Recruiting participants for a faculty-led program is a crucial responsibility of a program leader. This guide is meant to give you suggestions for promoting your program and forming a plan to recruit students.
While Mizzou Study Abroad promotes study abroad in general as well as specific programs, data has shown that students tend to enroll in programs because they have heard from multiple faculty members and advisers that the experience is a valuable one. Students who hear, over the course of many months, from you and others in your department that your program is an important part of their education are more likely to enroll.
Whether your program runs annually or periodically, students should hear about it throughout the year. For summer programs, Thanksgiving and winter breaks are great times for students to talk to their families about study abroad. Connect with academic advisers in relevant areas and ask them to help students incorporate study abroad into their academic plan.
Student outreach
Print and digital marketing materials
- What program leaders can do
- Please do not create your own marketing materials — Mizzou Study Abroad is happy to create what you need
- Provide content and photos
- Display materials in your office, department and classrooms
- Submit the provided graphics to digital screens in your department and school/college
- What Mizzou Study Abroad does
- Creates brochures, posters and screen graphics for each program to be printed and shared electronically
- Provides print and digital promotional materials for program leader use (please contact your coordinator to request additional materials)
- Distributes materials at relevant events, classroom visits, etc.
Program web brochure
- What program leaders can do
- Provide content and photos
- Request that your department and school/college link to the program web brochure
- What Mizzou Study Abroad does
- Creates and maintains program-specific web brochure, which includes all program information (including course description) and the application link — find examples on the program discovery page
Classroom visits/presentations
- What program leaders can do
- Visit classes in your department
- Visit classes in other departments where students might have an interest in your program
- What Mizzou Study Abroad does
- Assists with visits arranged by program leaders, schedule permitting
- Provides study abroad presentations for any class to give students an overview of study abroad at Mizzou (presentation request form)
Information sessions
- What program leaders can do
- Sign up to run a session that gives students an opportunity to meet you, learn more about the program and application process, and ask questions
- Promote the info session through departmental and school/college channels: newsletter, social media, email, classroom visits
- What Mizzou Study Abroad does
- Organizes and hosts information session series each fall and spring semester
- Can attend additional sessions hosted by program leader, schedule permitting
- Promotes info session through: Mizzou Events Calendar, MU Engage, social media, program print/web brochures, screen graphics, email to interested students
- What program leaders can do
- Send emails to students in your courses (past and present)
- Send announcements in your department and school/college newsletters (include other departments and schools/colleges as relevant)
- What Mizzou Study Abroad does
- Maintains interested students list from events and information sessions
- Promotes individual programs through targeted emails to students based on programs of interest and relevant majors/minors
Social media
- What program leaders can do
- Request announcements through social media channels for your department and school/college and other departments where students may have an interest
- During your program, tag @MizzouAbroad in any social posts about the program and encourage your students to do the same — this content can be resurfaced to promote your program in the future
- What Mizzou Study Abroad does
- Promotes study abroad in general and specific programs across multiple platforms, with a focus on student-generated content
- Instagram: @MizzouAbroad
- Facebook: Mizzou Study Abroad
- Maintains the Mizzou Study Abroad Blog and shares student experiences on social channels
- Promotes study abroad in general and specific programs across multiple platforms, with a focus on student-generated content
Mizzou Abroad Fair
- What program leaders can do
- Be present for as much of the fair as possible — the most traffic goes to the tables with a program representative there
- Invite past participants to table with you
- Bring display materials (e.g., postcards, maps, photos, etc.) that are attention grabbing and represent the program — note that you will be sharing a table
- What Mizzou Study Abroad does
- Organizes the annual fair the first Wednesday after Labor Day
- Collects interested students lists and sends follow-up messages
- Provides program brochures and table signs
Student organizations and clubs
- What program leaders can do
- Offer to talk about your program at meetings
- Send emails or use social media to promote your program to these groups
- What Mizzou Study Abroad does
- Provides Study Abroad 101 presentations by request (presentation request form)
- Tables at organizational fairs coordinated by Mizzou and individual departments
Recruit students outside of MU
(If your program is open to non-MU students.)
- What program leaders can do
- Connect with colleagues at other campuses to recruit their students
- Host an online info session or join classes at other campuses via Zoom
- What Mizzou Study Abroad does
- Provide marketing materials to share with colleagues at other campuses
- Add non-MU students to interested students lists for email marketing
Topics for a presentation
As you’re preparing for an info session or other opportunity to promote your program, consider including this information:
- Program dates and location
- Courses offered and number of credits, prerequisites, language requirements, etc.
- How studying abroad on your program will be beneficial:
- Any degree requirements it can fulfill (major/minor, general education, capstone, service/clinical, etc.)
- Future career benefits — how the experience can give students an advantage when interviewing for a job or move them forward in a career
- Cultural aspects of the program
- Access considerations
- Financial aid and scholarships
- Application deadline
- Additional information on the web brochure (share the friendly URL for that page)
- Contact information — how and when students can contact you, how to contact the study abroad program coordinator
Ways to involve past participants
Prospective students love to hear what past participants have to say about your program. These students can help you promote the program by:
- Joining you for classroom presentations or sharing their experience in their current classes
- Helping promote and attending the information sessions
- Sharing their experience with student organizations and clubs
- Helping staff your table at the Mizzou Abroad Fair
- Working with the Mizzou Abroad marketing team:
- Student stories are featured on our website and social media channels. Encourage them to submit a post to the Mizzou Study Abroad Blog shortly after returning.
Please note: These lists are not all-inclusive or a guarantee that if you do each of these things, your program will successfully recruit enough students to run. These are our guidelines and recommendations for creating a recruitment plan for your program.