028. The...

Updated Saudi scholarship programme will send 70,000 students abroad by 2030

The Saudi government plans to send 70,000 students to 200 approved foreign institutions by 2030 under an updated approach for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship...

The new shape of Saudi demand for study abroad

The total number of Saudi Arabian students abroad has declined from a high point in 2016, at which time there were more than 100,000 students enrolled outside of...

COVID-19 restrictions “unprecedented” in history of international travel

A new report from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) highlights that 96% of all destinations worldwide have introduced travel restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic....

Survey measures the expected impacts of COVID-19 across education sectors and regions

A broad survey of education executives conducted in March shows that concern is widespread that COVID-19 and its societal and economic effects will be damaging in the short...

COVID-19 triggers cancellations and delays but most students intend to follow through on study plans

Due to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, many exchange programmes have been cancelled as have a growing number of industry events, most recently the annual Asia-Pacific...

Reports of some Iranian students being detained and deported from US airports

Iran sends tens of thousands of students abroad every year – including more than 12,000 to the US, making Iran the second-most important Middle Eastern market for US...

The new student recruitment landscape in Saudi Arabia

In 2015/16, Saudi enrolment in US higher education reached nearly 62,000 students. That was enough to place the Kingdom as the third-largest sending market for US colleges and...

2019 Agent Barometer: Optimism for year ahead and insights on destination preferences

The 2019 survey sampled the largest number of qualified agents ever in a record number of countries...

Where the students are: Mobile, messaging, and apps

Social media use continues to grow, with especially rapid expansion for photo sharing and messaging platforms...

2018 Agent Barometer: Global survey tracks agent perspectives on destinations, online learning, alumni, and student experience

Findings from the 12th annual ICEF i-graduate Agent Barometer were released this week at ICEF Berlin. The 2018 survey was administered over August and September this year, resulting in...

Diversification and the next five markets

After more than a decade of rapid expansion in international enrolments, the focus in major study destinations – and for many institutions – is turning more and more to diversification....