More international students in 2020

Jorge Quintana, a first-year Master of Sustainable Energy Technologies from Mexico.

“Attracting more international students to TU/e? I should think that if the university wants to recruit quality, it should focus especially on branding and on creating status for its graduates. When I just look at my own country, Mexico, and I mention TU/e, there is not one single non-academic who is impressed. Cambridge or MIT are known to almost everybody, which means that they are held in considerably higher regard, even though TU/e can most certainly hold its own on the basis of its achievements.

While I think that a good university does not need any marketing, it is definitely important to have an international profile. In this context I am not referring to academically educated people, for in that segment the qualities of TU/e are sufficiently known. I am talking about the non-scientific market, and the best way to reach that market is via international (i.e. especially American) mass media such as films, TV and news programs. Use these channels to position the university as the pre-eminent place for innovation. Display its achievements in an easily accessible manner and use graphic examples that appeal to people’s imagination and show their value for society. You should know that HR Managers and other stakeholders in businesses in Mexico watch American television in particular…” (HB)