Following the Trump administration’s crackdown on international students, Franklin University Switzerland is opening up its doors to some of those who won’t be able to re-enter the United States.
About 40 slots are open to the students who attend institutions that are part of the Council of Independent Colleges, according to an email from CIC president Marjorie Hass. Franklin University is one of the association’s international members and is accredited in the United States and Switzerland. Students can receive an $11,250 scholarship per semester.
This partnership with Franklin University is just one way that colleges are working to support students amid the travel bans and visa restrictions. Experts have suggested that colleges could establish branch campuses in other countries as another option.
Hass wrote that she hopes students will be able to return to their original U.S. institution when possible, but the Franklin option could help them continue their studies in the meantime.
“I am proud to see an international member step up to offer this enriching academic opportunity to students at other CIC institutions,” she wrote. “I’d like to express my appreciation to Samuel Martín-Barbero, president of Franklin University Switzerland, for recognizing the plight of US CIC institutions and for stepping forward with a collegial offer of support.”
Since CIC announced the Franklin University partnership, Al Akhawayn University in Morocco and American University of Nigeria have alaso agreed to offer a similar deal to CIC member institutions.
Across Texas, students entering dual-credit programs with the goal of becoming educators often face unclear pathways and unnecessary obstacles. But in the North Texas region, a multisector group is working to change that—starting as early as high school.
Through programs like Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) and early-college high schools, students can begin working toward their teaching credentials before they graduate. The Acceleration to Credential (A2C) Working Group—convened by Educate Texas—brings together local independent school districts, Dallas College and four-year university partners to create clearly defined pathways that connect high school, community college and bachelor’s-level educator preparation.
While the intention behind many dual-credit programs is to offer students more opportunity, the reality is that inconsistent requirements across institutions often create confusion. A student may graduate high school having earned college credits, only to find those credits don’t transfer toward a four-year degree. Or they may complete an associate degree that doesn’t align with bachelor’s programs in education.
To address this, A2C partners designed a coordinated model known as Target Pathways, which:
Aligns associate degree pathways to all bachelor’s education programs in the region.
Meets both high school graduation and Texas Core Curriculum requirements.
Creates space for local adaptation within a unified regional framework.
Provides students with clear maps of all degree and certification requirements.
These streamlined pathways aim to improve student outcomes, reduce excess credit accumulation and increase the number of teacher candidates completing their degrees on time and with less debt.
The associate of art in teaching (A.A.T.) degrees that students earn in these P-TECH programs have shown promising outcomes when it comes to entering education careers. Between 2010 and 2023, 49 percent of A.A.T. earners in Dallas–Fort Worth became paraprofessionals or teachers or advanced into education leadership positions, according to an analysis by Wesley Edwards at the University of North Texas (Wesley Edwards, AAT Analysis, University of North Texas, April 23, 2024, and Sept. 21, 2024). As these pathways expand across more high schools, partners across the state should continue investing in the supports students need to enter the education workforce.
“Developing a robust pathway for high school students to not only earn credentials but also gain valuable exposure to industry is critically important as we look to meet workforce needs,” said Robert DeHaas, vice provost of the School of Education at Dallas College.
This work is about more than academic alignment—it’s about building the relationships and trust needed to create meaningful change.
“This work requires close coordination between large systems that haven’t always worked together,” DeHaas said. “The collaborative has helped foster the coalition-building needed to break down these historical silos and create a college road map that supports the upward economic mobility of our students.”
Educate Texas will continue supporting A2C by helping school districts implement these pathways and facilitating collaboration with higher education partners. By investing in regional alignment and early access, the A2C model offers a promising solution for expanding the teacher pipeline in Texas and beyond.
Joseph Reyes is deputy director of teaching and leading at Educate Texas, an initiative of Communities Foundation of Texas. In this role, he manages programs that increase access to high-quality educator preparation and works with school districts and higher education partners to strengthen the teacher workforce across the state.
As an enrollment manager or a vice president of academic affairs, or even a leader in student affairs, you might think, “Why should I care about gathering data from our current student population? That’s Institutional Research’s job.” But if you care about the health of your institution, if you care about keeping your students enrolled to graduation and if you care about showing your students you care about them as individuals, then regularly assessing student motivation and student satisfaction is an activity that should be on your radar. Intentionally using that data to improve the lives of your students and to identify key challenges for the college should be a priority for every member of the institutional leadership team.
You may know that assessing student satisfaction is important, but you need to get others on board on campus.
“If the WHY is powerful, the HOW is easy.” –Jim Rohn
Student-level data: Motivational assessments
Understanding what students need to be successful as they first enter your institution is a powerful way to begin building connections and showing students you care about them. Providing them with the services that they say they want and need to be successful will put you in the best position to serve students in the way they want to be served. In the recently published 2025 National First-Year Students and Their Motivation to Complete College Report, we identified the top 10 requests for support by incoming first-year students, based on the nearly 62,000 responses to the College Student Inventory in the fall of 2024:
Among first-year students’ top ten requests for assistance, we found themes of connection and belonging, career assistance, academic support, and financial guidance. These top 10 have remained fairly consistent over the last few years.
When campuses are aware of what incoming students need in the aggregate, institutional resources can be targeted to support these services. And when campuses, specifically advisors, know what individual students have self-identified as desired areas of support, guidance can be provided directly to the students most in need of and most receptive to receiving assistance.
While campuses can see a 1% improvement in student retention within the first year of implementing a motivational assessment, we have found that campuses that are assessing student motivation on a consistent basis over multiple years are most likely to see retention levels improve.(We recognize that motivation data alone doesn’t lead to improved retention, but the student-level data is an important component of institutional retention efforts.) The impact of consistently assessing student motivation with the RNL Retention Management System (RMS):
Data based on a February 2025 RNL review of reported retention rates 2015-2024 in IPEDS for client institutions using one or more of the instruments in the RNL Retention Management System.
The bottom line on why you should care about assessing individual student motivation
Asking students as they enter your institution what they need shows that you care about their experience. Using that data to build relationships between advisors and students lays the foundation of one of the most important connections students can have with your institution. Guiding students to the specific service or support they seek puts you in the best position to engage your students in meaningful ways. Ultimately, serving your students in the ways they need will make your institution more likely to retain those students.
What are the needs, challenges, and priorities for first-year college students? Find out in the National First-Year Students and Their Motivation to Complete College Report. You will learn their attitudes on finishing college, top areas of assistance, desire for career assistance, and more.
Knowing what students value across all class levels at your institution can provide the student voice in your data-informed decision-making efforts. Assessing student satisfaction is another way to show students you care about them, their experience with you, and what matters to them. Aligning your resources with student-identified priorities will reflect a student-centered environment where individuals may be more likely to want to stay.
Student satisfaction data from across your student population can inform and guide your institutional efforts in multiple ways:
Student success and retention activities: Identifying your top priorities for response so you are working on high-importance, low-satisfaction areas from the student perspective.
Strategic planning: Incorporate the student voice into your long-term planning efforts to stay aligned with where they want to see you make investments.
Accreditation: Document your progress year over year as part of a continuous improvement process to show your regional accreditor that you are paying attention and responding to students (and not just when it is time for re-affirmation!).
Recruitment: Highlight your high-importance, high-satisfaction strengths to attract students who will care about what you can offer.
To assist institutions with building the case for student satisfaction assessment on their campuses, we have developed two brief videos (under two minutes each), one talking about why assess satisfaction and why work with RNL specifically. My colleague Shannon Cook also hosted a 30-minute webinar that is available on demand to dive deeper into the why and how of assessing student satisfaction.
Satisfaction data provides valuable perspectives for every department on campus, identifying areas to celebrate and areas to invest more time, energy, and resources. Campuses that respond to what their students care about have reported seeing satisfaction levels increase and graduation rates improve. Most institutions we work with assess student satisfaction at least once every two or three years and then use the intervening months to explore the data through demographic subpopulations and conversations on campus, take action in high-priority areas, and communicate back with students about what has been done based on the student feedback. These ongoing cycles put institutions in the best position to create a culture of institutional improvement based on the student voice.
Student motivation and satisfaction assessments are effective practices
The impact of assessing student motivation and student satisfaction on institutional graduation rates has been documented with numerous studies over the years.
It is important to be aware that just gathering the data will not magically help you retain students. It is the first step in the process, following these ABCs:
Assess the needs with student and institutional level data collection
Build a high impact completion plan to engage students from pre-enrollment to retention to graduation, taking action based on what students say
Connect students to campus resources that best match their needs and will increase their likelihood to persist and complete and Communicate about what you are doing and why as improvements are made.
Contact me if you would like to learn more about assessing student motivation and student satisfaction on your campus.
What Works (and What Gets Ignored) According to Real Students
If you work in enrollment or financial aid, you’ve probably asked yourself: What actually helps students figure out college, and what just adds to the pile? For the 2025 E-Expectations survey, we went straight to the source—nearly 1,600 high school students themselves—and the answers are refreshingly straightforward. Spoiler: it’s not about the fanciest new tech, and it’s also not about drowning them in glossy brochures. When it comes to their “college planning playbook,” teenagers are looking for clear, actionable guidance that helps them make a huge life decision without losing their sanity (or their savings).
Here’s what we learned from our latest survey, and how you can use it to actually move the needle.
Students aren’t just window shopping
Forget the idea that students are passively leafing through mailers. Today’s applicants are strategic: they use whatever gets them closer to a decision and tune out the rest. When we asked, “Which resources have you used and how helpful were they?” the results were clear.
The top five: What really works
1. School emails still rule: Those emails you labor over? They’re not just spam fodder. Nearly 90% of students say they’re helpful, and just as many actually read them. The catch? Short, relevant, and timely messages work best. If you’re still sending email blasts that sound like a commercial, rethink your approach.
2. The official college website remains the king: When in doubt, students go straight to the source. Nine out of ten use college websites to research schools, making them the most-used tool, and 88% percent find them genuinely helpful. Students want the facts—what programs exist, what dorms look like, what deadlines are looming. If your website buries the basics, you’re losing them.
3. Nothing beats boots on the ground: Visiting campus is still the gold standard for gut checks. Eighty-eight percent say in-person visits are helpful, but only 80% manage to take one (travel and cost are real barriers). When they do, it’s a game-changer.
4. College planning websites make life easier: Think of these as digital guidance counselors. They’re used by 82% of students, and 85% say they’re helpful. The draw? Easy side-by-side comparisons and less spreadsheet chaos.
5. College fairs still pack a punch: They may be old school but they are effective: 80% of students attend college fairs, and 85% get helpful info they couldn’t find online. Sometimes, a face-to-face conversation is what tips the scale.
Mind the gap: Underused but powerful
There are plenty of tools out there, but some of the most helpful ones are flying under the radar. Here’s where colleges can do better:
Virtual tours and VR experiences: Students who use them love them (84% helpful), but only 77% have tried. Virtual can’t replace a campus tour, but it’s the next best thing—especially for out-of-state or lower-income students.
Online student communities: Authentic peer advice matters, but only 77% know about these platforms (even though 84% find them helpful).
Financial aid calculators: Nothing is scarier than the price tag, but only 81% use these tools, even though 85% say they’re helpful.
Live chats and chatbots: Quick answers, real-time help, yet only about 70% of students use them. Visibility is the issue, not usefulness.
And let’s talk about personalized texts and live messages from admissions counselors: students crave direct, real-time communication, but only 77% have gotten it, even though 84% rate it as helpful.
What enrollment pros should actually do
So what’s the actionable playbook? Here’s what our data says:
Promote your virtual stuff: Highlight virtual tours, student communities, and interactive platforms, especially for students who can’t visit in person.
Show the path to a job: Put career outcomes front and center. Students want to see how your programs connect to real-world gigs.
Make digital tools impossible to miss: If you have a chatbot or live chat, make it obvious. Don’t bury these features on your website.
Lead with affordability: Share scholarship calculators and cost tools early and often. Don’t make families hunt for them.
Invest in personal touch: The more tailored your outreach (think texts, quick emails, not just form letters), the better.
Make campus visits happen: Subsidize travel, host regional visit days, or beef up your virtual experiences for those who can’t make the trip.
The bottom line
Students don’t want a firehose of information. They want a GPS. The best colleges aren’t the ones with the flashiest websites or the most emails—they’re the ones who help students navigate from “I have no clue” to “I’ve got this.” Our job isn’t just to provide facts. It’s to be the trusted co-pilot on a student’s most important road trip.
Want the full breakdown, including more data and actionable insights?
Read the 2025 E-Expectations Trend Report to get a comprehensive experience of what students expect and experience when searching for colleges. If you’re serious about helping students (and your own enrollment goals), you’ll want to see everything we uncovered!
New license agreement provides all students and faculty with free access to Top Hat, reinforcing UGA’s strategic focus on affordability, student success, and innovation in teaching.
TORONTO – June 17, 2025 – Top Hat, the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, today announced that the University of Georgia has entered into a new enterprise agreement that will provide campus-wide access to the Top Hat platform at no cost to students or faculty. This initiative supports UGA’s continued efforts to promote high-impact teaching practices, student affordability, and innovation in the classroom.
Top Hat’s interactive teaching platform as well as content authoring and customization tools will be available to UGA faculty to enhance in-person, online, and hybrid courses across disciplines. With this agreement, UGA joins a growing number of leading institutions investing in Top Hat to empower instructors to improve learning outcomes and student success at scale.
“We are proud to support the University of Georgia in its efforts to deliver proven, student-centered teaching practices,” said Maggie Leen, CEO of Top Hat. “This partnership ensures every student and educator at UGA has access to the tools they need to drive learning and achievement, while reinforcing the university’s focus on affordability, innovation, and evidence-based instruction.”
This initiative reflects UGA’s commitment to both student affordability and instructional excellence. With Top Hat, faculty can adopt and customize low- or no-cost course materials—including OpenStax and OER—helping to reduce costs for students while delivering engaging, evidence-based instruction. The platform enables instructors to easily integrate active learning strategies, such as frequent low-stakes assessments and reflection prompts, which are proven to enhance student engagement and academic outcomes. Top Hat’s AI-powered assistant, Ace, streamlines course prep by generating high-quality questions directly from lecture content, and supports students with on-demand study help and unlimited practice opportunities—reinforcing learning both in and out of the classroom. Real-time data from polls, quizzes, and assignments also empowers educators to continuously monitor progress and improve instructional impact.
The University of Georgia is recognized nationally for excellence in teaching and learning, student completion, and affordability. The enterprise agreement with Top Hat is part of UGA’s broader commitment to building a world-class learning environment and increasing access to affordable, high impact teaching and learning resources.
About Top Hat
As the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, Top Hat enables educators to employ proven student-centered teaching practices through interactive content and tools enhanced by AI, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. To accelerate student impact and return on investment, the company provides a range of change management services, including faculty training and instructional design support, integration and data management services, and digital content customization. Thousands of faculty at 900 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class.
The study, published by the Institue of International Education (IIE), outlines the importance of expanding international study to the US over the next five years as American universities brace for an impending domestic “enrolment cliff”.
“Attracting global talent is crucial to driving the US economy and growth, and maintaining US leadership” IIE’s head of research, evaluation and learning Mirka Martel told The PIE News.
Martel, co-author of the Outlook 2030 Brief,highlighted the unique capacity of the US to host more international students, who currently make up just 6% of the overall student population.
In comparison, international students comprise a much larger proportion of the total student body in the UK (27%), Australia (31%) and Canada (38%).
Notably, 36 US states were identified by IIE with international student populations below the 6% line, with Massachusetts, New York and Washington DC the regions with the highest proportions of international students.
Meanwhile, US universities are facing a much reported on domestic enrolment cliff, with government figures showing undergraduate enrolment declining by more than two million between 2010 and 2022.
What’s more, projections indicate that the number of high school graduates will peak in 2025 and decline by 13% by 2041, with IIE warning that US colleges and universities will be left with “empty seats” if they do not focus on international enrolments.
Despite recent reports of declining student interest in the US driven by the Trump administration’s hostile policies, IIE’s Fall 2024 Snapshotpredicted a 3% growth in international student levels in the 2024/15 academic year.
Martel said she expected this forecast to hold true, pointing to the “exciting” fall increase in undergraduate rates for the first time since Covid and the continuing increase in Optional Practical Training (OPT) stemming from rising graduate rates over the last three years.
Outside the US, the total number of globally mobile students has seen exponential growth in recent years, nearly doubling over the past decade to reach 6.9 mil in 2024.
With last year witnessing the largest growth since the pandemic, some expect global mobility to exceed 9 million by 2030, driven by the growth of youthful populations in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
This, the report says, will create “a steady pipeline of students seeking future academic study”, highlighting the case of Nigeria where the country’s universities can only admit one-third of the two million annual applicants due to capacity constraints.
Elsewhere in India, domestic institutions have significantly expanded their undergraduate studies, but “there remains a strong interest in pursuing graduate studies abroad,” according to IIE.
Attracting global talent is crucial to driving the US economy and growth
Mirka Martel, IIE
In 2023/24, the number of international students in the US reached a record level of 1.1 million, which was primarily driven by a surge in OPT rather than new enrolments.
IIE’s 2030 Outlook highlights the $50bn contribution of international students to the US in 2024, with California ($6.4bn), New York ($6.3bn) and Massachusetts ($3.9) reaping the highest economic benefits.
What’s more, last year international students created nearly 400,000 jobs in the US, with the report highlighting their role in driving innovation in key industries, as more than half of international students in the US graduate from STEM fields.
It points to Chamber of Commerce predictions of incoming labour market shortages across healthcare, computer and mathematical sciences, and business and financial operations, with international students with US training well-poised to fill the gaps.
Beyond the numbers, “[international students] are a political and economic asset for America,” states the report: broadening perspectives in the classroom and furthering business, cultural, economic and political ties after they return home.
Some colleges and universities use therapy dogs to help students destress or address homesickness. The University of South Carolina employs shelter dogs for students to engage with as a form of exercise.
The Canine Fitness and Connection course invites about 25 students each semester to volunteer at a local animal shelter, giving them exposure to working with dogs while encouraging them to live healthy and active lives.
What’s the need: A 2023 survey by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse found that 57 percent of students named getting more exercise as a top health-related goal, while 43 percent cited spending more time outside. About half of respondents indicated their physical health and wellness impact their ability to focus, learn and do well in school at least somewhat.
At USC, the physical activities program strives to offer unique courses that match student interests, said director Gary Nave. In the past, courses have included Zumba and Quidditch, but as trends change, student interest wanes, requiring more creative programs.
In 2022, Nave was researching physical education offerings at other universities and came across Auburn University’s Puppy Play course, which was offered from about 2014 to 2017.
“We know that interacting with animals has benefits and it makes a difference in your stress and your anxiety, and I think a lot of our physical activity classes help do that,” Nave said, so pairing the two seemed natural.
Walking clubs have also grown in popularity among young people as Gen Z seeks to both make friends and stay active.
How it works: USC partners with Final Victory Animal Rescue in West Columbia (roughly four miles from campus) to offer the course, which has two sections with a total enrollment of about 25.
Students who enroll often have some level of experience with dogs and are looking to connect with animals while living in college housing, or to learn how to better care for their pets. For others less familiar with dogs, the course is an opportunity to step out of their comfort zone.
Prior to class time, students are assigned a reading or video to watch, and the instructor delivers a brief 15-minute lecture at the start of their meeting.
The remainder of the 90-minute class is devoted to animal care, including dog walking, grooming and feeding, plus kennel cleaning.
“They do a lot of other stuff, because there’s more to taking care of a dog than just walking it,” Nave said. “If that was the case, then there’s no responsibility, everybody would want a dog, right?”
Students submit their step count to the instructor as part of their participation grade, often tracked by a pedometer app or similar smartphone or smartwatch technology.
Throughout the term, students learn about canine behavior, how to use a slip lead, the benefits of walking with dogs and the importance of community service, among other topics.
At the end of the term, students complete a project in which they take the dogs out of the shelter for a day to practice handling them on their own. After the excursion, students provide feedback to shelter staff about the dog’s temperament and behavior so staff can create the best match for the dog’s permanent home.
Students also take pictures and videos, which are shared as promotional material for the shelter, helping increase the visibility of dogs up for adoption.
Video courtesy of Tom Kelly, the University of South Carolina
The impact: Since the program launched in spring 2022, student interest has been strong, with end-of-term feedback revealing how much participants enjoyed the opportunity to work with dogs.
More Pup Perspectives
Several colleges and universities have recognized the positive impact dogs can have on student well-being and engagement.
“This semester, I was able to do something I love, while at the same time learning skills that I could apply to my everyday life,” one student wrote. “I highly, highly recommend taking this class any chance you get.”
Former students have even elected to foster or adopt animals they cared for during the course, according to the USC website.
Assignment data shows an impact on students’ physical activity as well, with participants walking an average of 2.5 miles over 90 minutes, clocking 7,000 steps during the week.
The course also connects students with a philanthropic organization and professional instructors with extensive experience raising and handling dogs, exposing them to new perspectives, Nave said.
“It’s worth experimenting to see if this class could be beneficial for your students,” Nave said.
DIY: For institutions looking to model the course, Nave advises starting with a student survey to gauge interest. “If they don’t want it, there’s no sense in offering it.” Then identify a local animal shelter willing to serve as a host and partner for the course.
Another consideration is risk management. Working with animals can pose a safety risk for students, so identifying whether the course requires a waiver or other documentation to lessen liability is key, Nave said.
New York, NY –Counslr, a leading B2B mental health and wellness platform, announced today that it has expanded its footprint into the State of Texas starting with a partnership with Colorado Independent School District (ISD) in Colorado City, TX. This partnership will empower students and staff to prioritize their mental health by enabling them to access unlimited live texting sessions with Counslr’s licensed and vetted mental health support professionals, who are available on-demand, 24/7/365 and also utilize the app’s robust and curated wellness resources. By increasing accessibility to Counslr’s round-the-clock support, Colorado ISD aims to empower those silent sufferers who previously did not or could not access care, whether due to cost, inconvenience, or stigma.
Texas is facing a critical mental health care crisis, with over 95% of its counties officially designated as Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas. This alarming statistic underscores the severe lack of access to mental health services across the state, particularly in rural, border, and frontier communities. This resource scarcity underscores the urgent need for additional resources and innovative solutions to bridge this critical care gap for school communities.
“We’re excited to partner with Counslr to bring innovative, accessible mental health resources to our school community,” said Alison Alvarez, Family and Community Engagement Coordinator, of Colorado ISD. “This partnership empowers our 6-12 grade students and staff with the support they need to thrive—both in and out of the classroom.”
As factors such as academic pressures, social media influence, burnout and world events contribute to an increase in mental health challenges for young people, schools throughout the country are recognizing the growing need to offer more accessible, prevention-focused resources. A recent study found that digital mental health apps like Counslr can play an important role in expanding access to mental health support, especially for school communities. Most users turned to Counslr through on-demand sessions, showing just how valuable it is to have someone available in the moment when support is needed most. Interestingly, more than 80% of sessions happened between 7 PM and 5 AM, a time when traditional counseling services are usually unavailable. This suggests that Counslr helps fill a critical gap, offering students and school community members a reliable way to talk to licensed counselors around the clock. The app was also used for a wide range of concerns, highlighting its potential to meet diverse mental health needs through both immediate and scheduled support.
“As we expand across the country, we’re proud to partner with new school communities to ensure that every student, regardless of location or background, has access to the mental health support they deserve,” said Josh Liss, Counslr CEO. Adding that, “With most of Counslr’s users being first-time care seekers, we’re excited to help reach those traditionally unreachable, who need help but do not or cannot access it, no matter where they are located.”
ABOUT COUNSLR
Counslr is a text-based mental health support application that provides unlimited access to robust wellness resources and live texting sessions with licensed professionals, 24/7/365. Users can access support on-demand within two minutes of opening the app, or by scheduled appointment. Through real-time texting, users enjoy one-on-one, private communication with a licensed counselor that can be conducted anytime, anywhere. Counslr was designed to help individuals deal with life’s day-to-day issues, empowering individuals to address concerns while they are “small” to help ensure that they stay “small”. Counslr partners with organizations of all shapes and sizes (companies, unions, nonprofits, universities/colleges, high schools, etc) so that these entities can provide Counslr’s services to their employees/members/students at no direct cost. For more information, please visit www.counslr.com.
eSchool Media staff cover education technology in all its aspects–from legislation and litigation, to best practices, to lessons learned and new products. First published in March of 1998 as a monthly print and digital newspaper, eSchool Media provides the news and information necessary to help K-20 decision-makers successfully use technology and innovation to transform schools and colleges and achieve their educational goals.
Restrictive immigration policy in Australia has boosted numbers coming to UK.
75% of the market is searching for undergraduate options with affordable fees.
Medium-of-instruction (MOI) English language waivers are common, and often linked to TNE college partnerships.
Nepal has been a key recruitment market for both Australia and the UK for many years – but as the number of students applying to the UK rises, many more universities are starting to explore the market.
In the year ending March 2024, according to ONS data, 9,003 Nepalese students were issued study visas for the UK, with the number undoubtedly larger for the intakes since.
According to Enroly, the number of CASs issued for the January 2025 intake was up 200% while CAS issuance for its entire UK portfolio was only up 23%. Overall, the total market share of CAS issuance for Nepal grew from 3% to 7% in 2024.
This impressive growth has come at a time when some British universities have seen falling demand from other international markets, and the government has announced a student visa clamp-down on Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka – linked to asylum claims.
So why are Nepalese students choosing the UK and will it last?
Over 60,000 Nepalese students previously chose to study in Australia each year, making it the third biggest source market for the country.
Recent visa restrictions imposed by the Albanese government, however, are now forcing many students to seek an alternative destination.
While the Australian visa process requires detailed evidence on income, the UK system allows students to show a mature bank account, often supplemented by private student loans.
Enroly estimates that 78% of Nepalese students are now funded through education loans, or a combination of an education loan and university discount.
Affordable fees and scholarships
Despite economic growth, projected to be 4.61% this fiscal year, Nepal is still a price-senstitive market.
As a consequence, there are 15-20 British universities from the ‘Million Plus’ and ‘Alliance’ groups attracting a large market share in the country.
Many of these institutions are the same UK universities that are diversifying income through franchise activity, brand campuses and TNE articulations.
Offering average annual fees of between £11,500 and £13,500 enables them to attract a large number of predominently undergraduate students to supplement their numbers.
According to HESA statistics, some of the biggest recruiters are BPP, University of Sunderland and Coventry University.
The latter have validation partnerships with local providers such as ISMT College and Softwarica College of IT and eCommerce, respectively, creating a pipeline of students that can top-up with a final year in the UK or progress easily on to masters degree.
The UK universities recruiting the most students from Nepal:
University of West Scotland, London
BPP
Coventry University
University of Sunderland
University of Roehampton
York St John University
Ravensbourne University London
University of East London (UEL)
University of West London
University of Wolverhampton
University of Central Birmingham (UCB)
University of Hertfordshire
University of Greenwich
Ulster University
The trend for universities to accept Nepalese students directly has significantly reduced the demand for foundation programmes in the region.
Accpetance of MOI letters as proof of English
Another key factor is the widespread acceptance of MOI letters as a waiver of additional English language tests.
These letters are used as proof that the qualification gained by a prosepctive student was both taught and assessed in English to a level acdepted by a university as having met English language requirements. The UK government is currently consulting with the sector on the way universities make English language self-assessment decisions for admissions purposes.
Agents and immigration consultants use English language waivers as one of the areas to save prospective students money and support partner universities.
According to Enroly, 82% of course deposits paid by Nepalese students for the UK, come from applications supported by an education agent.
The PIE News visited Nepal to better understand the challenges education agents face in a competitive market. Read the full report here.
Central vision loss–a condition that impairs the ability to see objects directly in front of the eyes–can have profound academic and social impacts on K-12 students. Because this type of vision loss affects tasks that require detailed focus, such as reading, writing, and recognizing faces, students with central vision impairment often face unique challenges that can affect their overall school experience.
In the classroom, students with central vision loss may struggle with reading printed text on paper or on the board, despite having otherwise healthy peripheral vision. Standard classroom materials are often inaccessible without accommodations such as large print, magnification devices, or digital tools with text-to-speech capabilities. These students might take longer to complete assignments or may miss visual cues from teachers, making it difficult to follow along with lessons. Without appropriate support, such as assistive technology, students may fall behind academically, which can affect their confidence and motivation to participate.
As a result, they may be perceived as aloof or unfriendly, leading to social isolation or misunderstanding. Group activities, games, and unstructured time like lunch or recess can become sources of anxiety if students feel excluded or unsafe. Moreover, children with vision loss may become overly dependent on peers or adults, which can further affect their social development and sense of independence.
While this may seem daunting, there are assistive technologies to help students navigate central vision loss and have fulfilling academic and social experiences.
One such technology, eSight Go from Gentex Corporation’s eSight, uses an advanced high-speed, high-definition camera to capture continuous video footage of what a user is looking at. Algorithms optimize and enhance the footage and share it on two HD OLED screens, providing sharp, crystal-clear viewing. The user’s brain then synthesizes the images to fill any gaps in their vision, helping them to see more clearly, in real time.
“The ability to have central perception brought back into your set of tools for education is critically important,” said Roland Mattern, eSight’s director of sales and marketing. “Ease of reading, ease of seeing the board, using tablets or computers–all of these things [lead to] the ability to complete an academic task with greater ease.”
One key feature, Freeze Frame, lets the user capture a temporary photograph with the device’s camera, such as an image on an interactive whiteboard, a textbook page, or a graphic. The student can magnify the image, scan and study it, and take what they need from it.
“This eases the ability to absorb information and move on, at a regular pace, with the rest of the class,” Mattern noted.
Socially, central vision loss can create additional barriers. A major part of social interaction at school involves recognizing faces, interpreting facial expressions, and making eye contact–all tasks that rely heavily on central vision. Students with this impairment might have difficulty identifying peers or teachers unless they are spoken to directly. The glasses can help with these social challenges.
“There’s a huge social aspect to education, as well–seeing expressions on teachers’ and fellow students’ faces is a major part of communication,” Mattern said.
What’s more, the glasses also help students maintain social connections inside and outside of the classroom.
“Think of how much peer-to-peer communication is digital now, and if you have central vision loss, you can’t see your phone or screen,” Mattern said. “The educational part is not just academic–it’s about the student experience that you want to enhance and optimize.”
Educators, parents, and school staff play a crucial role in fostering inclusive environments–by educating classmates about visual impairments, encouraging empathy, and ensuring that students with central vision loss are supported both academically and socially. With the right accommodations and social-emotional support, these students can thrive in school and build strong connections with their peers.
“If we can make daily living, hobbies, and education easier and facilitate participation, that’s a win for everybody,” Mattern said.
Laura Ascione is the Editorial Director at eSchool Media. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland’s prestigious Philip Merrill College of Journalism.
