Canadian institutions are enjoying a rush of applications from around the globe. Pre-pandemic––thanks to high education quality, a safe climate, and a direct pathway to permanent residency––Canada was already a popular destination.
Moving through COVID, while many countries have closed, or restricted borders, Canada is relatively open, which only increases popularity. In fact, it’s now one of the fastest-growing international student markets in the world.
While there’s no shortage of interest, quantity doesn’t equal quality. Canadian institutions must ensure they prioritise quality applications to maintain the value proposition of their offering.
1. Save time
Across Canada, applications have skyrocketed, but generally, the number of staff processing, accessing, and sending offers hasn’t increased. For institutions, there’s now an even larger administrative burden when it comes to student applications.
In Canada, most applications fail due to visa issues, yet institutions find themselves spending time sorting through these applications, only to have them fail down the track. While many counsellors and agent aggregators send a plethora of applications, they’re often not quality checked.
At Adventus.io, our pre-submission checks––including visa checks––mean that only quality applications reach universities. With a 90% pass rate for applications, we save institutions valuable time by providing the best and most relevant submissions.
2. Prioritising relevant students
In Canada, it’s not uncommon for courses to fill up quickly and waitlists are common. When programmes can only accommodate a certain number of students, the most appropriate students must be prioritised.
If institutions get stuck in the noise of applicants from master agents, which aren’t quality checked, they might miss out on the best applications once courses fill up.
Institutions then should prioritise applications that come from partners and counsellors who are known for delivering quality. Rather than asking counsellor’s how many students they’ll provide, it’s better to ask about their conversion rate to ensure they’re focused on quality instead.
At Adventus.io we provide 3,800+ triple vetted agents across the globe, who are dedicated to delivering quality applications.
3. Delivering the best experience
While attracting new students is key, delivering an excellent experience for those already on campus is just as, if not more, important. Word of mouth is incredibly powerful. If a student enjoys their institution: they’ll recommend it to others.
A cohort of well-performing students also naturally lead to many positives for institutions. Student performance can affect retention and graduation rates. Performance is also an important aspect of funding. And public perception plays an integral role in whether students (and their parents) want to attend that school.
To maintain the integrity of student experience on campus, institutions need to focus on students who are committed to studies and enriching the lives of others. To build a committed, diverse, and flourishing cohort of students: quality is essential.
4. High rejections are a deterrent
If an institution has a high rejection rate, it can affect its reputation. If counsellor’s applications are consistently rejected, over time it’ll lead them to look elsewhere where application success is higher.
I’ve seen this happen in my career, where counsellors consistently couldn’t get students into particular courses. It ended up leading them to apply in different markets. Instead, the institution could have better communicated what they were looking for.
Ultimately, this could affect the future flow of students into Canada. Institutions can avoid this by communicating well and by building relationships with counsellors who consistently deliver the quality they expect.
While Canadian institutions are currently enjoying a surge of applications from around the globe, it’s essential for institutions to focus on quality applicants. Doing so saves administration staff time, can help the public perception of the institution all while enriching the on-campus experience.
