Every student recruitment officer knows this: Copy-pasting the same marketing strategy in different markets is like setting fire to a freshly minted stack of cash.
It’s always a bad idea.
Recently, a top UK university came to us with a similar concern. Their Middle East & North Africa (MENA) marketing was outsourced to a local agency in an Arab country in an attempt to quash two birds with a single stone; get cultural input and save the expense of hiring a UK-based agency. While this seemed perfect in theory, it was a gross misspend of a decent advertising budget.
What went wrong? There’s more to cultural insight than knowing what motivates a student to apply. You also need to understand facets such as these:
- Which countries and cities should be the target of your ad spend?
- How does the UK fare when compared to the rest of the world?
- What are students' preferred programs?
- What is their decision-making process?
- What information do they need and on which channels?
In this blog, we’ve curated 5 data-driven insights from 10+ recent reports on the MENA region. Reports include IDP Connect’s 2021 Search Trends, Keystone’s 2023 State of Student Recruitment and more.
Let’s dive in!
1. Which countries and cities should be the target of your ad spend?
The United Kingdom attracts a significant number of students from the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia alone contributing 40-50% of the region's total. However, this represents a smaller share of Saudi students seeking higher education abroad compared to their interest in destinations like Australia and the USA.
When combined, Saudi Arabia and the UAE (contributing 20-30% of students) still form the majority of Middle Eastern students choosing the UK.
Beyond KSA and UAE, countries such as Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt are also large emerging markets. Recently, the Kuwait government has launched various UG and PG sponsorships to encourage students to study abroad. Kuwait City surprisingly emerges as the third-largest individual city contributor to UK demand, sending nearly 12% of students, surpassing any city within the UAE.
Doha, Qatar, also makes a strong showing in student demand. Doha ranks among the top five cities in the region, contributing 6.74% of students seeking education abroad. Student recruiters are now taking more interest in Egypt as a market as well, thanks to its growing population of 15-24-year-olds. The population of 18-year-olds is set to grow by an average annual growth rate of 3% year-on-year from 2023 to 2030.
2. How does the UK fare when compared to the rest of the world?
According to our analysis of 10+ MENA Student Recruitment Reports, the United Kingdom faces tough competition from Canada. As a destination, Canada received the strongest Subject Search demand from the MENA region in 2021. Australia and the USA trail behind the UK, which means recruiters can tap into the positive sentiment for the UK. This is especially important now with changes to immigration policies in effect.
When it comes to choosing between the UK, Germany, Italy, France and The Netherlands, things look much more positive for us. The UK is MENA student’s preferred destination at 16.1% with Germany closely trailing at 12%. Italy (8%), France (7%) and The Netherlands (5.6%) are also popular with MENA students.
3. What are some student-preferred programs?
MENA students are flocking to overseas universities for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Computer science/IT (19.6%) and Business & Administration (19% are the most popular choices, highlighting their career focus. Interestingly, postgraduate students show a stronger preference for healthcare and medicine (15%).
Their motivations are primarily career-oriented (53%), but personal development and cultural exchange also play a significant role (45% & 37% respectively).
4. What is their decision-making process?
Nearly half (49.52%) of MENA students complete their university search within 6 months. While a good portion (45.16%) apply to a focused range of 2-3 universities, a significant number (14.09%) cast a wider net with more than 7 applications.
Unlike many other regions such as Asia, students in this region make their decisions quickly, often within a month of the relevant intake period.
Cost is a major hurdle, with expensive tuition fees cited as a barrier by over three-quarters (75.64%) of students. Limited scholarship opportunities (50.22%) and a perceived lack of support for international students (23.98%) are additional challenges they face when considering studying abroad.
Interestingly, the UK is the favored study destination in the Middle East, occupying 45% of the overall scholarships offered in 2021/22, followed closely by the USA at 41%.
5. What information do they need and on which channels?
Reaching MENA students requires understanding their preferred communication channels. Instagram (30%) reigns supreme, followed by Facebook (25%) and LinkedIn (18%). YouTube (8%) plays a smaller role, but can still be valuable.
Content Preferences
MENA students value informative content or guides (42%) and group workshops or classes (40%). Scholarship opportunities are also important (34%), followed by practical information on living costs and visas (around 10% each).
Need for speed?
Over 60% of MENA students expect a reply within a few days or 24 hours. Many even look for a response within a few hours (20%) or immediately (11%). Only a small fraction (6%) are comfortable waiting a week for a response. This highlights the need for universities to be responsive and efficient in their communication with potential MENA students.
And that’s a wrap for today! If you would like to get more data-driven insights on global markets, our 2024 International Student Recruitment Report is now available online.
Forget the data dread and focus on what matters. Looking for the perfect education marketing agency? Book your free intro call with our Senior Leadership here.
Stay tuned for our next blog where we’ll discuss more data-driven insights from another international market.
