University of South Carolina Joins the IDP Education Network, Solidifies Company Position as the Largest Student Placement Firm in the United States

Online, June 14, 2010 (Newswire.com) - IDP Education concluded this year's NAFSA annual meeting with news that the University of South Carolina has signed as the organization's 61st U.S. university partner, making them the largest student placement firm in the United States.

To celebrate this milestone, the organization also announced two large-scale international education initiatives.

The first is a road show tour in which U.S. universities will have the opportunity to travel to 18 cities in seven countries to gain face time with prospective students who have been pre-screened by IDP counselors.

The second is a two-day IDP-run workshop in which U.S. partners can interact with each other and IDP's country experts, and learn unique insights into various student markets around the world.

Mark Shay, IDP's North America director, believes that these types of opportunities are only possible with an organization such as IDP Education, which has more than 70 company-owned counseling centers in more than 20 countries throughout Asia and the Middle East.

"No other student placement firm operates on the scale of IDP," Shay says. "We serve more universities, reach students in more locations, and in Australia, we placed more than 30,000 students last year, including half of all international students entering an Australian higher education program."

It is the combination of a portfolio of recognized university partners, strong country network, and ambitious events like the road show and users workshop that Shay believes makes IDP Education the premier student placement organization in the United States.

"When we entered the U.S.-bound market, our goal was to elevate the practice of student recruitment," Shay says. "We have seen a shift in the way the student placement industry is perceived, and believe that international education in the United States will benefit because of that. We are proud and honored to be able to serve so many U.S. higher education institutions."

The University of South Carolina in Columbia, which is the flagship institution of the University of South Carolina System, conducted an extensive review process that included an RFP bid through the university purchasing department before deciding to partner with IDP Education.

"The University of South Carolina is pleased to begin a new collaboration with IDP Education," says Patricia Willer, associate vice president for international programs at the University of South Carolina. "We recognize that international students are critical to the development of a diverse and meritorious student body and are eager to enhance our international recruitment efforts. In partnership with IDP, we hope to develop new venues for telling our story about the outstanding quality of the University of South Carolina educational experience."

Other university partners include Rutgers University-the State University of New Jersey, Old Dominion University, University of Mississippi, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Colorado State University, College of Wooster, Arcadia University, Hamline University, Pratt Institute, Duquesne University, Auburn University Graduate School, Monterrey Institute of International Studies, and the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

IDP Education announced an expansion into the U.S. market at last year's NAFSA conference. Shay expects the U.S. operations to continue to grow by one to two institutions a week, and to continue to offer exclusive events and recruitment opportunities. This is in support of the projection from IDP's CEO Anthony Pollock that 1 million foreign students will be studying in the United States by 2017, with 50,000 of those students placed by IDP Education.