As Latin America’s second largest country to send international students abroad (second only to Brazil), Colombia is a place of many faces. We recently opened a Colombian office and spoke to Korina Laverde, Adventus.io Regional Manager for Latin America (LatAm), about what we can expect for international student recruitment in this bustling Latin hub.
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This is the name given to the period of economic growth and prosperity that followed the signing of a peace treaty in 2016 between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Colombian government. It ended the world’s longest civil war and brought with it political stability and many other positive changes, especially where education is concerned.
It’s important to know that a large percentage (nearly a quarter) of the country’s 49.6 million people are aged between 15 and 24, so participation in education is topical. But despite the overall improvements in the country, social inequality and poverty are still big issues, affecting every level of education.
When it comes to international student mobility, those who can afford to do it take the opportunity with pride, which is evident in Colombian student numbers. They were steadily increasing pre-pandemic and are predicted to continue as we navigate the ‘new normal’ and restrictions in destination countries are eased.
Like many of its neighbouring countries, wealth disparity has created a big social divide for Colombia. However, thanks to the “Colombian miracle”, international student recruitment is on the rise with Venezuela as the main market for students interested in heading overseas to study.
“What’s great is that the Colombian government has a student mobility program where they help students with funding to study overseas,”Korina explains. “Plus there are schools in various destination countries, particularly in the EU, that have scholarships specifically for Colombian students, like France and Spain.”
With a growing middle class and an appetite for travel, Colombia is one of LatAm’s biggest growth markets for international student recruitment. As student numbers continue to increase, the Adventus.io marketplace is set to become a go-to resource for education agents – and we’re looking forward to bridging the gap between students, education agents and institutions around the world.
Much like Mexico, there’s a big shift away from students choosing ESL courses overseas to higher education programs. This trend emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic as students realised they could save money by studying ESL online, keeping their money to put towards higher education abroad.
“Education agents in Colombia want to know more about what university courses are available to students,” Korina offers. “The most popular destination is Canada with around 70% of students choosing courses there because it’s so close to home and there are strong immigration pathways available. Plus, higher education programs are more popular in Canada because students can work to support themselves, but they can’t work if they’re studying ESL.”
“Other destinations of note are the US (10%) followed by Australia (10%), and lastly the EU, which is mostly the UK, Ireland and Spain (10%). For ESL courses, some students also choose Malta because they’re able to work while they study.”
We’re thrilled to have a presence in LatAm and to support education agents in Colombia to connect prospective students with their dream courses overseas. There’s so much opportunity for international student recruitment in Colombia and we can’t wait to be part of your education journey whether you’re an education agent or institution.
Request a demo or submit an enquiry today to see how you can benefit from the power of the Adventus.io marketplace.