Latest IIE Open Doors Research Indicates Proactive Measures Necessary for New Age of Student Travel

Terra Dotta, a leader in higher education travel, study abroad and international program management solutions, today urged institutions to re-tool their incoming and outgoing international education programs now to meet shifting requirements for post-pandemic travel demand. Based on the latest IIE Open Doors research announced this week, colleges and universities will need to proactively plan for many changes once international travel resumes. Terra Dotta offers three key recommendations to help institutions effectively manage and grow global programs in the new age of international education.

"The latest statistics from the 2020 Open Doors report demonstrate significant pent-up demand among college students wishing to travel once it is safe again to do so – meeting this demand will require institutions to be agile and in compliance with ever-changing restrictions and requirements,” said Anthony Rotoli, CEO of Terra Dotta. “With decades of experience tracking international changes and travel requirements to ensure compliance at scale, Terra Dotta is focused on helping institutions ensure the right systems and procedures are in place to manage new study abroad and international student requirements as well as ensure an efficient recruitment experience moving forward.”

To prepare for a successful return to post-pandemic incoming and outgoing international education programs, Terra Dotta recommends that higher education international programs offices:

Establish New Expectations – Setting new parameters for what international programs will look like will help incoming and outgoing students understand and act on their options. Communicate new safety and duty of care policies clearly and make it easy for students and faculty to get up to speed through self-service technologies that present well-organized information.

Personalize Engagement – Securing and retaining top candidates, whether incoming international students or outgoing study abroad students, often depends on the level of perceived support from the international programs office. Automate enrollment and information gathering steps and shift focus toward creating personalized engagement experiences.

Increase Cross-Campus Collaboration – Providing visibility into international programs across campus departments allows for a unified global education approach. Ensure that relevant data is being collected and shared seamlessly with the right stakeholders for collaborative efforts, and proactively identify trends to accurately inform the needs of upcoming international initiatives.

“Terra Dotta is proud of its 20+-year history supporting much of the top 100 schools that host international students and send students abroad for global experiences. All of these programs have been impacted by the pandemic but the universities that prepare for the future now, will be more successful in recruiting and counseling students once travel resumes,” added Rotoli.

Terra Dotta’s solutions are used by the majority of the top 100 institutions acknowledged in the IIE Open Doors report for hosting international students and sending students abroad – ranging from University of Michigan and University of Georgia to University of Delaware and University of Missouri.