Student/Parent Portal
As summer approaches, many begin thinking about the beach, hiking, and relaxation; however, the team at Cambridge Network can think of only one thing, 2020 Recruitment!
Outlined below are some essential steps for schools to prepare for upcoming recruitment efforts. The earlier these steps are completed, the more smoothly your school will be incorporated into Cambridge’s promotion, and the more trust your program will build within the market.
Establish a Student Recruitment (SR) Plan
An SR Plan is a mutually agreed upon strategy outlining a school’s admissions goals and student quality on a seasonal or annual basis. This critical plan highlights applicant requirements, such as:
- Number of available seats (by grade)
- Grade level (s)
- Gender restrictions
- Test score requirement (s) (tiered by grade)
- Residential model
- Minimum/maximum graduation age
This information is shared with our 700+ recruitment partners and global sales teams; therefore, it must be set in stone before opening your school for admissions. Our team will screen all student applicants to ensure they meet these initial requirements but do encourage flexibility throughout the season.
Schools should try to adhere to the below Admissions Timeline, under the realization that students often begin their academic search two years in advance.
- Spring 2020 deadline – July 1
- Fall 2020 deadline – August 1
- Spring 2021 deadline – August 1
Review Marketing Materials – Photos, Videos, and Content
Many schools don’t understand that regardless of who the recruiting organization is, school participation is essential in marketing efforts. Reach out directly to your Program Manager (PM) or Student Support Associate (SSA) to review your school’s marketing portfolio.
Finalize Tuition
We understand that tuition for the next fall is typically established between December and February of each academic year. However, as the international market matures, wire transactions have become stricter with more limitations, and natural parents are becoming more budget conscious of their investments. We hope to see a trend of tuition amounts being approved earlier and earlier each year.
Earlier confirmations of school tuition grant a competitive edge as schools will have stronger traction in promotions and more confidence throughout the market.
Approve Admission Templates
Our goal of working through templates is to reduce the administrative work schools traditionally need to handle. Moreover, we aim to have a balance of standardized network documents while still adhering to school-specific requirements. It’s this operational efficiency that drives student recruitment results between Cambridge Network, our member schools, and our partner agencies.
- Decision Letters: Acceptance, rejection, and waitlist templates that we will forward for your review. You can edit these templates as you see fit. Cambridge will save these templates on file and send them on your behalf after we receive your admissions decision for each applicant.
- Enrollment Contract: Our bilingual enrollment contract clearly states the tuition and fees parents would pay as well as arrival dates and services provided by you and Cambridge Network. This language also reflects any additional amendments made to the agreement between Cambridge and your school.
- Matriculation Packet (Mat-Pak): This packet includes all mandatory forms that parents will need to complete before the student’s arrival. Cambridge has a standard matriculation packet that we’ve compiled after years of research and working with various partners. All our forms are bilingual for the ease of parents’ understanding. Additionally, our global teams have been carefully trained and work with parents personally to complete the forms accurately. Using these documents ensures student paperwork will be completed more efficiently and quickly with fewer mistakes, thus making your process more attractive to potential recruiters.
Questions or general inquiries can be sent to member school’s PM or SSA. For non-member schools wishing to seek more information about Cambridge Network, please follow this link.
Learn more about international student recruitment strategies, including tuition freezes, caps, and incentives.
