Many foreign-educated immigrants learn about their local community college purely by chance. A friend or relative from their country mentions that they once took a class there. A boss suggests that they look into improving their English if they want a better-paying job. Or a Google search leads them to a link to your Admissions Office or to your international student advisor.

Is this really the most effective way to connect with foreign-educated immigrants? Here are some questions to think about in terms of reaching out to this population of prospective students:

Yes

No

Checklist

Does your Admissions Office partner with immigrant-serving community-based organizations (CBOs) in your area?

Excellent. Partnerships with these organizations can help your college better understand the needs of the immigrant and refugee community.

Your college should look into ways to partner with the community to help improve services to your immigrant students. Consider partnerships with refugee resettlement agencies, immigrant advocacy organizations, adult literacy programs, local libraries, and even religious organizations.

Do you send email alerts about new programs and upcoming college campus tours to these CBOs?

Great! You can take this relationship a step further by encouraging CBOs to link to your college’s website. You can also establish a point of contact within your college for community agency referrals.

Community agencies are an excellent source for referrals to your college. You can encourage CBOs to link to your college’s website. You can also let CBOs know which office or staff persons at your college to contact when they make inquiries or referrals concerning foreign-educated students.

Do you partner with foreign language media outlets (newspapers, radio, TV and online) to share the success stories of your internationally-educated immigrant students?

Wonderful. This is a great way to promote your programs. You can also make use of multi-cultural social media sites to market your credit, non-credit, and workforce development programs to non-native speakers of English.

Reaching out to ethnic media is a great way to connect with local immigrants. You can also make use of multi-cultural social media sites to market your credit, non-credit, and workforce development programs to non-native speakers of English.

Does your Alumni Office enlist the help of your college’s foreign-educated graduates to tell their compatriots about your community college and what it has to offer?

Excellent. This is a great way to engage alumni and outreach to the immigrant community. You can even take the activity a step further and develop a Speakers Bureau of your international alumni who are willing to speak about your college to immigrant-serving CBOs.

This might be an option to explore with your alumni office. In addition, you could consider developing a Speakers Bureau of your international alumni who are willing to speak about your college to immigrant-serving CBOs?

What is the scope of your college’s “international student office”? Are they equipped to advise immigrant students and to address their concerns?

Great. All too often immigrant students’ specific needs are often overlooked since they differ from the needs of international students.

It is important that your international student office also offers clear advice to immigrant students. Often times, immigrants are mistakenly advised as international students. Information, advice and resources for immigrants should be customized meet their needs. The needs of international students can differ dramatically from the needs of immigrant students.

Does your college publicly describe what it has to offer immigrant students?

Great! Colleges with clear advice for immigrant students listed on their websites and promotional materials allows immigrants and the community organizations that serve them clear and accurate advice on how to move forward with educational goals.

Consider adding text to your website and promotional materials with information that is specific to immigrants. It will help both the immigrant community and the agencies that serve them a centralized space for information and resources.