Enhancing the student experience in African universities

Providing African universities with actionable data on international students’ experiences, benchmarking performance globally, and supporting continuous improvement in the quality of international education.

Running the International Student Barometer (ISB) will help to evaluate and enhance the experience of international students at African institutions by systematically gathering their feedback and benchmarking it against global standards. This enables universities to understand student satisfaction, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions to strengthen their internationalisation strategies.

What is the International Student Barometer?

The International Student Barometer (ISB) is the world's largest international student experience survey of enrolled students, gathering feedback from over 4 million students, in over 1,600 institutions, across more than 40 countries.

The ISB provides comprehensive feedback on the entire student journey, from application to graduation, helping to track international students’ perceptions, expectations, and experiences.
It allows African institutions to benchmark against regional, national, and global standards, enabling a competitive view of the student experience.
The insights from the ISB help inform policy, develop better recruitment and retention strategies, and ensure resources are optimally allocated to support international students.

Why should African universities participate?

Drive evidence-based improvements: The survey creates a mechanism for evidence-based decision-making and helps drive improvements at institutional and national levels.
Set your strategic priorities: The ISB findings can be used to showcase strengths, identify weaknesses, and set strategic priorities for investments in international education.
Increase your competitive position: An enhanced understanding of what matters most to international students enables African universities to deliver a world-class student experience and remain attractive in an increasingly competitive global education landscape.

How your institution can find out more and be involved.

To understand more about the value of the International Student Barometer to your institution and how you can be involved, contact your regional ISB specialists, Nannette or Chris directly, or access the following resources:

1. View the on-demand session recording designed for African institutions: The webinar attended by multiple African universities shared insights into student motivations, decision-making, and the factors driving happiness and recommendation, plus how ISB data is used in other countries across the globe to improve institutional performance and attract international students.

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Webinar: How to increase student numbers, keep them happy, and influence recommendation

In this 30 minute recording, our experts provide an analysis of the latest International Student Barometer data, from 106,427 students, across 132 institutions in 24 countries, to provide you with up to date insights into the global (and regional) student experience.

In particular, our experts explore the following aspects of the international student experience:

Decision factors - what is currently driving choice of destination for international students?
Integration - how does students' sense of belonging and integration differ across regions, and what are the most important factors you should consider?
Artificial Intelligence - how do students perceive AI? - their usage, expectations, and the perceived impact on their careers.
Employability - how do you ensure your institution understands this most critical aspect of the student experience, and how can you meet their expectations?
Net Promoter Score (NPS) - which factors are the biggest drivers of student recommendation?

By watching this session, you will gain the freshest insights from the world's largest survey of enrolled students, and understand some of the most important aspects of the student experience that can help you create a competitive advantage on the global higher education landscape.