At the centre of attention for the student counsellor, education institutions, and immigration authorities alike are students. To match students with courses and destinations, the student counsellor must understand who they are and what they want.

Every student is an individual with unique personal aims, motivations, and preferences. However, students can be broadly categorised according to type of student and purpose of study, and these categories can help the student counsellor to build student profiles.

Types of Student

Potential students will range from school children to adults with families. They will be of different ages, have unique qualifications and experience, and possess various socio-economic backgrounds.

Age
Some courses will have age restrictions, and age-related factors may influence course and destination country selection. The age profiles of prospective students can be broadly categorised as school age, young adult, and adult. Each category has its own general characteristics, although there may be considerable crossover between categories.

Student Age	Possible Characteristics
School age	– Enrolment in primary, middle, or high schools – Strict welfare conditions – May wish to follow on to university – Parents or legal guardian must be involved at all times
Young adult	– Possible enrolment in vocational, university, language, or specialised courses – May be more interested in foreign experience than qualifications – May prefer low-cost accommodation – Parents may be involved (e.g., paying fees)
Adult	– Possible enrolment in vocational, university, language or specialised courses – Often interested in upgrading qualifications for career advancement – May need higher quality accommodation – May be sponsored by employers or aid organisations – May be accompanied by spouse and children

School-age children may seek enrolment in primary, middle, or high schools. Young adult and adult students may wish to enrol in vocational, university, or specialised courses. Adult students may need to enrol accompanying school-age children in a school.

The student counsellor may have to interact with stakeholders in addition to the students themselves. For example, he/she will deal with the parents of school-age children and must make sure that strict welfare conditions are met. In many cases, he/she may also deal with the parents of young adult students (e.g., when the parents are funding their adult children’s studies). In some cases, employers or aid agencies may sponsor adult students.

Of the three categories, young adult students are most likely to be primarily interested in non-study options such as travel and cultural activities. If seeking university entrance, they are more likely to enrol for undergraduate than post-graduate degrees.

Qualifications and Experience
Prospective students can be considered according to their qualifications and experience. These may limit the courses available to them. For example, students with only high school matriculation cannot enrol directly for a PhD. Similarly, a person with a higher degree is unlikely to want to enrol in a lower-level certificate in the same discipline, and such an enrolment would normally be deemed inappropriate.

The student counsellor must know the equivalence (and recognition) of home and destination country qualifications. Students’ highest recognised level of qualifications can then be used as the base point for selecting courses. That is, the range of available courses includes those where this base point meets minimum entry requirements. If students wish to study a course above this range, then a bridging course is needed to fill the gap between base point and entry requirements. Potential students can be classified according to the type and level of their qualifications, and hence courses available to them.

Recognised Qualification	Possible Enrolment
School unfinished	Students who have the equivalent of high school matriculation can usually enrol for post-secondary vocational or technical courses and university undergraduate degrees. They cannot enrol directly in higher degree courses.
High school matriculation	Students with lower-level vocational or technical qualifications may qualify for entry to a higher-level qualification in the same area. For example, a particular vocational certificate may be a prerequisite for a vocational diploma. Higher-level vocational or technical certification may meet entry requirements to articulate into a university degree. For example, a semi-professional diploma may articulate into a bachelor’s degree.
Vocational or technical qualifications	Students with lower-level vocational or technical qualifications may qualify for entry to a higher level qualification in the same area. For example, a particular vocational certificate may be a prerequisite for a vocational diploma. Higher-level vocational or technical certification may meet entry requirements to articulate into a university degree. For example, a semi-professional diploma may articulate into a bachelor’s degree.
Tertiary qualifications	Students with bachelor’s degrees qualify for entry into post-graduate diplomas and master’s degrees. Where the bachelor’s degree has an honours year added to it, students may be able to continue directly into a PhD. Students with master’s degrees qualify for entry into doctoral degrees.
Language qualifications	Students’ language proficiency is a critical element in course selection. Courses are only available to students who can demonstrate that they meet the minimum language proficiency requirements. Students who do not have a language qualification recognised by the destination country may need to undertake formal language testing. Students who do not meet minimum language requirements may need to undertake a second-language course.
Experience	Some vocational or professional courses may specify a minimum level of practical experience prior to entry. In some courses, students may be able to obtain credit for learning achieved through prior experience.

Socio-economic Background
The socio-economic background of prospective students influences course selection. Put simply, wealthy students can afford high-quality courses at leading education institutions. Less wealthy students may have to compromise on lower-priced courses at less prestigious institutions. Poorer students may need courses which allow them to work part-time to help with their expenses. Students from different socio-economic backgrounds may have different preferences regarding the balance between course price and quality.

Prospective students’ social backgrounds should be taken into account when recommending destination countries. Some students may want to experience living in a society different from their own. Other students may be at risk of having great difficulty with social differences in areas such as gender roles and relations, interactions with different social ranks, appropriate public behaviour and language, and so on. The student counsellor should be aware of students’ social background, and be able to advise them about social differences which may affect them.

Purpose of Study
Prospective students can also be categorised according to the purpose of their study. This can affect their choices regarding types of courses, institutions, and destination countries.

Purpose of Study	Possible Characteristics
Further study	The international study will lead to further study either internationally or at home. For example, a student might enter high school in order to later matriculate into university in the destination country.
Career and employment	International study will enhance the student’s career or employment prospects. Such students tend to place a high priority on courses leading to recognised qualifications.
Personal enrichment	International study is the means by which the student can obtain personal enrichment, either through the course itself and/or through living in the destination country.

Extension Questions: For prospective students:

What are prospective students’ profiles?
What are their age and personal characteristics?
What are their qualifications and experience?
What is their socio-economic background?
What is their purpose of study?
How does this affect the student counsellor?

Recruitment, Counselling, and Enrolment

Recruitment, counselling, and enrolment are at the heart of the student counsellor’s role. Recruitment can occur via a number of methods. Counselling must be relevant to students’ preferences, abilities, and resources and result in optimal course selections for students’ various circumstances. The student counsellor must ensure that he/she follows the correct enrolment processes. He/she should keep track of advice and assistance given to students, and keep copies of all records in a dedicated student file (paper-based or electronic).

Recruitment Methods

Recruiting students is the first step in the client management process, and can occur in a number of ways. Students can simply “walk in,” or be recruited through exhibitions, interviews, and alliances. The student counsellor should be aware of any advertising or promotional campaigns run by the agency or education institution, and in particular, any incentives offered in the campaign (e.g., discounts, waiver of fees, etc).

Walk-In
“Walk-in” refers to prospective students who contact the student counsellor directly either physically or virtually. This may result from an advertising campaign, word-of-mouth referral or website. Walk-in students often have a clear idea of the type of course and/or destination country they are interested in before they contact the student counsellor.

Exhibitions
Exhibitions may be attended in collaboration with client institutions. Prospective students may be recruited by the student counsellor or by a representative of the education institution. If the institution’s representative does the actual recruiting, the students may then be referred to the student counsellor for processing. If the institution is present and directly involved in the recruitment activities, application fees may be waived.

Interviews
A representative from the education institution holds interview sessions at the student counsellor’s office. Application fees are often waived in this situation. Interview sessions require organisation in prior to ensure that the institution’s representative has interview space and facilities as well as sufficient promotional and information material on hand. Usually, the agency promotes the interview sessions through advertising before the event.

Links/Alliances
Sometimes an education institution has an agreement (e.g., articulation, twinning, or study abroad) with another institution. In this situation, a particular agency may be preferred. In addition, education institutions’ websites may refer prospective students to a particular agency for information, counselling, and enrolment.

Counselling

During the recruitment process, the student counsellor advises students on their education, visa, travel, and living options, as well as costs and any other factors which may affect their international study. This advice should be based on the students’ age, education, and socio-economic profiles and their purpose of study, as well as any other issues which may be important to them. While student profiles are important overall, the student counsellor should ensure that relevant advice is tailored to the individual student.

Education and Visa Options
The student counsellor must first advise students on their education and visa options, including:

Country options
Study options including institutions, courses, costs, locations, and visa requirements
Language prerequisites
Academic prerequisites
Student visa requirements.

Some students may wish to study in a definite destination country and have some flexibility regarding courses. For other students, the choice of country may be secondary to course selection. For most students, cost is an important consideration.

Travel and Living Options
In addition, students need to be informed of their options regarding travel and living in relevant destination countries, including:

Travel options
Accommodation and transport options
Insurance options
Health care options
Finance options.

The student counsellor should advise students about social and cultural factors which may affect them, and take into account students’ lifestyle preferences and cost constraints.

Enrolment

Once students have selected a course (or courses), and can meet the course entry requirements and the cost of fees, travel and living expenses, the next stage is to apply for enrolment. Applications involve:

Preparation
Lodgement and processing
Acceptance or rejection.

Preparation

The student counsellor needs to decide how many applications to send and to which institutions. (This is a judgement for an agency to make as policy.) In general, it is more effective to send a small number of applications to potential institutions because:

For the student, this provides a choice of programmes at different institutions
Institutions are more likely to support agencies which send a small number of applications that convert to enrolments rather than a large number of applications with few conversions.

The student counsellor should then assist the students in gathering any supporting documentation required for the enrolment applications. This may include:

Certified copies of their academic history to date, including high school results, vocational or technical certification, and university results and awards
Certified copies of their language proficiency certification or evidence that they have previously studied in the language of instruction
For research study, a copy of their research proposal
Some specialised courses may require evidence of professional experience
NB: Certified translations are usually required for documentation, not in the language of the destination country.

Lodgement and Processing
The student counsellor needs to know how to fill in the relevant enrolment application forms properly, attach supporting documentation appropriately, and submit the application correctly.

Actual enrolment processes vary among education institutions and destination countries, and the student counsellor must be aware of these differences. The application must follow the process flow of the particular institution, as in the following examples:

In this example, the student first lodges the application and all supporting documents, and pays any application fees or deposits required.

The education institution processes the student’s application and checks the supporting documents. It then either makes an offer of enrolment or rejects the application.

To accept the offer of enrolment, the student signs the offer document and pays any deposits, fees, or charges into the correct accounts.

The education institution confirms the student’s enrolment, supplies confirmation documents for the visa application and/or notifies visa authorities.

In this example, the student lodges an initial application and pays any application fees or deposits required.

The education institution evaluates the initial application. It then either rejects the application or requests further supporting documents.

The student submits the requested documents.

The education institution checks the documents. It then either rejects the application or enrols the student provisionally.

The student pays the required fees and charges.

The institution confirms the student’s enrolment, supplies confirmation documents for the visa application and/or notifies visa authorities.

In this example, the student first lodges the application and supporting documents, and pays any application fees or deposits required.

The education institution processes the student’s application and checks the supporting documents. It then either grants provisional enrolment or rejects the application.

The student obtains the relevant student visa and pays any deposits, fees or charges into the correct accounts.

The education institution finalises the student’s enrolment only after the student visa has been confirmed.

In addition to process flows, the student counsellor must know the processing time frames and make sure to lodge applications with enough time for follow-up, visa applications, and travel preparation.

Acceptance or Rejection
Once it has processed the enrolment application and supporting documents, an education institution can either reject the application, accept it conditionally, or accept it fully. Packaged courses may involve full enrolment for the first course and conditional enrolment in subsequent courses.

If the application is rejected, the student must decide whether to resubmit an improved application for the same course or apply for a different course at either the same or a lower level. Alternatively, the student may decide to apply for a package consisting of a bridging course plus the original course.

A conditional enrolment requires the student to meet specified criteria before full enrolment can be granted. Conditions might include:

Supply certified copies or translations of documents
Complete a prerequisite course
Undertake further language training
Pay deposits, fees, and charges
Sign official enrolment documents
Obtain a valid student visa
Make suitable health insurance, accommodation, and living arrangements.

Full enrolment indicates that the student meets the entry requirements and is eligible for direct entry into the course. (Note: After the student accepts full enrolment in a course, the student counsellor should ensure that any enrolment applications at other institutions are withdrawn. The education institutions will appreciate the courtesy.)

Enrolment applications are discussed in A5.3 Enrolment and Visa Applications.

Student Visas

The student counsellor should assist students in preparing, lodging, and monitoring their student visa application, similar to the help they provided with students’ enrolment applications. Much of the information and supporting documentation gathered for the enrolment application is also used in the visa application.

The student counsellor should ensure that the correct visa application forms are filled in accurately and submitted properly, with supporting documents attached appropriately. The visa application must follow the process flow and processing time frames of the particular destination country. Students should lodge applications with enough time for follow-up and travel preparation.

If the application is rejected, students may be able to appeal the decision. Otherwise, students must decide whether to reapply with a different course or destination country. If the application is accepted, the relevant student visa is issued. Students must understand and comply with the visa conditions.

Student visa applications are discussed in A5.3 Enrolment and Visa Applications.

Extension Questions: For prospective students:

Where are prospective students recruited? How are they recruited?
What counselling do students require regarding education and visa options?
What counselling do students require regarding travel and living options?
How can the student counsellor assist students to prepare and lodge an enrolment application?
What supporting documents might be needed for an enrolment application?
What are the enrolment processes for different courses chosen by students?
What is the difference between conditional and full enrolment?
What are the student visa application processes for destination countries chosen by students?

Pre-departure

The student counsellor should continue to assist students after their enrolment is accepted and a student visa is issued. Prior to departure, students need to arrange or confirm their travel and accommodation bookings, make arrangements for their absence from their home country, and organise their finances. In addition, the student counsellor should provide an orientation briefing for students before they leave for the destination country.

Travel Arrangements

Travel and Accommodation

The student counsellor should ensure that students have made and confirmed their travel reservations, paid for their tickets, and confirmed suitable and affordable accommodation in the destination country. Students must also attend to any other travel-related requirements, such as vaccinations or health checks, before departure.

Personal Arrangements

While they are absent from their home country, students may need to close or sublet their housing, store personal items, close accounts, cancel utilities, readdress mail, etc. Such arrangements are students’ responsibility. However, a timely reminder and advice from the student counsellor about such matters may greatly assist students in preparing for departure.

Finance

Students need to arrange both short-term and long-term finance in the currency of the destination country. In the short term, they need cash or acceptable credit for travel expenses and arrival. Depending on their financial situation, students may need to set up bank accounts and credit cards in the destination country and arrange facilities to transfer funds from their home country when necessary.

Orientation Briefing

The student counsellor should provide an orientation for students prior to departure. This should give students essential information about their stay, and give them realistic expectations about student life in the destination country. Students need to be aware of:

Visa conditions
Reception procedures and a list of contacts for their arrival
Facilities and student support services
Cultural differences
Accommodation options
Currency conversion rates and financial facilities
Other relevant topics.

Extension Questions: For students prior to departure:

What assistance do students need to prepare their travel and accommodation?
How does the student counsellor advise them about their personal arrangements?
What financial arrangements do students need to make?
What orientation do students need about the destination country?