IDP Education Adds Washington State University to Its Portfolio, Now Has 77 U.S. Partner Institutions

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- With the addition of Washington State University as IDP Education's 77th partner institution, IDP Education has established itself as the pre-eminent student placement service for the United States.  

Tulane University, Loyola University of Chicago and Western Michigan University are other examples of institutions that are turning to IDP's expansive counseling system as they intensify their international recruiting efforts.  

This system includes professional counselors working with students and their families in such countries as Vietnam, Indonesia, India, China, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, with the goal of helping them find their ideal higher education situation.  

"The competition for international students is growing, and an increasing number of well-recognized institutions are realizing the benefit of adding IDP to their mix of options," says Mark Shay, IDP's North America director.  "Our differentiator is in how our in-house overseas resources act in partnership with the universities to extend their reach, build their brand and improve their recruitment effectiveness."

As part of this effort to help promote IDP's partners abroad, the organization organized what it called "Road Show" events, to provide university representatives the opportunity to meet with pre-counseled students and IDP counselors in 18 cities in seven countries throughout Asia and the Middle East.  The fall events begin September 10 in Vietnam and end October 30 in Kuwait, with 32 of IDP's partners participating in at least one segment of the tour.

Demand from families overseas to meet these universities was so strong that IDP has announced a second series of events for spring 2011, and now plans to conduct these tours twice a year moving forward.

"Having achieved such a strong portfolio of U.S. institutions allows us to become even more effective overseas," says Anthony Pollock, IDP's CEO.  "Our strategy of serving students by presenting a broad range of options is defined by our 'better placed' message to families.  With our U.S. partners ranging from large to small, from selective to open admissions and from all regions of the country, we have the important ability of being able to find the right fit to best place any students interested in study in the United States or Australia."

Pollock believes Washington State University, part of the Pac-10 conference, will be one such fit for many of the organization's students.  The institution's international enrollment director, Paul A. Svaren, seems to agree.  

"Washington State University is dedicated to serving the needs of our global society, and we continually look to internationalize in new and exciting ways," says Svaren.  "IDP struck us as a devoted organization with a broad scope of capabilities that shares our goals for quality and diversity.  We are pleased to work with IDP as a trusted partner and advisor in international recruitment."

IDP's "better placed" philosophy helped lead Western Michigan University, a large public institution that had never previously used agents, to choose IDP as their sole international recruitment partner.

Says Juan Tavares, general manager of international enrollment at Western Michigan, "We have great expectations for our agreement with IDP and feel optimistic that we picked a great company that will serve as a true partner.  Our selection process involved several overseas trips, consultation with recruiting experts and a thorough referral process.  In the end, IDP presented the best structure and scope of services."

Other recent partners include Clark University, the University of Southern Mississippi and Ohio University.  About Washington State University, Svaren, says, "Washington State University has been educating students since it was founded in 1890, and has been welcoming international students since 1897.  I would personally like to welcome international students to come and see how a world-renowned university, located in a safe and beautiful community, can make a difference in their lives."

As IDP's first U.S. Road Show officially begins, Shay adds, "We are honored to work with such a large variety of prestigious institutions and look forward to contributing to the increased international student participation in U.S. higher education.  We plan to significantly contribute to our vision of having 1 million international students in the United States by 2015."

About IDP Education

IDP Education is the world's largest student placement firm, with more than 70 counseling centers in more than 20 countries.  It is jointly owned by 38 Australian universities and is one-third owner of the IELTS English proficiency exam with the British Council and University of Cambridge.  The recent U.S. venture is an expansion of the already successful Australian student placement service, adding all new counselors and support teams for U.S. bound students.  For more information, visit www.usa.idp.com.

SOURCE IDP Education