In-country recruiters “battle against misinformation”

While many in-country university recruiters deal with queries around programs, eligibility, return on investment, and more, recent widespread policy changes have left them to address misinformation among students and parents, stakeholders heard at The PIE Live India 2025. 

“The fluctuating demand for Canada cannot be attributed to the policy changes but to the perceived impact of the policy changes as students and parents are looking at headlines and then the impact that they see is the impact that they imagine it to be,” said Deepa Dodani, senior recruitment advisor, South Asia, Queen’s University. 

“Students are now concerned whether the study destination is closed and not favouring Indian students. The misinformation around policy changes is being spread through unregulated channels. Here is where in-country recruiters can come in and battle the misinformation.”

Canada, once the most popular study destination for Indian students, saw over 50% drop in study permit approvals from countries like India, and Nepal in the first ten months of 2024. 

Similar to Canada, Australia’s international education sector has been navigating policy turbulence over the past year, marked by the ESOS Amendment Bill – which aimed to cap international student numbers – and shifts in visa processing directives.

The misinformation around policy changes is being spread through unregulated channels. Here is where in-country recruiters can come in and battle the misinformation

Deepa Dodani, Queen’s University

Tougher regulations and increased visa fees led to a two-thirds drop in student applications from India last year, prompting Australian university recruiters to improve their communication strategies in the region.

“As we dealt with a lot of misinformation in the past year, we aimed at developing instant communication channels with students as well as our agent networks in Asia,” said Ashini Malhotra, regional marketing director, South Asia and Middle East, Griffith University. 

“We had platforms like the South Asia Forum, where we had representation from the Department of Home Affairs. These forums allowed us to effectively communicate policy changes to our partners and students. Ultimately, collaboration between government bodies, universities and students, combined with the right messaging, helped us navigate these challenges successfully.”

Though Ireland has not recently been affected by any of its own major policy disruptions, the country is now trying to maintain sustainable growth so that it sees ‘high-calibre students’ from India and South Asia. 

“Overall, Ireland saw a surge in applications last year, owing to the policy and political changes happening across destinations but we are now filtering out the applications that are coming in to focus on outstanding students,” said Arjun Sharma, regional advisor, National College of Ireland. 

“Our institution has now increased entry-level requirements in terms of academics and English-language requirements. We have also been able to reduce our backlog and make our scholarships more competitive.”

Speaking from his experience navigating the UK market, which has faced debates over the Graduate Route, English proficiency requirements and agent regulation in recent years, Gaurav Sharma, head of global recruitment, South Asia, Oxford Brookes University, emphasised the need for in-country recruiters to “not create a panic in the market.”

“We saw a massive influx of applications over the last two and a half years. But in the last year and a half, whispers started circulating in the market that the post-study work visa would be taken away. Even before an official announcement was made, we had already begun witnessing a decline in applications,” said Sharma. 

Following a review into the UK’s Graduate Route by the Migration Advisory Committee, and sector-wide anguish, it was recommended the visa route stay in its current form.

“I see many institutions reporting a 30%, 40%, even 50% dip in the market. But is that the full reality? I think we need to be patient. As recruiters and institutions, it’s crucial to take a pause, and assess the situation, instead of creating panic in the market.”

According to Yogesh Sahdev, assistant director of admissions, South Asia, Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, while policy changes and global events like a pandemic are beyond a recruiter’s control, they must identify where they can help ease students’ concerns. 

“The best we can do is provide accurate information and support students through the process. So for example, it’s crucial to help students examine their curriculum, assess the program outcomes, and determine whether it will equip them with the skills they want to develop,” said Sahdev.

“The pandemic also brought a crucial realisation for us about the importance of mental well-being of students. We now understand just how essential social support systems are for international students.”

Elsewhere, in-country recruiters delved into how international universities’ expansion plans in India are being perceived on the ground. 

On the question of international branch campuses, which are being announced by universities in a quick succession, Oxford Brookes’s Sharma highlighted the many reasons students choose to study abroad.

“This market for international branch campuses will grow in the coming years but that will be a different market. Indian students want hands-on experience, want to be at the campus, see the facilities, gain some amount of work experience abroad,” said Sharma. 

Indian students want hands-on experience, want to be at the campus, see the facilities

Gaurav Sharma, Oxford Brookes University

“In the last two years, we had over 250,000 students travelling from India to the UK, so that still signifies that a massive influx of students are heading to international campuses.”

According to Dodani, changing goals of international institutions will also determine whether or not they want to increase their in-country team in a large country like India, where student mobility trends differ from state to state. 

“Every institution is different, and so are their approaches. Is the institution focusing solely on undergraduate recruitment in India? Or is it targeting both undergraduate and postgraduate students? Is it handling document processing in-country? Is it prioritising partnerships in India?  The size of the team, the operational structure – everything depends on the institution’s specific goals.”

Given the demanding nature of their jobs – often involving weeks of travel and constant networking – recruiters highlighted the mental and physical health challenges they face. 

“Many in-country recruiters would agree with me on this – our schedules are intense. We take early morning flights, spend hours at events, meet with agents over dinner, and finally return to our rooms exhausted. In those moments, we sometimes wonder, ‘Should we keep doing this?’,” stated Arjun. 

“But then you receive a message from a student saying, ‘I got a placement at KPMG. Thank you for your support’, that point in life is happiness.”

“Recruiters have their good and bad days, which is why we need strong managers who provide a space to vent and express ourselves. Universities and market firms should have an open-door policy to facilitate this,” stated Sahdev. 

According to Malhotra, such challenges can be dealt with if universities are able to provide professional development opportunities to in-country recruiters. 

“The responsibility also falls on universities. Institutions must ensure that their team members feel motivated and well taken care of. It’s not just about work – it’s about valuing people,” stated Malhotra. 

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