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Performance Benchmarking

International Student Barometer

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The International Student Barometer (ISB) is the world’s largest international student experience survey of enrolled students.

It tracks and benchmarks international student opinion across the entire student journey, providing you with data and insights to develop a world-class student experience, and grow your international student numbers.

The ISB is used by Higher Education institutions, membership bodies, networks and national governments around the world to provide the global benchmark for the international student experience.

  • Understand your performance in a competitive context - compare your institution’s international student experience with regional, national, global and bespoke comparator group benchmarks.
  • Enhance your international marketing and recruitment strategies.
  • Create institution-wide understanding of what is needed to deliver a world-class student experience.
  • Understand evolving international student perceptions, expectations, motivations, decision-making, and what impacts recommendation.
  • Quantify the impact of student experience improvement initiatives.
  • Drive a culture of continuous improvement – understand your strengths and areas for improvement, and set meaningful KPIs.

NB: Our Student Barometer delivers the same impact as the International Student Barometer but additionally includes responses from domestic students.

How your institution can participate...

Find out more

Download the ISB overview

How and when to participate in the next survey

Download the Essential information

Discuss participation, survey options and pricing

Contact your regional specialist

Our Specialists

Nick Pidgeon
UK
Asia
Europe
Australia
New Zealand
US
Canada
Nick Pidgeon
Robin  Hallows
UK
Europe
Asia
Australia
New Zealand
US
Canada
Robin Hallows
Helen Dove
UK
Helen Dove
Guy Perring
Asia
Guy Perring
Adrian Massey
New Zealand
Australia
Adrian Massey
Sam Camden
UK
Sam Camden
Phillip Moseley
UK
Phillip Moseley
Nannette Ripmeester
Europe
Canada
US
Nannette Ripmeester
Katie Scarborough
UK
Katie Scarborough

Nick Pidgeon

Director, Performance Benchmarking
Location: UK, Asia, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, US, Canada

Nick and his team specialise in delivering data rich insights to help universities and colleges deliver an exceptional student experience, while thriving financially.

Nick has made his career with Etio, spending 21 years delivering data driven consultancy to colleges and universities. He started off on financial benchmarking projects, making detailed financial and strategic recommendations to all levels of leadership. In 2019, Nick took charge of Etio’s globally market leading student survey business. He is passionate about combining Etio’s financial consultancy and student surveys to help our clients allocate resources to deliver best in class student experience.

Outside of work, you’ll find Nick spending time with his young family. Or running long distances, for reasons he is yet to understand.

Specialist Areas:

  • Performance Benchmarking
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Robin Hallows

Head of Surveys
Location: UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, US, Canada

Robin boasts over two decades of experience in the tertiary education sector, commencing his journey in 2001. Initially, he spearheaded numerous benchmarking projects, empowering UK further education colleges and training providers with strategic insights. During his tenure in Wellington, New Zealand from 2006 to 2016, Robin pioneered a solution for the Tertiary Education Commission, facilitating comparative analysis of the nation's educational institutions. Following his return to the UK, Robin transitioned to our surveys division, ultimately filling the role of Head of Surveys. He thrives on delving into the data collected from our extensive surveys, delivering impactful presentations to our clientele.

Specialist Areas:

  • Performance Benchmarking
  • Other
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Helen Dove

Principal Consultant, Surveys and Benchmarking
Location: UK

Helen is a Principal Consultant, specialising in Performance Benchmarking across the further and higher education sectors. Helen’s expertise lies in analysing and interpreting data, identifying, and presenting insight and supporting senior leaders to understand and interpret data to inform their decision making. Helen has extensive knowledge of the education sector, a detailed understanding of the issues affecting universities and colleges, and the impact they have on financial management. Helen leads an experienced team of consultants who consistently deliver successful projects to a wide range of education providers and government bodies.

Specialist Areas:

  • Performance Benchmarking
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Guy Perring

Director Performance Benchmarking - Asia
Location: Asia

Guy has worked in Asia for over 25 years in a variety of roles from teacher to administrator, market researcher to consultant.

He previously worked at the British Council for 12 years in a variety of roles, including leading a Southeast Asian Regional Transnational Education Project designed to offer support for UK and local institutions in establishing sustainable partnerships. He has presented at a number of international conferences including APAIE, Going Global, QS-Apple and the Commonwealth of Education Ministers. He is an alumnus of Manchester and Durham Universities.

Specialist Areas:

  • Performance Benchmarking
  • Other
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Adrian Massey

Managing Consultant
Location: New Zealand, Australia

Adrian possesses a wealth of expertise in delivery and organizational frameworks utilised within vocational and higher education institutions spanning Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. He has amassed this knowledge through the establishment of robust, enduring performance benchmarking systems. These systems have proven invaluable, furnishing the empirical evidence crucial for informed investment decisions at both institutional and national funding agency levels.

His tenure at Tribal is marked by the successful delivery of over 500 benchmarking assessments across diverse educational entities. Adrian adeptly translates data into actionable insights, providing the strategic advice essential for sustained performance enhancements. Notably, he has actively contributed to the ongoing evaluation of funding structures within New Zealand's tertiary education system. Moreover, Adrian leverages benchmarking data to advocate for sectoral and funding reforms, with the aim of driving positive change within the education landscape.

Specialist Areas:

  • Performance Benchmarking
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Sam Camden

Client Consultant
Location: UK

Sam has several years’ experience in supporting the Higher Education sector, specialising in the delivery of survey and data collection projects.

Since joining i-graduate in 2018, Sam has played a pivotal role in various initiatives, including the renowned International Student Barometer, and AUIDF benchmarking studies.

Through direct engagement with institutions and collaboration with both regional and national education bodies, Sam has developed an in-depth understanding as to the evolving needs and challenges of the sector, and the ways in which our insight can assist the HE community in meeting these.

Specialist Areas:

  • Performance Benchmarking
  • Other
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Phillip Moseley

Senior Consultant, Sales and Innovation
Location: UK

Phil has supported educational leaders and institutions for 20-years. Working in Local Government Phil supported schools and School Improvement teams in measuring performance and identifying intervention strategies to help drive improvement.

Phil moved into benchmarking in 2008, working with Universities and FE Colleges in accessing benchmarking insight, and has led on over 150 individual projects, in addition to co-ordinating group-collaboration and Government-led reviews.

Phil’s work provides key evidence that supports, or challenges assumptions, and with his accompanying experience in contextualising and interpreting results, he continues to offer institutions a foundation to move discussions forward around value for money, cost effectiveness, and learner impact.

Specialist Areas:

  • Performance Benchmarking
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Nannette Ripmeester

Director Performance Benchmarking - Europe & North America
Location: Europe, Canada, US

Nannette has worked on mobility for study and work purposes for over 30 years. Her love for global mobility was ignited when she worked for 7 years at the European Commission where she was responsible for setting up the EURES database for mobile workers in the EU Member States.

Working for large corporate clients and Higher Education institutions across the globe, she understands what makes people internationally employable, making Nannette a leading expert on mobility for study and work. Her motto has been ‘making mobility work’ whilst constantly listening to the student voice to enable long-term success for international mobility.

Nannette is an appointed member of the supervisory board for Codarts University and involved in the NAFSA Trainer Corps. She has been the Industry Innovator in Residence for Study Queensland 2018-19 with a focus on employability. Nannette thrives when making the connection between education and the world of work.

Specialist Areas:

  • Performance Benchmarking
  • Other
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Katie Scarborough

Senior Consultant
Location: UK

Katie has 18 years consultancy experience, including 14 years in the Higher Education sector. She has worked closely with several institutions over the years, developing a good understanding of the sector and the issues faced. The projects that Katie deliver provide a total health check on the use of resources across whole institutions as well as providing an in depth understanding of both student and staff experience.

Katie is highly skilled at liaising with HE clients and at extracting costing and activity-based information, successfully working alongside academic staff, support service staff and management to consistently apply Tribal’s functional driven model. Katie is also extremely competent in undertaking student and staff surveys for HE institution, facilitating the understanding of international student experiences and the level of internationalisation in the HE sector.  Not only is she experienced in analysing large data sets in identifying key messages and trends, she is also experienced in communicating these results both through written reports and verbally, highlighting potential areas for financial and qualitative improvement in order to inform key decision makers in the HE sector.

Specialist Areas:

  • Performance Benchmarking
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Insights into: The International Student Barometer

United Kingdom

Implementing effective International Education Strategy: Drawing lessons from global best practices

What lessons can global institutions take from nations that have already embarked on similar international strategies? Read more in our insights piece.

Global

The 2024 Global Student Experience Report is now available to download

With feedback from over 4 million students worldwide across all student types, levels and years of study, the ISB is the leading benchmarking tool used to track the international student experience.

2024_Global_Student_Experience_Report

Learn More

Receive relevant insights and analysis to improve the quality of education.