AIRC Spring Symposium 2026

More Players, Higher Stakes: Competing for Students in a Global Education Market. Political and policy upheaval since 2024 in the traditional major destinations has upended global student mobility markets and enabled a growing number of countries to compete for international students. Join AIRC: The Association of International Enrollment Management for a one-day deep dive into these market changes. Are we really seeing a shift 'from the big 4 to the big 14?' What will our new reality look like once the dust settles? And crucially, how can institutions, agencies, and service providers effectively respond, now and into the future? This practical, solutions-oriented session will help you generate knowledge, insights, and connections to navigate uncertainty and sustain international enrollment in an unstable world. Learning outcomes include analyzing key political, economic, and demographic forces shaping global student mobility trends, understanding shifts in prospective student perceptions of the U.S. as a study destination, evaluating how recruitment agencies are diversifying their portfolios, identifying major and growing destination countries, applying insights to adapt IEM strategies, exploring trans-national education (TNE) and online/hybrid learning, and gleaning scenarios from case studies related to international engagement to enhance recruitment strategies.