2. International School Admission Industry
2
In 2013, The Secondary School Admission Test Board (SSATB), a not-for-profit membership organization serving 900
private and independent schools in the United States, Canada, and worldwide, published a seminal research report
titled The State of the Independent School Admission Industry. This report chronicled the structure, process, and enrollment
operations and challenges of independent school admission in North America and provoked a great deal of dialogue
about the changing conditions of, and expectations for, admission officers in our member day and boarding schools.
Given our keen interest in learning more about the international school admission industry, SSATB reached out to
ECIS, ISC Research Ltd., and seasoned international school admission professionals to help us disseminate a first-
of-its-kind international schools admission survey. We are particularly indebted to Catalina Gardescu, Manager
of Admissions and External Relations at the American International School of Bucharest, and Nicholas Kent, High
School Principal at Concordia International School Shanghai, for their invaluable assistance in crafting the survey.
Through the survey we sought to provide international school leaders with critical data about the:
• admission personnel, process, and operation within and across international schools;
• cost of tuition and the degree of financial aid offered at international schools;
• challenges international schools face in terms of recruitment and selection of students; and
• key issues relating to governance and decision-making.
As reported by ISC Research Ltd. at the 2015 Association for the Advancement of International Education
(AAIE) conference, the international school student population has grown nearly 400% since 2000, and
the number of international schools has risen from 2,584 to 7,545 in just 15 years. This growth indicates
that admission and enrollment professionals at international schools must be prepared to address not only
the growing competition from other international schools, but must also possess the strategic enrollment
management skills that contribute to school sustainability.
Surprisingly, for a majority of survey respondents, there is no seat at the proverbial leadership ta-
ble. Data reveal that for those leading the admission and enrollment function in their schools, 59%
are not considered senior administrators; 60% have no role in setting tuition; 47% have no role in
setting the financial aid budget; and only 20% regularly attend board meetings. Perhaps even more
startling is that only 29% of the admission leaders responding to the survey make the final decision
about which students get admitted to their schools.
Just as I have challenged SSATB member heads of school to view their admission leaders as their schools’ “chief
revenue and relationship officer,” I request the same of international school leaders. Indeed, international schools are
even more tuition-dependent than their colleague independent schools in North America.
We still have a lot to learn about the booming international school market and hope that these survey results will spark
important and strategic conversations about the function and role of enrollment professionals in international schools.
Perhaps equally important, we hope they will drive needed professional development and training for international
school enrollment leaders.
Heather Hoerle
Executive Director, SSATB
Dear Colleague:
3. 3
International School Admission Industry
Key
Themes
There is little operational standardization across
international school admission.
Admission at international schools differs widely both in the number (and titles) of staff
members performing the admission function and the level of admission staff interaction with
the board and senior administration. Often, admission at these schools is the responsibility of the
heads or directors, with a majority also working in other roles.
International schools have great variability in tuition and financial aid.
There is a wide range of tuition charged at international schools—with the majority ranging from between
$10,000 USD and $30,000 USD. The majority of schools charge fees in addition to tuition. The awarding of
financial aid varies among schools, with no clear pattern of consistency.
Admission’s influence within international schools is fairly limited.
For the most part, admission plays very little role in setting tuition or determining financial aid budget. Having
a voice or representation at the board level is also limited among international school admission professionals.
Similarly, admission professionals are most often not responsible for making final student admission decisions.
The #1 challenge of international schools is competition from international schools.
The greatest perceived challenge facing admission at international schools is competition from other international
schools in the area. Marketing the school effectively, pressure from boards/heads to meet enrollment numbers,
dealing with economic decline in the area, and enrolling a diverse student body
are also of great concern.
International school admission professionals are hungry
to hone their skills.
International school admission professionals proactively seek professional development to
expand their skill sets and to become more successful in their roles. Opportunities for
skill development in data, communications and marketing, strategic leadership,
finance/budgeting, and student assessment are most requested. Yet, the
ability to hone these skills is challenged by some schools’ lack of
professional development budgets.
4. International School Admission Industry
4
Religious Affiliation
93%
7%
For Profit
66%
34%
●Yes ● No
Accreditation Status
94%
6%
●Yes ● No●Yes ● No
Who Responded?
Survey participants were widespread geographically, as well as over segments of interest to the international school admis-
sion community, including not-for-profit and for-profit schools, source of accreditation, year founded, ages supported, and
enrollment size. Small percentages of respondent schools indicated religious affiliation and presence in multiple countries.
Some facts about the 296 international schools whose responses are included in this report:
ECIS (28%) and EARCOS (22%) are the most widely
represented international school organizations in the survey,
followed by COBIS, NESA, and AASSA.
5. Survey
Methodology
This report presents the results of the International
School Admission Industry survey conducted on behalf of the
Secondary School Admission Test Board (SSATB) by Insightlink
Communications (Pasadena, CA). The goal was to collect
information from international schools to reveal and determine
admission’s current state and future needs.
The data for this survey were collected via Insightlink’s web-based
survey system. The online survey was sent to 2,146 international
school admission leaders. 296 replied to the survey for a response
rate of 14%. Data were collected between late January
and early March 2015.
Insightlink
80 S. Lake Ave., Suite 680
Pasadena, California, 91101 USA
866-802-8095
www.insightlink.com
5
International School Admission Industry
Accreditation Status
94%
6%
Ages Supported
0-5
91%
6-11
95%
12-14
98%
15-16
93%
17-18
90%
● No ●Yes
Enrollment Size
The majority of schools surveyed enroll 301-500 or more than 700 students.
More than 1,3001,001-1,300700-1,000501-700301-500201-300Less than 201
10%
11%
23%
17%
20%
7%
12%
Admission Leader Years of Experienc
42%
have 10 or more years experience
YEARS
>10
41%
have 6 years experience or l
YEARS
<6
Gender of
Admission Leaders
84%
of admission
leaders are female
● 0-3 years ● 4-6 years ●7-9 years
●10-14 years ●15+ years
19%
15%
21%
<1900 1950 1975 2000 2015
2%
25%
19%
12%
42%
Year Founded
Source of Accreditation
IB 58%
CIS 43%
NEASC 20%
MSASC 9%
ADVANCED 6%
WASC 23%
CFBT 1%
Other 27%
6. International School Admission Industry
6
Women greatly outnumber men in international school
admission offices. More than three-fourths (84%) of in-
ternational school admission directors responding to this
survey are female, while only16% are male.
Most of the admission directors surveyed at international
schoolsreporttotheschoolhead/superintendent/principal
(71%), while smaller percentages report to the CFO (5%),
director of advancement (5%), assistant/deputy school
head/superintendent/principal (3%), or others (16%).
Professional Experience
Thirty-nine percent (39%) of the admission directors
completing the survey have experience in school ad-
ministration; 37% have classroom experience; 37% have
business or business administration experience; and 27%
have a marketing background. Admission staff at smaller
schools are somewhat more likely to have backgrounds
as classroom instructors or in non-governmental orga-
nizations. At larger schools, their backgrounds are more
likely than average to include business administration and
marketing.
Profile of the International
School Admission Professional
301-500201-300Less than 201
10 11 23
Gender of
Admission Leaders
84%
of admission
leaders are female
Job Responsibilities
While survey participants work in admission, this is not typ-
ically their sole area of responsibility. Only 20% of respon-
dentsindicatedthattheyaresolelyresponsibleforadmission.
The remaining 80% reported a diverse group of responsi-
bilities outside of admission. A majority of international ad-
mission professionals report responsibilities, including oth-
er administrative duties (64%), marketing/communications
(63%), or financial administration (23%) in addition to ad-
mission. Only 19% of international admission professionals
have responsibilities in teaching or advising/counseling.
Job Responsibilities
in Addition to Admission
64% Administrative
63% Marketing/Communication
23% Financial Administration
16% Other
10% Advising/Counseling
9% Teaching
5% Coaching/Extra-Curricular
2% Dormitory
37%
39%
27%
37%
16%
10%
5%
15%
Background/Experience
● School Administration
● Business
● Classroom
● Marketing
● NGO
● Other
● Finance
● Government
7. 7
International School Admission Industry
Tenure patterns for admission staff at their current schools tend to
mirror their tenure in admission. Almost one-quarter (23%) have been
at their schools zero to three years and about the same proportion
(21%) have been at their schools four to six years. About one-in-six
(15%) have been at their schools seven to nine years, nearly one-fifth
(19%) for 10-14 years, and 22% have been at their schools for 15 years
or more.
According to the survey, almost 42% of international school admission
leaders have 10 or more years of experience in admission, while 41%
have six years’ experience or less. However, 59% have been at their
current schools more than seven years, suggesting they have devel-
oped a strong knowledge of the schools’ values and culture.
Tenure at
Current School
● 0-3 years ● 4-6 years ●7-9 years
●10-14 years ●15+ years
23%
22%
19%
15%
21%
<1900 1950 1975
2%
25%
12%
42%
Year Founded
Professional Development
A vast majority (91%) of survey respondents are inter-
ested in participating in professional development. Com-
munications (66%), marketing (64%), and the use of data
to drive decision making (60%) are top areas of interest
in skill development among respondents. Although 91%
of respondents are interested in professional develop-
ment, only 59% have a budget allocated for professional
development.
The Future of the International School
Admission Profession
A majority of international school admission staff (58%)
see themselves remaining in admission five years from
now. However, 42% of survey respondents report the
possibility of leaving the admission office in the next five
years. Proportionally, 22% see themselves moving into
headship or other school leadership positions, 2% moving
into teaching or other academic roles, and 10% moving to
other roles on campus. Eight percent (8%) are planning to
leave international education entirely. It will be important
for independent school heads and principals to understand
how admission office turnover may affect their school’s
enrollment outlook and to be prepared to support new
admission staff in acquiring the necessary knowledge and
skills to be successful in the position.
Although 91% of respondents
are interested in professional
development, only 59% have
a budget allocated for
professional development.
8. International School Admission Industry
8
Accountability but No Control
A school’s enrollment management vision is stewarded
by the board of trustees or directors, and the specific
work of student enrollment management—marketing,
recruitment, selection, placement, and retention—is led
by those in the admission office, along with other school
advancement leaders. Yet, only four-in-10 of the survey
respondents are members of their schools’ senior lead-
ership teams (41%). Most others are involved with the
senior leadership to at least some extent—but 32% of
them report that they have no formal, face-to-face inter-
actions with senior leaders.
Similarly, the survey finds a significant disconnect between
the board room and the admission office. A mere 20%
of directors/heads of admission regularly attend board
meetings, while a smaller percentage (13%) present at
board meetings only when specifically called to attend.
Thirty-nine percent (39%) provide information to the
board but do not usually attend meetings, while nearly
one-third (29%) are not involved in board activities at all.
Some schools have boards that have taken a proactive ap-
proach to understanding the role of admission in relation
to school sustainability and revenue generation. Thirty-six percent (36%) of responding schools have boards that have an
admission/marketing committee or working group. This proportion varies across regions, school sizes, and countries, from
as low as one-fourth (24%) to as high as two-thirds. However, 32% of total respondents indicate that they do not serve on
their school’s admissions/marketing committee or working group—begging the question of why the key admission staffer
is not giving voice to admission challenges, marketing tactics, and other enrollment strategies at the board level.
1
2
3
4
5
Assessing/obtaining info on
student's special education
needs (when applicable)*
Assessing the students
behavior/character*
Determining English
language proficiency
Understanding different
grading systems of students'
current schools*
Differentiating the relative strength
of the academic program of
students current school
Common Challenges
Assessing Applicants
Interaction/Involvement
with Leadership Team
4%
41%
8%
19%
28%
● I am a member
of the leadership team.
● I am not a member of the
leadership team, but
regularly attend their
meetings.
● I only present to the
leadership team meetings
when asked.
● I provide the leadership team
info, but do not attend
meetings.
● I am not involved with the
leadership team.
13%
29%
39%
20%
Admission’s Involvement with the Board
Not involved
with board
Regularly attends
board meetings
Presents at board
meetings when asked
Provides info,
does not attend meetings
9. 9
International School Admission Industry
Dollars and Sense
A team approach that brings together all the key per-
sonnel with responsibility for revenue generation and
retention is needed within schools. Admission directors
must be part of these strategic conversations within their
schools in order to help build enrollment models that are
sustainable for their institutions.
Despite significant responsibility for revenue generation
and sustainability, there is also a disconnect between what
international school admission leaders are accountable for
and what they control. Only a small percentage of interna-
tional school admission leaders have a seat at the leader-
ship table when tuition is set at their schools. When asked
about the role of admission in determining tuition, 60%
say they are given limited influence on the decision; 30%
report making requests or suggestions regarding tuition
but are not part of the decision; and only 10% report that
admission plays a key role in deciding tuition.
Similarly, admission directors have a limited role in setting
the financial aid budget for their schools. According to the
survey’s respondents, 44% have limited influence on financial aid budget decisions; 47% have no influence regarding
financial aid decisions; and only 9% report that admission plays a key role in deciding the financial aid budget. Given
admission’s direct role in managing awards, the slightly increased role in financial aid budgeting over tuition setting makes
sense; the low level of influence does not.
30%
10%
60%
Given amount to work with,
limited influence on decision
Play a
key role
Makes requests,
not part of decision
Role of Admission
in Setting Tuition
47%
Have limited influence
on financial aid
budget decisions
44%
Have no influence
on financial aid
budget decisions
9%
Play key role
in financial aid
budgeting
Role of Admission in Setting the Financial Aid Budget
10. International School Admission Industry
10
Compensation and Staffing
While admission is accountable for bringing in a large
majority of a school’s revenue each year, the salaries of
international school admission directors do not appear
to be commensurate with that level of responsibility. Ac-
cording to survey respondents, 60% of them are being
compensated below other director-level administrators
in their schools. Thirty-eight percent (38%) say they are
paid at a manager level, and 22% are paid at a clerical
level. Only 23% of respondents are receiving the pay of
a director-level administrator, and only 17% of interna-
tional admission directors are paid as senior-level admin-
istrators. Compensation as a senior-level administrator is
most common in Switzerland and Japan, and at schools
with fewer than 200 students.
Just over one-quarter of the schools offer a housing allowance for the director/head of admission (28%). These allowances
are most common in Asia (56% - particularly in China at 81%), Sub-Saharan Africa (50%), and at the largest schools (37%).
Nine-in-ten (90%) are paid in local currency. Sub-Saharan Africa is the only place where a substantial group (29%) are
paid in some other currency.
Staffing
When asked to report the number of full- and part-time staff—not including themselves—about one-third of international
school admission leaders report not having any additional full-time admission staff and almost as many (30%) have just
one full-time staffer. Only a small proportion of schools (8%) have five or more additional full-time people in these roles.
Sixty-eight percent of admission directors responding say they do not employ any part-time staff, while 31% employ some
number of part-time staff. Overall, the admission office staffing picture that emerges is a lean one.
Full-Time Staff
4%
9%
16%
30%
8% > >
33%
Part-Time Staff
0%
1%
5%
25%
0%
68%
Staff figures shown do not include the respondent
Senior-Level
Administrator
Director-Level
Administrator
Manager
Clerical
Pay Scale of
Admission Leaders
17%
23%
38%
22%
16%
10%
5%
15%
11. 11
International School Admission Industry
Recruitment Activities
and Their Effectiveness
Unlike independent schools in North America, only a small proportion of international schools are actively engaged
in outreach activities designed to attract and refer students to their schools. Sixty-four percent (64%) of respondents
said they make no visits to the human resource offices of the companies with whom they are closely tied, though larger
schools and those in China are slightly more likely to do so. Sixty-three percent (63%) do not visit any corporate relo-
cation companies, and that same proportion make no visits to feeder schools.
Since it is clearly not active outreach, what marketing tools do international
school admission directors use and find most effective? The survey results
indicate that international schools regard referrals from current and previous
families and school tours as the most effective recruitment tools. Perceived
effectiveness is much lower for campus videos, relocation agents, HR manag-
ers, social media, and viewbooks/newsletters/magazines. Given the role of the
school tour, it is not surprising that according to survey respondents, at least
seven-in-ten applicants visit the school before acceptance.
Many international schools indicate the use of additional tools to connect
with prospective families and to raise the profile of their schools with key
audiences, including alumni events in the U.S.; hosting of national and regional
events on campus; the rental of school facilities to other groups; special pro-
grams including summer camps, festivals, and school fairs; student ambassador
programs; and advertising on local radio.
64%
7%
7%
5%
2% 15%
63%
6%
9%
5%
1% 15%
Visits to
feeder schools
Visits to corporate
relocation companies
63%
8%
8%
5%
2% 14%
● Zero
● 1
● 2
● 3
● 4
● 5 or more
Visits to HR offices
of companies School fairs
53%
15%
15%
5%
3%
9%
Effective Marketing Tools
8
Referral from
Current Family
??%
Referral from
Previous Family
??%
School Tour
??%
Videos of
campus/
campus life
??%
Relocation
agents
??%
Human
Resources
Managers
??%
Social Media
??%
Viewbooks/
Newsletters/
Magazines
??%
Most Effective
Marketing Tools
8
Referral from
Current Family
Referral from
Previous Family
School Tour
Videos of
Campus/
Campus Life
Relocation
Agents
Human
Resources
Managers
Social Media
Viewbooks/
Newsletters/
Magazines
12. International School Admission Industry
12
The Application Process
Unlike most of their North American counterparts that utilize fixed application deadlines, 89% of international schools
have rolling admission deadlines. Rolling admission can create more challenging situations for admission professionals as
the application volume can vary in inconsistent ways. This requires that admission offices capture month-over-month
funnel metrics and more nuanced data analyses when looking at yield projections and forecasting.
The most frequently-used applica-
tion components are grades/formal
records (98%), candidate interviews
(76%), teacher recommendations
(71%), standardized test scores
(60%), parent interviews (55%), writ-
ing samples (55%), and in-house as-
sessments (53%).
Despite the commonalities of ap-
plication requirements, widespread
use of a single, standard application
is not evidenced in the data. About
half of the international schools
reporting (51%) have their own
school-specific online application form, yet use of a “common application” form—i.e. one form that can be used to
apply to multiple schools—is rare among international schools. The international school admission community might
wish to consider use of a common application to standardize and simplify the application process for their highly mo-
bile students and families.
Assessing Applicants
The greatest applicant assessment challenges at international schools are
assessing special education needs (29%), determining the level of English lan-
guage proficiency (25%), assessing behavior/character (22%), and differentiating
the relative strength of the student’s current school’s academic program (21%).
Given the great interest in international schools by the global community, it is
of no surprise that more than three-quarters of international schools (77%)
require an English proficiency test. Yet, nearly half of the schools reporting
(43%) use an assessment that was created in-house, while others accept the
WIDA, MAP, and other English proficiency assessments.
The Application Process
and Admission Committee
Setas%oftuition
Fixedamount
Flexiblebasedongoals/need
Don'tknow
10%
20%
45%
25%
How is FA budget set?
English
Proficiency
77%
require
a test of English proficiency
43%
use an in-house test
for English proficiency
In-house
assessments
Writing
samples
Parent
interviews
Standardized
test scores
Teacher
recommendations
Candidate
interviews
Grades/formal
records
76%
71%
60%
55%
55%
53%
In-house
assessments
Writing
samples
Parent
interviews
Standardized
testscores
Teacher
recommendations
Candidate
interviews
Grades/formal
records
98%
76%
71%
60%
55%
55%
53%
Application Components
Most Popular Language Assessments:
In-house assessments, WIDA, MAP
13. 13
International School Admission Industry
Fees, Deposits, and Databases
Application fees are the norm at international schools
(82%) across all regions, school sizes, and countries. About
half of international school respondents (48%) charge an
application fee of more than $200 USD. Lower fees are
most common in Latin America and the Caribbean.
About two-thirds of responding schools (65%) require a
deposit when the offer of enrollment is accepted. Over
half (54%) charge a deposit of less than 10% of tuition,
while one-fifth (20%) charge between 11% and 20%. Ad-
mission professionals might want to question the purpose
of the deposit, as the low financial commitment and risk
seen in over half of responding schools may not inhibit
families from enrolling elsewhere. Therefore, it does little
to support enrollment and financial forecasting.
Finally, the international schools responding to the survey
use a wide range of database systems, with none having a
dominant share. The most common are in-house systems
(15%), Powerschool (14%), ManageBac (9%), AdminPlus
(8%), and Veracross (6%).
The Admission Committee
More than half of the admission directors responding
(57%) utilize an admission committee to evaluate can-
didates. Only a little over half (56%) head their school’s
admission committee. Personnel on the admission com-
mittee most often include admission staff (73%), admin-
istrators (71%), school counselors (51%), learning special-
ists (47%), ESL/EAL teachers (41%), and faculty (36%).
The role of administrators on the admission committee is
of great importance given their role in final decision-mak-
ing. Given international schools role in serving mobile pop-
ulations, the inclusion of ESL/EAL teachers is not surprising.
The Final Decision
What is surprising is that when asked “Do you make the
final admission decision?” 71% of responding admission
directors said no, and only 29% said yes. Others who have
final authority for admission decisions are typically heads/
superintendents/principals (57%) or division principals
(34%). Since admission leaders play such a critical role in
the recruitment of students and have deep relationships
with applicant students and parents, it is essential that they
be given more authority to determine whether a student
will fit the school’s mission and culture.
Admission
Committee Members
● Admission Staff
● Administrators
● School Counselors
● Learning Specialists
● ESL/EAL Teachers
● Faculty
● Other
● Residential Life
● Coaches
73%
71%
51%
47%
41%
36%
5%
1%
12%
Only about one-third of the
survey respondents (29%) have
final responsibility for admission
decisions. Who is making the final
decisions? Heads/superintendents/
principals and division principals.
14. International School Admission Industry
14
Competition and the Growing International
School Market
According to ISC Research Ltd.’s annual update given at the 2015 AAIE
conference, the international school student population has grown nearly
400% since 2000, and the number of international schools has risen from
2,584 to 7,545 in just 15 years. Therefore, it is not surprising that compe-
tition from other international schools in the area, marketing the school
effectively, pressure from boards/heads to meet enrollment numbers, and
dealing with economic decline in the area are cited by admission officers
as their greatest challenges.
Other factors, such as enrolling a diverse student body, limiting the num-
ber of students with learning differences or ESOL students, and the de-
clining number of eligible students in the area, are secondary challenges
faced by international school admission teams.
The Funnel
While the admission funnel has long been the way admission offices track
a student’s journey from prospect to matriculant, there are a variety of
important factors that are changing the way traditional funnel data are uti-
lized in the admission process. While the singular function of the funnel is
to provide predictive statistics, the data have become more challenging to
manage and to use in predicting enrollment. For example, inquiries across
most independent schools in North America have dropped dramatically
as “stealth” applicants use schools’ websites to research institutions. As a
result of this, applicants no longer need to self-identify as interested par-
ties until the application is in hand. Yet, the funnel is still a relevant tool for
admission offices seeking to track funnel statistics. Likewise in international
schools, eight-in-10 (81%) in this survey are doing this type of tracking.
Enrollment Restrictions
Some international schools must adhere to enrollment restrictions from local governments seeking to preserve their
own education systems. However, nearly two-thirds of international schools (63%) report that there are no enrollment
restrictions imposed by their host country, while others have restrictions on the number of in-country passport holders
(16%), don’t allow in-country passport holders at all (7%), or have some other restriction (14%). Restrictions are most
widespread in Asia (57%). According to ISC Research Ltd., though its clientele varies from country to country, the company
reports that generally, “Four-fifths of the pupils they teach around the world are locals... Thirty years ago, just a fifth were.”
Quotas, on the other hand, are developed by schools’ boards and are designed to limit nationality/language group dom-
inance—thereby creating diversity and advancing schools’ missions. Admission officers who do operate with quotas
must balance those parameters while still driving demand for the school. In this survey a relatively small proportion of
international schools responding (22%) have a quota system for students from particular countries or language groups.
Quotas are much more common in Asia (31%), especially in Thailand (62%).
Enrollment Management
The Challenging
Environment
Competition from
other international
schools in area
Pressure from
board/head to meet
enrollment numbers
Enrolling a diverse
student body
Limits on number
of ESOL students
Marketing
school effectively
Economic decline
in area
Enrollment limits on
number of students
with learning style
differences
Declining number
of eligible students
in area
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
15. 15
International School Admission Industry
Selectivity and Competitiveness
Nearly half of the international schools surveyed (45%)
were able to be at least somewhat selective among full-
pay applicants, with waiting lists for at least some grades.
Over one-fourth (29%) generally accepted all qualified
full-pay families and met their tuition goals by the start
of the year. One-in-ten (10%) reached their tuition goals
later in the school year and a slightly smaller proportion
(9%) did not meet their goals.
Over half (59%) of international schools feel competitive-
ness varies among applicant groups. The types of appli-
cants who experience more competition at international
schools include local students (46%), ESOL applicants
(26%), those with special education needs (22%), those
applying for particular programs (17%), those from partic-
ular countries (13%), and those from particular language
groups (10%).
Local students in Europe, particularly in Germany, and
those in Latin America and the Caribbean face the great-
est competition. ESOL students find the most competi-
tion in Asia, while special needs students have the most
competition in the Middle East/North Africa, Germany,
Japan, and in larger schools.
The Enrollment Outlook
Given ISC Research Ltd.’s outlook on the growth of inter-
national schools, it is of no surprise that more than half of
international schools (53%) consider the outlook for their
enrollment growth to be very good/favorable; one-quar-
ter (27%) consider the outlook good; and one-fifth (20%)
consider it fair or poor. The outlook is most optimistic in
the Middle East/North Africa (77%), Sub-Saharan Africa
(71%), US/Guam (66%), Hong Kong (63%), and at very
large schools (66%). Areas that are less optimistic about
the future are China, Germany, and Japan.
Receive more full-pay applications than available,
manage extensive waiting list
Receive more full-pay applications than available,
manage small waiting list
Accept all full-pay qualified applications,
reach tuition goals by start of year
Reach tuition goals several
weeks into school year
Did not reach tuition revenue goals
last year
Do not know
15%
30%
29%
10%
9%
6%
Selectivity in Relation
to Full-Pay Applicants
16. International School Admission Industry
16
About SSATB
SSATB is a not-for-profit membership association that provides
unparalleled leadership and service in meeting the admission assessment
and enrollment needs of schools, students, and families.
Contact
Trish Frazzetto, Director of Marketing and Communications
Phone: 609-683-4440 ext. 262 • Email: tfrazzetto@ssat.org
Suggested Citation
Secondary School Admission Testing Board, (2015).
International School Admission Industry. Princeton, New Jersey.
Access
Online access to this report can be found at:
www.admission.org/intl-admission
SSATB homepage for admission professionals:
www.admission.org
Budget
The theme of “accountability but no control” extends to the admission office’s budget. Only 37% of survey respondents
are given admission office budgets to manage. Regardless of who manages the budgets, they vary widely as a percent-
age of international schools’ overall budgets. About one-fourth of schools responding (24%) indicate that no distinct
admission budget exists. At nearly one-third of schools (30%), the admission budget is 1% of the total school budget,
while at nearly one-third of schools, the admission budget is 5% or more of the overall budget. At 8% of schools the
admission budget is 2% of the total, and at another 8% of schools it is 3% of the total. Overall, admission budgets tend
to be largest on a percentage basis for schools in Asia. How admission budget money is allocated and the extent to
which it is spent in each area varies among those
responding to the survey.
17. International School Admission Industry
Conclusion
The data in this report indicate the need to evolve the work of admission within the international school commu-
nity. Admission directors need to advocate for themselves to join board discussions; to partner with the head of
school on clearly defined metrics; and to develop competencies in business analytics, finance, and marketing. A
critical component to this is a strategic plan for professional development growth.
Professional Goals and Objectives
Professional development resources for admission professionals are available from a variety of resources. SSATB
offers free on-demand professional development on www.admission.org. More than 400 articles, reports, videos,
and webinars are available for you and your team to utilize to improve business analytics, finance, and marketing
competencies. Commit to the following professional goals:
1. Become a data expert on market and admission industry trends; demonstrate ROI.
2. Create an internal PR campaign to market your department’s vital contribution to the school’s
financial model.
3. Consistently communicate data about about campus-wide enrollment and industry recruitment
trends to school leadership.
4. Advocate to play a key role in the financial aid and tuition-setting processes while working
on financial and data skills.
5. Ensure professional development funds and
courses for you and your team.
17
18. International School Admission Industry
Acknowledgements
SSATB relied on colleague organizations and their leaders to help outline the survey, as well as see to its wide
distribution among their member schools. We offer a special thank you these organizations, listed below. This
survey could not have been completed without their valuable input, insight, and support.
A special thank you to Richard Gaskell, Director for International Schools, at ISC
Research/The International School Consultancy.
Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA)
Peter Bateman, Executive Director • Mary Jo Heatherington, Director
Council of British International Schools (COBIS)
Colin Bell, CEO
Trevor Rowell, Chairman and Governor (The British International School, Cairo)
East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS)
Dick Krajczar, Executive Director • Ver Castro, Membership Coordinator
ECIS
Kevin Ruth, Executive Director
Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA)
David Chojnacki, Executive Director
Association of
International
Schools in Africa
18
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adds value to the private school
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