Arab Student Marketing Services
Are you looking for help attracting more Arab students to your university or institution? Let IstiZada help you increase your enrollment numbers by attracting more Arab students to your university from across the Middle East, especially from wealthy oil rich nations like Saudi Arabia.
Why work with IstiZada to attract more Arab students
IstiZada specializes in marketing to Arabs online. We will only work with clients that have Arabs as a focus and due to this we’ve gained valuable insights about Arabs around the world from working with a variety of clients including the education sector. We understand your target audience, what they are looking for, and how to market to them in both Arabic and English to get the most effective results.
Why attracting Arab students is so valuable to your institution
Below are some of the main reasons why you should consider attracting more Arab students to your university or school.
They pay full tuition
A majority of Arab students come to study abroad with their education costs fully covered by their own funding sources or by their own government scholarship programs. This means you don’t have to worry about them competing for limited scholarship money like other nationalities do or worry about their funding falling through at the last minute. Programs like Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Scholarship Fund are a great example: this scholarship offers Saudi Arabian students full tuition at an international university, plus a stipend. There are many other scholarship programs like this aimed at encouraging Middle Eastern students to undertake an education abroad.
Many take advantage of university provided room and board opportunities
Many Arabs coming from Gulf countries are looking for ease in their studies abroad so they will often choose on campus housing and on campus meal options over dealing with the hassle of finding these things on their own.
They aren’t picky about the Institution’s Name or Prestige
Many Arabs aren’t picky about going to a specific university but are looking for an accredited education in a top ranked nation like the US, the UK, or Canada. This means that even if your institution isn’t an Oxford or a Harvard you can still attract a lot of Arabs with the right marketing and an easy enrollment process.
Tend to be respectful and easy to deal with as students
Despite what you may see in the news, most Arabs are great to have as students and tend to be very well behaved, respectful of faculty, and tend to keep a low profile. In fact what we find is that once a school starts getting Arab students they seek ways to attract many more of them.
They refer other Arab students
One trait we notice among Arabs is the fact that once you get some Arab students, many of those Arab students go on to refer more Arab students. Though your initial investment may be significant to attract some of your first Arab students, you will find that as you get more students they refer each other and the amount you invest on average per student in marketing becomes less and less over time.
What Arabs are looking for in an institution?
Certification and Accreditation
Arabs look to study abroad in order to advance their skillset, but not necessarily with the goal of remaining in their host country long-term. This means that they are looking for degree programs that will offer a certification that can be of use to them in their home country as well. This doesn’t mean that the institution has to have name recognition in their home country, because if the degree or accreditation comes from a nation like the US or the UK they are content.
Ease of Enrollment
Many students aren’t looking to go to extremely competitive institutions, they just want a decent degree from a top ranked nation so they don’t want the enrollment process to be hard. The easier you can make it to go through the application process and the process for enrolling and getting a visa, the more Arabs students you will attract. Having a dedicated international students office or staff member is a strong bonus in terms of attracting students, as it signals that the institution is dedicated to supporting their international students through the travel and transition process.
Location
Location is important to some but not all Arab students. Some students will be attracted to large metropolitan areas or places with moderate climates but others may be attracted to colder climates and smaller cities. The key is to highlight what your university has to offer, what makes your location great? Remember many of these Arabs are coming from cities in the middle of barren deserts so your location may have more to offer than you might initially think. Highlighting these location benefits will help attract the right students to your university. We’ve seen universities in coveted locations like San Diego, California do well but we’ve also seen schools in smaller cities with colder climates like Dayton, Ohio attract hundreds Arab students each year.
Career Focus
In many Arab countries unemployment is relatively high so many Arabs are looking to get a clear understanding about how your educational programs will help them stand out and qualify them for jobs in their field. If your institution offers career placement or partnerships to help them get an initial job or internship, all the better.
Testimonials & Success stories
Arabs tend to be more risk averse than other cultures around the world so having testimonials from other international students or even potentially other Arabs will go a long way towards helping convince them that your institution is suitable for them.
Key point: Your marketing to other international students may not work with many Arabs. The schools that put in the effort and tailor their messaging to Arabs, get the students. Did you know: Nearly two-thirds of international students in the U.S. are enrolled in just 200 universities.
Some important facts about Arab students
Students from the Middle East currently make up around 10% of all international students in the US. There are currently around 16,000 Saudi students studying in the US, which consistently represent the largest Arab demographic. Though the numbers of Arab students significantly decreased in recent years as a result of the pandemic, there is still a large demand for studying abroad and Arabs are continuing to prioritize educational opportunities abroad. With a properly targeted marketing campaign, you can certainly expect to attract students from the Middle East to your institution.
Degree Programs Popular Among Arabs
- English (Many Arabs must first improve their English before they can move onto other programs)
- Science Degrees
- Engineering
- Architecture
- Business
- Medicine
- Computer Science
Contact IstiZada today to learn how we can help you attract more Arab students.