NAFSA and ICEF are partnering to offer an extraordinary opportunity for professionals in international student recruitment. This collaboration brings together two premier events essential to your work and practice with the added benefit of a 10% discount when you register for both. 

Join us at the NAFSA 2025 Annual Conference & Expo in San Diego California, May 27 - 30, to gain insights on the latest trends and strategies in international enrollment management. This year's conference will feature three sessions and a workshop focusing on effective utilization of education agents, brought to you by our partners at ICEF. Following our conference, stick around in San Diego for ICEF USA, May 30 - 31, to connect directly with high-quality education agents and build lasting partnerships. This event is tailored for U.S. colleges and universities looking to enhance their global recruitment strategies, particularly those partnering with agents for the first time.

 Why Attend?

• Professional Development: Benefit from sessions that strengthen core competencies in recruitment, enrollment, and advising, aligned with NAFSA International Educator Competencies 2.0.
• Networking Opportunities: Collaborate with education agents and colleagues in the international enrollment community.
• Skill Building: Explore robust learning options to stay ahead in a competitive field.

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to expand your knowledge, grow your professional network, and enhance your impact in international student recruitment.

NAFSA and ICEF are making it easier than ever to attend both events. Register for the NAFSA Annual Conference and receive 10% off ICEF USA registration, or register for ICEF and enjoy 10% off your NAFSA registration.

NAFSA 2025 Program Partnership with ICEF 

Workshop

Evaluating and Measuring Success to Optimize Education Agent Relationships

Examine strategies for assessing the effectiveness of partnerships between educational institutions and their recruitment agents. Participants explore key metrics and evaluation techniques to measure the success of these relationships, including agent performance and overall return on investment. Through case studies and discussions, attendees gain insights into identifying strengths and areas for improvement and leveraging data to strengthen collaborations. This workshop, presented in partnership with ICEF, is designed for international education professionals who are likely to be already working with agents and who want to maximize the impact of these partnerships.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify evaluation frameworks for measuring the success of education agent partnerships.
• Learn how to measure key performance indicators (KPIs) to prioritize agent success.
• Understand regional differences in agency operations and strategies to maximize agent partnerships.
• Leverage metrics and data to enhance and optimize agent relationships.

Sessions

Navigating Geopolitical Shifts and Reasserting U.S. Leadership in International Student Recruitment

Explore the evolving landscape of international student recruitment and the potential for the United States to reassert its position as the global leader in this domain. Referencing data and trends published in the ICEF Monitor, this session examines current geopolitical shifts affecting student mobility, focusing particularly on developments in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom and how these changes may, or may, not present unique opportunities for the United States.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the current dynamics of international student recruitment.
• Identify the challenges and opportunities presented by geopolitical shifts.
• Explore strategic responses that can help the United States regain its leadership position.

Agent Perceptions and Factors that Influence Agent-Educator Collaboration

While efforts in international enrollment management regularly focus on how educators can select, train, and motivate their agents, this session shifts the perspective to the agent's point of view. Panelists outline the qualities that agents look for in a partnership and the elements of educator proposals that stand out to them, providing attendees with a better understanding of how agents evaluate and select partner schools. Learn to create partnerships that are mutually beneficial for agents and educators. Gain insight into the importance of communication, trust, shared goals, professional development, and cultural understanding in fostering successful partnerships.

Learning objectives:

• Develop effective communication with agents.
• Understand the importance of building trust and mutual respect to enhance collaborative efforts.
• Identify shared goals and objectives to ensure cohesive and unified outcomes.

Agent Regulation and Quality Assurance in the Agency Ecosystem

As U.S. institutions seek to increase their enrollments by focusing on the opportunities presented by international students, they must navigate a complex ecosystem to ensure they work with ethical operators and maintain brand standards. Professionals in the United States can learn from the conversations about agent integrity that have been taking place in other key study destination countries, such as Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. These dialogues highlight the importance of codes of conduct, agency accreditation, counselor training, and information transparency.

Learning objectives:

• Understand global quality assurance practices.
• Recognize the essential components of quality assurance.
• Apply tips and strategies for identifying and evaluating new agency partners.