On 24 September 2026, the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA), on behalf of the European Commission, hosted a Study in Europe training webinar Converting Interest into Enrolment: Optimising International Student Recruitment. Specifically, the event targeted participants from National Agencies across Europe with roles in marketing for higher education. 

The webinar opened with remarks from Jacques Kemp, Programme Coordination Manager, Erasmus Mundus and Sports at the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), with Raul Ranne, Senior Advisor of the Academic Cooperation Association, as moderator. The keynote was provided by Hogne Ulla, International Marketing Officer, Hasselt University & EURECA-PRO, who explored how student expectations are shifting: towards honest conversations about the realities of studying abroad, support at every stage of the application journey, and genuine information from other students, including through AI chatbots, tools that connect students directly with each other, and reviews rather than testimonials.

The keynote was followed by two spotlight presentations on trending platforms for students, specifically: Reddit and LinkedIn. Gerrit Bruno Blöss, Founder and CEO of Study.eu, provided an overview of how Reddit can be a useful resource for national agencies and institutions wishing to better understand how students rely on the experiences of others when making enrollment decisions. This presentation was followed by Hakan Karaoglu, Marketing Consultant at EduEnable, who showcased the increasing usage of LinkedIn by current and prospective students and how national agencies and higher education institutions can better reach them through this platform. 

ACA warmly thanks all speakers and participants for their engagement in this webinar under the Study in Europe initiative.