Collaboration and advocacy as US English language providers unite to face challenges

The 13th EnglishUSA Annual Conference was hosted over two days in Alexandria Old Town, VA, last week bringing together representatives of member institutions, fellow industry associations and other sector stakeholders for two days of discussions, updates, workshops and networking.

Collaboration: Opening the conference, Caroline Gear, President of EnglishUSA, praised the work of the association in its response to recent government plans to change ‘Duration of Status’ for international students and said it was “a reminder that when we come together, we are stronger, not just for our programs, but for the entire field”.

Caroline Gear, President of EnglishUSA, speaking at the event.

Fanta Aw, Executive Director & CEO of NAFSA Association of International Educators , sent a pre-recorded video message and told delegates, “We are not going to be silent. Our sector deserves better from this government.” She added, “We need to speak with one voice. In this eco-system, we are stronger together. We need to work in coalition wherever we can.”

Challenges: Fanta described current government policy as “organized chaos”, with a wave of different announcements and initiatives impacting on the sector.

Rachel Banks, Senior Director for Public Policy & Legislative Strategy at NAFSA, listed some of the legislative hits that international education is facing, including a travel ban with “no carve outs for students this time”; an unprecedented level of visa revocations; the visa interview pause during the peak season; and an anticipated challenge to Optional Practical Training post-study work.

Daryl Bish, Immediate Past-President of EnglishUSA, spoke of the “significant impact” of the government’s plans on ending ‘Duration of Status’ for international students, and how this “is more severe to our industry than any other”. Particular issues for Intensive English Programs (IEPs) include an overall 24-month limit on English language study and a directive that students will be required to complete 12 months at the first provider they are enrolled at – potentially undermining the vital role that English language providers often play in preparing international students for higher education study with shorter, intensive courses.

Advocacy successes: “What we do best is organize, and make sure that our voices are heard,” Fanta said in her speech, encouraging greater advocacy efforts from the sector.

Mark Overmann, Executive Director, Alliance for International Exchange, highlighted some of the challenges that the exchange sector has faced this year and the successes against those. During a freeze on exchange program funding early in the Trump presidency, more than 25,000 letters were sent to Congress and “the pressure mattered”, Mark said. A proposal of a 93 per cent cut to exchange funding was met with 20,000 letters and a subsequent House Subcommittee proposal of only a five per cent reduction. “This was a large win. I am 100 per cent sure this was due to advocacy,” he enthused, urging stakeholders to keep as informed as possible in order to stay actively engaged in advocacy.

A panel discussion on advocacy efforts.

Jill Welch, Co-Founder of the U.S. for Success Coalition, shared the mission and strategic approach of the Coalition, which was founded in 2023 to bring together industry associations and stakeholders. She highlighted that the organization was mobilizing support and champions on both sides of Congress and attempting to silence the very few members that outwardly oppose the sector with data and facts on the USA’s world-leading position in international education, local economic benefits and the need to retain talent for innovation.

She highlighted that when they understand that international students don’t receive federal aid, most citizens believe that they create opportunities for American students.

Industry data: During a special session on recruitment resources, Matthew Knott, News Editor of StudyTravel Magazine, and Brittany Goodman, Associate Director at ICEF GmbH , shared insights from their respective agency surveys.

The share of business, by sector, for the USA in StudyTravel Magazine’s Annual Agency Survey.

Matthew highlighted that the after the Covid dip, the language sector has recovered and settled at around 75 per cent of agency business, according to the ST Annual Agency Survey. He highlighted that agents reported average business growth across all sectors last year, and that the US market share of language business among reporting agents was 10 per cent in 2024, an increase over previous years. From the ICEF Agent Voice, Brittany shared agent commission rates by programme type and visa approval rates for the US by program, highlighting that these will typically be higher for agent-led applications than the overall success rate.

Kristina Benedikova, International Education Consultant at Bonard, shared some detailed insights of the EnglishUSA report on 2024, which showed a 1.5 per cent increase in students, as well as the global ELT industry.

Relatively few ELT markets increased student weeks in 2024, with only China, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia growing among the top 15. She also showed that the USA market share of ELT students among the top eight ELT destinations has increased in Western Europe (16 per cent in 2024), Eastern Europe (25) and Africa (47), but halved in the Middle East since 2019 (20) and fallen in Asia (21).

Julie Baer, Research and Learning Lead at the Institute of International Education (IIE), went through the results of the Open Doors report on Intensive English Programs in 2024, which showed a two per cent increase among the 347 participating IEPs to 67,924 – close to pre-pandemic levels. However, among the top five markets, only Brazil has exceeded pre-Covid levels.

Heidi Vellenga, Executive Director of CEA Commission on English Language Program Accreditation , also shared that there was a three per cent increase in student weeks delivered at CEA-accredited sites in the USA in 2024.

Recruitment advice: During the resources session, Brittany and Matthew outlined advice for working with agencies, including prompt responses, flexibility with admission processes and payments, and scholarship options, as well as building consistency and trust.

In a session on partnerships, Jackie McCafferty Director of Temple University Center for American Language & Culture and President-Elect of EnglishUSA, shared her experience on relationship building with agents, and gave advice such as providing webinars and information assistance, and tapping into agents’ local knowledge and connections.

Daryl Bish, Past-President, Cheryl Delk-Le Good, Executive Director, and Caroline Gear, President of EnglishUSA.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Wright , Director of Operations and Certification at AIRC: The Association of International Enrollment Management , advised providers to stay close and maintain good relationships with agent partners at challenging times when they may not be sending.

Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, sent a pre-recorded message for delegates.

Partnerships: Elsewhere at the conference, there was a focus on partnership models to sustain growth for English language providers. Maria Arruda at the Center for English Language & Orientation Programs, Boston University, spoke about campus and local partnerships, including their success with Boston Medical Center, in boosting enrolment, revenue and visibility; Gokhan Alkanat of Rowan University International Center gave advice on foreign government partnerships; and Caroline Gear of the International Language Institute of MA, Inc. , highlighted the value of community partnerships such as businesses, civic and cultural organizations, and state bodies. “Partnerships make every pivot possible,” she said.

Maureen Manning of Global Nexus Collective spoke on the value of quiet marketing in the current climate, using student ambassadors and employee advocacy to create authenticity and bridge generational gaps in marketing efforts. And staff from Syracuse University shared the results of a pilot project on teachers using AI, including the successes in team building and lesson preparation, challenges and ethical concerns such as integrity and sustainability.

There were also sessions on the benefits of service to the international education field, facilitating soft diplomacy, quality assurance and volunteering as a path to student empowerment.