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How can U.S. institutions cooperate with EducationUSA?

EducationUSA advising centers are often the first point of contact for a prospective international student interested in studying in the United States. While their goal is to promote U.S. higher education as a whole, centers see prospective students as their principal clients and are therefore always seeking more and better information about U.S. institutions in order to help students find the best fit between their academic, career, and personal interests and the offerings of U.S. tertiary institutions. By working with the over 450 EducationUSA advising centers you can reach a vast audience of prospective students.

Educate overseas educational advisers about your institution.

• Locate centers around the world on the EducationUSA website.
• E-mail advisers with your questions and concerns.
• Send information about your institution to advising centers (remember to ask what type of materials and in what format they'd prefer). Information might include: catalogs, CD-ROMs, and informational videos; Scholarship & Financial Aid information; and a list of services available for non-immigrant students.
• Announce new initiatives or financial aid opportunities through the EducationUSA Weekly Update, an e-newsletter sent to advisers around the world each Monday. (Please submit short descriptions and information to educationusa@state.gov.)
• If your institution can award $10,000 or more in financial aid to individual international students, contact the regional coordinator for Sub-Saharan Africa, who maintains a global spreadsheet of colleges and universities at which EducationUSA advising centers can help place students with financial need.
• Get involved in EducationUSA special programs, such as the Opportunity Grants program, which provides scholarships for students who are highly qualified but would have difficulty paying the up-front costs of applying to U.S. universities, such as testing and visa fees and the cost of international airfare.
• Provide alumni contact information (for invitations to participate in predeparture or group advising orientations).
• Send statistics on students (for example, the percent continuing to four-year institutions from community colleges, percent on to graduate programs, etc.). Visit centers when you travel overseas.

Visit EducationUSA centers when you travel overseas.

• Participate in group orientation programs.
• Attend an EducationUSA regional conference.
• Visit the EducationUSA booth at educational fairs.
• If travel is not possible, consider a Digital Video Conference (DVC) recruiting event organized by the advising center or participation in a “virtual” educational fair. (For more information, contact educationUSA@state.gov.)

Participate in professional development programs for overseas educational advisers.

• Volunteer to serve as a host campus for the U.S.-Based Training Program
• Serve as a host for other pre-NAFSA programs (states and localities often work together to invite and host groups of advisers prior to the annual NAFSA conference or other NAFSA training events. For more information on both program possibilities, contact educationUSA@state.gov)

Acknowledge and appreciate the work of EducationUSA advising centers.

• Link to the EducationUSA.state.gov website from the section on your institution’s website for prospective international students. (For information on using the EducationUSA logo, please contact educationusa@state.gov.
• Refer the international students you have admitted to the nearest advising center (advising centers can help students prepare for visa interviews and also provide predeparture orientations and other resources).
• Contact advising centers early to find out if they have students applying from countries or in academic disciplines that require security advisory opinions so that your institution can issue I-20s in time for incoming international students to complete the visa process.

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