Journal of International Students
Volume 9, Issue 4, 2019, Pages 1095-1114

Portuguese institutions’ strategies and challenges to attract international students: External makeover or internal transformation? (Article) (Open Access)

Sin C. , Tavares O. , Cardoso S.
  • a Agency for Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education, Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies, Portugal
  • b Agency for Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education, Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies, Portugal
  • c Agency for Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education, Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies, Portugal

Abstract

Public institutions in Portugal have not invested in strategies to attract international students until recently, when the adoption of new legislation and a national strategy for internationalization created more appealing conditions for it. This article aims to study the strategies institutions employ to recruit international students in a country less attractive than the major receiving countries and the main challenges they encounter. The study draws on interviews with top and middle managers in two public universities. The findings identify three types of strategies: institutional branding, revision of admission procedures, and curricular adjustments. The main challenges are the creation of institutional structures with an exclusive remit for international students and the choice of teaching language, despite a prevailing opinion that the Portuguese language should be maintained as a competitive advantage. © Journal of International Students.

Author Keywords

Portugal Small countries Challenges Institutional strategies International student recruitment

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85074720327&doi=10.32674%2fjis.v9i4.185&partnerID=40&md5=2cb36f4d9dbfafd5c49de81d998fb1ae
DOI: 10.32674/jis.v9i4.185
ISSN: 21623104
Original Language: English