University of Edinburgh: “There is not only a high quantity of interest, but also high quality among the present students”

Consistently ranking in the world top 50, the University of Edinburgh is one of the world’s top universities. EDIN has a broad offer of education for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and to both national as international students. Doug Thompson, responsible for international recruitment, explains why they decided to exhibit for two consecutive years and why he recommends The Go-Abroad Fair to other universities.

Wide range of questions

This is the second year the University of Edinburgh has attended The Go-Abroad Fair. Doug: “My colleague was here last year on her own and reported to be extremely busy, and therefore two of us came this year”. Also this year (2023 ed.), was perceived busy, which was very encouraging according to Doug. Additionally, Doug expressed to meet students in different stages: “Often students come up to the stand that are pretty far along in terms of preparations for applying, but we also come across those that are very early in their process and are just wondering what programs we offer or what the costs are.”

There is a high interest in bachelor programs but also a strong level of interest in master’s or PhD. “The fair offers us the opportunity to speak to a wide range of interests, which is ideally what we always look for.” Doug also expresses to be looking for pretty high academic achievers, as they receive a high volume of applications from all over the world it is important to find students who are passionate about what they would like to study. Historically, the Dutch students have always been amongst the highest performing students at the University of Edinburgh. According to Doug it is mainly the quality of the students that stands out and that’s why he would recommend The Go-Abroad Fair to other universities.

University of Victoria: “We keep coming back every year because we are happy with the results”

With 80% of the students coming from outside of the area, international recruitment is an important aspect for Mark Macdonald who works as a student recruitment officer at the University of Victoria (Canada). Not only has Mark worked at this university, moreover he has been a student himself so he can speak from a personal perspective.

UVIC has already participated in many editions of the fair. Mark: “We get a wide scope of students at the fair, from students that are interested in a gap year to a four-year bachelor’s degree or a minor and that’s one of the things I like about the fair.” For Mark the most important aspect is to ensure what UVIC offers, is also going to be a good fit for the student. Since UVIC is a midsize university, it really resonates with certain students who want the benefits of bigger universities, like world class facilities, but also do not want to feel like they are overwhelmed in a big crowd. “What I really like about The Go-Abroad Fair compared to other fairs around the world is that there is a broad group of institutions present, resulting in a wide variety of students.”

Mark explains that there are students who sometimes have an idea when they come to the fair, but then, after talking to them, they open their eyes to new ideas as well. Moreover, being able to network with other institutions is also a great opportunity.

Eager to study abroad

Mark is impressed with the Dutch students he meets at their stand. “One of the things I love about the students at this fair is that they’re so well prepared and enthusiastic; plus, their English skills are fantastic.” Mark is also impressed by the strength of their English language skills in combination with their confidence to come up and talk to him.

Mark can definitely see more students coming from the Netherlands, in comparison to other countries of a similar size but without such a fair. Mark: “The opportunity to continue to be at the fair and to be seen and have the conversations is definitely a big help in attracting students to apply to us.”

Jönköping University: “The atmosphere of the fair is lively and welcoming”

For three consecutive years, Jönköping University has participated in The Go-Abroad Fair. Eric Freid works as the team manager for international student recruitment for bachelor’s, master’s and pathway programs at JU. Eric explains us how he experienced the fair.

High quality and large number of potential students

Eric: “We met a variety of students. Many students do not know too much about studies in Sweden. For example, they are free of costs. Nor do they know that many Dutch high school students can enter a bachelor’s without doing a foundation year. We met many potential bachelor’s students and would like to see more master’s students at the event, but we did meet potential master’s students as well.” Eric also explains that many students were interested and motivated to study abroad, and a lot of the students had parents with them who were asking a lot of questions. Also, Eric highlights the quality of the visitors, and his favorite aspect of the fair is also that it attracts such a wide audience and has a higher attendance than other education fairs.

The high enthusiasm and good preparation among students, the nice organization and the quantity of visitors are the main advantages experienced by the exhibitors. Moreover, the VIP area is highly appreciated among the exhibitors, where they can go to have a quick snack or take a coffee. Also, the level of growth has been clearly witnessed in the last few years and even including this the fair itself is experienced as smooth and fun. Doug (University of Edinburgh): “There were plenty of staff members going around and an information desk nearby if we needed help.” Lastly, the option to scan the barcode of the visitor’s ticket is an advantage, as it helps the universities to easily contact the potential students and follow up afterwards. The Go-Abroad Fair has benefited international recruitment for different international universities and hopefully will continue to do so in the future.