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2004
Fall American Education Fair American International Education Foundation (AIEF) thanks you for your participation in the 2004 Fall American Education Fair in Korea, and we appreciate your continuing support of our future events. Covered in this post-Fair report are details about the Fall Fair venue including attendance statistics, the collaboration between AIEF and the Fulbright Commission in Korea on expanded web exposure for U.S. schools, our Korean recruitment market update, pre-fair orientation, fair highlights, news about our student tracking system, fair banquet, online survey results, and the schedule for AIEF’s 2005 Spring Fairs in Korea and Taiwan. Subjects covered in this report:
2004 Korea Fall Fair Dates, Venue, and Results On September 18th and 19th, the American International Education Foundation’s 2004
Fall American Education Fair in Korea took place at COEX in Seoul. AIEF coordinated the American Pavilion within the Korea Student Fair, which is traditionally the most popular student recruitment event in Korea. This fall’s event was well attended, with over 3,000 students visiting the American Pavilion and 738 valid Korean students registering
in AIEF’s database. The data collected is used for AIEF’s Student Tracking System.
A list of the fair participants can be seen on AIEF's Cyberfair
site at www.americaneducationfair.com .
AIEF-Fulbright Commission Collaboration on Expanded Web Exposure American schools participating in the fall fair in Korea were encouraged to take advantage of posting their schools’ profiles on Fulbright Korea’s website http://www.educationusa.or.kr free of charge until the end of the year. This collaborative effort between AIEF and the Fulbright Commission was designed to help U.S. educational institutions increase their online exposure in Korea to the highly computer-literate local student community. In addition, as a complimentary service to fair participants, AIEF is posting their schools’ information on its cyberfair website, www.americaneducationfair.com, for at least six months following the fair. Totaling over 154,000 students studying abroad, Korea currently ranks third, after India and China, among countries sending students to the United States. Besides the United States, other popular places for Korean students to study are Canada, Japan, Australia, and China. Recently, the U.K., Germany, and France have also launched aggressive recruitment campaigns in Korea. As cited in the “Open Doors” report, in 2003 the number of Korean students studying in the United States was 51,519, representing a 5% increase from 2002. Statistics show that approximately 39% of Korean students in the United States are studying at undergraduate level, 47% are enrolled in graduate programs, and 11 % are listed as non-degree or ESL students. As indicated by the Fulbright Commission, the number of Korean students taking the TOEFL exam showed a 25 percent increase in 2003. However, a report by the Council of Graduate Schools indicated that graduate admissions in the United States of students from Korea were down by 12 percent in fall 2004. A U.S. Department of Commerce survey of Korean students planning to study in the United States revealed a strong interest in pursuing degrees in business and engineering. Other popular fields were
Computer Science, Information Technology, The Social Sciences,
The Arts, Agriculture, Communications and Journalism, Biological
Sciences, and Health Care Services. Promising educational sub-sectors include Intensive English Language Training, Vocational Training, Accounting, Art and Music Schools, Summer Camps, and Elementary and Secondary Schools. Conducted by Stephen Smith, director of AIEF’s Washington Office, a pre-Fair orientation was held at the Oakwood Premier Hotel on the morning of September 18th. Topics covered included a review of the Korea
recruitment market, current and projected market trends, and practical information about the COEX venue and onsite services. During the orientation, Ms. Virginia Miller, consular officer from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, addressed the U.S. education delegation regarding student visa issues in Korea. Reserved only for official U.S. school representatives, the American Pavilion was located at the central section of the Korea Student Fair exhibition area. At the AIEF booth, our staff directed student traffic and offered free onsite counseling. In addition, representatives of the U.S. embassy and the Fulbright office in Korea were on hand at their respective booths throughout the event to answer questions posed by the public. For no additional fee, AIEF arranged for interpreters from Korean colleges and universities to translate for each of the participating American schools; this customary service is always a highly rated feature of our events, as the student interpreters assist tremendously in bridging the language and culture gaps that sometimes arise. Korean-language signs were also provided at every booth to introduce the essential facts about each institution. In conjunction with the fair, AIEF offered informative seminars for Korean students, and several schools also conducted individual sessions to introduce their institutions to prospective students.
To assist Korean students to learn about the location of U.S. schools, AIEF printed color U.S. maps that were distributed free of charge to the American Pavilion’s visitors. Many U.S. schools representatives found the maps to be a convenient way for them to point out where their institutions are situated geographically within the United States. At the invitation of AIEF, Mr. Michael Young and Mr. Seth Bailey, U.S. Embassy consular officers, spoke at special sessions for students that focused on U.S. security and student visa issues. AIEF offered online pre-Fair registration as a service to the exhibition’s visitors. Visitors to the American Pavilion were encouraged to register their educational goals and contact information in AIEF’s student tracking system. This system allows AIEF to collect student “Contact Information”, “Program of Interest”, “Degree Desired”, and “Year of Planned Study”. Our staff has forwarded this information to all of the American Pavilion participants. A summary of the data gathered is as follows:
On the evening of Saturday, September 18th, AIEF and KTF (Korea Trade Fair) co-hosted a banquet for the U.S. school representatives at a traditional Korean restaurant located near COEX. The dinner featured Korean barbecue and other popular local dishes, as well as traditional Korean musical and dance performances. Representing KTF, Mr. Lee warmly welcomed the U.S. education delegation and wished everyone success at the fair. 2005 Spring Fairs in Korea and Taiwan The dates have been set for the 2005 American Education Spring Fairs in Korea and Taiwan. Scheduled from March 26 and 27, the Korea fair will again be held in Seoul at COEX. Fair dates for Taiwan are March 19-20 in Taipei, March 21st in Kaohsiung, and March 22nd in Taichung. U.S. schools are encouraged to contact the American International Education Foundation to register early in order to reserve booth space for these popular events. To register online, please visit: For additional information about AIEF fairs and services, please contact:
American International Education Foundation (AIEF) |
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