NAFSA's Principles of Good Practice for the Recruitment and Admissions of International Students

The goal of the international admissions process is to identify, attract and admit qualified students whose educational goals are a good match for the mission and offerings of the institution that seeks to admit them, and whose background suggests a probability of success. Professional expertise in international admissions requires specialized knowledge, skills, resources, and professional judgment. This document outlines the characteristics of an effective international admissions office, and offers guidelines for professional practice that are based on the common experience of successful international admission programs at educational institutions in the United States.

An effective international admissions office:

has a strong commitment to student service and development;


has a clear understanding of institutional mission, policies and standards;


communicates clearly with prospective international students about the institution, admission requirements and admission procedures, and uses communication media effectively to promote and manage the admissions process;

• Admissions materials should be thorough, complete, and clearly written. The style, format and wording should reflect a sensitivity to readers who may not be familiar with the U.S. educational system and U.S. academic and bureaucratic English. When speaking with international students, staff should be sensitive to issues of language and unfamiliarity with U.S. education.
• Information, whether presented in print or verbally, should be current and realistic, and should present what international prospects need to know in order to make informed decisions about their educational future:

• accurate and realistic figures on the full costs of study and living expenses,
• availability of financial aid and a realistic presentation of how much money is available and how many applicants might have access to it,
• English language requirements for admission and available English language programs and support,
• specific information about requirements of academic programs offered,
• transfer credit policies and evaluation procedure, and an accurate and realistic assessment of coursework required to complete the program of study,
• complete information regarding the conditions of admission and acceptance,
• clear information on required deposits,
• new student orientation programming,
• and all steps to be followed prior to arrival.

• Informational materials should be developed with the characteristics of various communications media and their effectiveness in various parts of the world in mind. Media like the Internet, e-mail and cellular telephones present a variety of alternatives to postal and courier services, but their use may be limited in certain areas by availability of technology or access to the technology. Effective admissions offices track the ways in which their applicants best communicate with them, and develop processes and policies that facilitate good communication between them and their prospective international students.
• Information about international admissions on the institution’s Web site should be easy to find and navigate. 
• Communication processes within the admissions office should be organized and staffed so as to provide responses to inquiries in a timely and consistent manner. 
• Soliciting feedback from applicants and students about the admissions process is a good way to measure how well the admissions office is meeting its goals in communicating during the admissions process. Students are often a good source of information about current developments and the use of technology in their home area.
  

recruits and/or conducts outreach activities ethically and with the aim of attracting candidates for admission whose profile is consistent with the offerings and goals of the institution;

• Recruiters and outreach personnel should be familiar with accepted standards for ethical recruiting. They should base their judgments about the potential success of prospective students on what they ascertain about the student’s educational background and English language proficiency. The ADSEC document Resources for Recruiting on the ADSEC Web site provides links to useful information for recruiters and admissions personnel responsible for recruiting-related activities.
• English language training programs should provide full information about the advising resources they offer to their students who wish to apply for admission to academic study subsequent to successful completion of their English studies.
• Recruiters and front-line staff may provide application materials and preliminary counseling, but admissions decisions should be made by institution-based admissions officers using complete files that include official academic documents, English proficiency reports, official test scores, and other supporting materials.
• When presenting information on the availability of financial aid, recruiters and front-line staff should give a realistic picture of the amount and type of aid that is available and a realistic assessment of the likelihood that an individual student would have access to it.
• When discussing transfer credit with prospective students, recruiters and front-line staff should focus on degree completion requirements and ensure that the student understands that only relevant credit can be applied toward completion of the degree.
• Admissions decisions and related tasks, including the issuing and signing of the F-1 visa eligibility certificate (I-20), should never be delegated to third parties located outside of the institution.

responsibly manages record-keeping according to accepted professional standards, and considers differences in document-issuing practices around the world;

• Records for prospects, inquiries, applicants and admitted students should be organized and managed so as to facilitate efficient handling of electronic and paper files.
• All admissions staff should be aware of and follow the practices required by U.S. federal legislation on protecting the privacy of records. The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) provides helpful information on topics related to record-keeping and privacy issues.
• International admissions evaluators should be knowledgeable about document-issuing practices in the countries from which they get applicants, and should establish policies about required documentation based on this knowledge. They should not place unreasonable demands on applicants to provide documents that are not usually issued in the country’s educational system, but should aim to receive the most official documentation available. They should train support staff to understand that documentation from different countries may take different forms, and to consult with an international evaluator if questions arise about the documentation a student presents.

evaluates foreign educational documentation accurately and fairly, in a manner consistent with the institution’s academic profile and mission, and based on research and application of standard evaluation methodology and principles; or responsibly outsources foreign credential evaluation;

• The interpretation and evaluation of foreign educational records should be done by evaluators who are trained for this specialized work. Since educational systems change and evolve based on many factors, the institution should provide funding for resources needed for foreign credential evaluators to continuously update their knowledge and skill base, including printed and electronic reference materials, participation at conferences and training sessions, membership in professional associations, and other opportunities for networking and information sharing with colleagues in the international admissions community.
• If an institution is considering outsourcing the evaluation of foreign academic records, the document A NAFSA Guide to Selecting a Foreign Credentials Evaluation Service can serve as a helpful tool.
• All of the parties involved in interpreting an individual’s educational background and potential should recognize the important perspective and value of each side’s input in the admissions process. Whether a highly centralized process with limited faculty input, a typical undergraduate admissions model, or a decentralized model often used in graduate admissions, in which faculty input is integral, all parties should work together to develop a common understanding and mutual respect for each other’s input in interpreting an applicant’s academic preparation for further study.

coordinates and cooperates with other offices or functions of the institution that are involved in the admissions process;


understands the relationship between the admissions process and requirements of the immigration-regulating branches of the U.S. government, as appropriate to the student population it serves, and performs required functions lawfully and accurately, in a timely manner and with the best interest of both the student and the institution in mind;

• Admissions offices that issue I-20’s and IAP-66’s must be knowledgeable about the regulations surrounding these documents, and should network with reliable sources of information and assistance in working with these documents. The institution should provide funding for the resources needed to continuously update information on immigrated-related policies and documentation and to provide a reliable source of information and training for admissions personnel who are responsible for immigration-related functions.
• Admissions offices that do not issue visa eligibility documents or provide related advising have a responsibility to understand the basic concepts of visa eligibility based on admission to a U.S. educational institution; this is very important in supporting the work of the office on campus that does issue these documents. However, admissions personnel should not attempt to advise applicants or students about immigration-related issues they know little or nothing about. Admissions personnel should know the institution’s best source for reliable, accurate immigration-related information, and refer students or applicants directly to that source.

trains its staff and supports continuing education and professional development of staff members;

• Expertise in international admissions requires continuous expansion and upgrading of the knowledge and skills utilized in the admissions office on a daily basis - to keep up with developments that impact on education and educational issues around the world, to benefit from the latest developments in technology, to stay abreast of changes in foreign educational systems – in short, to facilitate better service to international applicants and thereby to the institution.
• Professional development and training takes many forms, including initial training, updating and increasing of skills and knowledge, attending workshops and conferences, participating in electronic discussion lists, reading professional publications, taking courses offered by educational institutions and professional associations, networking with colleagues, serving on professional committees and other governance bodies, etc.
• Staff members who participate in effective professional development activities not only improve their own skills in doing their work, they also contribute to the overall quality of the admissions office’s performance, experience greater job satisfaction and a sense of appreciation for their contributions, and present a positive image of the institution to the international education community.

provides the financial, material and human resources needed to perform its duties effectively and efficiently;


assesses the effectiveness of admission policy and processing on a regular basis and makes adjustments as necessary, in the context of institutional mission and goals;

• Correlations between academic admissions requirements, interpretation of foreign educational backgrounds, requirements for English language proficiency, and international student academic performance should be studied periodically.
• Admissions offices should regularly engage in goal-setting and assessment activities, and in this process, request feedback from international students, applicants, faculty, and any other units of the institution with which it works on a regular basis.

is committed to the goals of international education and exchange.

Revised January 2002