Marketing in Higher Education in the Agenda of Increasing International Enrolment

Abstract

Today, there is a growing need to develop and use new effective marketing strategies in the higher education in the agenda of recruiting diverse student population and attracting best talents at domestic and international level. This is closely associated with building a reputable university brand. Modern higher education institutions have to commit more attention, time and resources to support marketing efforts aimed at establishing, maintaining and enhancing relationships with prospective students. In Latvia, recruitment strategies of universities increasingly address international students, as Latvian universities are now competing for them in the global education market. The competition for overseas students is growing worldwide. In some countries (and Latvia is not an exception), sustained growth in international student recruitment is vital for compensating for a decline in the number of domestic students. The aim of the paper is to investigate the main factors that overseas students consider important when choosing Latvia as a study destination. The paper is based on 1) the analysis of research papers and documents on marketing in higher education; 2) a survey conducted in two higher education institutions of Latvia -Riga Technical University (RTU) and Transport and Telecommunication Institute (TSI). The results of the study show that understanding the needs of potential overseas students is vital for education managers responsible for their recruitment, as Latvian universities are now competing for international students in the global education market.

Communication component in the formation of the image of higher education institutions based on a marketing approach

“…need to update the directions of educational, research, methodical activities of universities, including the direction of the growth of their commercial component; need for higher education institutions to systematically use modern means of marketing communications, digital marketing tools, SMM marketing, Internet marketing to attract applicants, retain students, communicate with stakeholders and the public. In the conditions of today's dynamic marketing environment and high competition in the market of educational services, "university management must develop effective marketing strategies that are necessary to build a reputable university brand based on the high quality of educational services provided by teachers" (Roskosa & Stukalina, 2019), it is necessary to develop and implement an active and well-thought-out marketing policy, competently apply modern marketing tools and technologies for the development of HEI ecosystem within the framework of modern marketing concept to establish, maintain and improve relationships, strengthen the HEI image, increase the loyalty of all stakeholders, including staff and students of higher education. The HEI image is a general idea about it, a certain system of evaluations of various target audiences that are formed due to effective marketing communications.…”

Students’ Perceptions of Public vs. Private Higher Education Institution Brand Value in Croatia

“…Regarding public HEIs, it remains for further investigation to find the reasons and elements that could improve students' levels of satisfaction with study programs and motivate them to recommend the HEI to others. Roskosa and Stukalina [53] suggest program quality assurance, cooperation and well-organized cooperation between all stakeholders as the basis for successful university brand development. It is, however, clear that basing brand strategy only on traditions and existing stereotypes about private HEIs is very risky in the long-term: time provides space for traditions and stereotypes to change over time.…”

Influencing Student Choice: A Case Study of a Boarding Private University in Indonesia

“…Top decision-making variables: teaching quality, course content, university reputation, research quality and faculty reputation. Roskosa and Stukalina [8] shows that the information prospective students need is the professional development of their future careers. After that, what is considered is the quality of education offered.…”