English assessment

TOEFL® Search Service Now Available

Princeton, NJ / Cincinnati, OH (US), September 2012 - Universities and colleges can now more easily connect with potential students from around the world, thanks to a new innovation from ETS and Hobsons. ETS, creator of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL®), and Hobsons, a leader in recruitment, communication, and student-success solutions for colleges and universities, have launched the highly anticipated TOEFL® Search Service, an online tool connecting higher-education institutions with prospective international students worldwide.




"Through speaking to the colleges and universities we serve, the need for a user-friendly tool to connect higher-education institutions with international students became apparent-, comments David Hunt, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of ETS's Global Division. "The TOEFL Search Service is a cost-effective recruitment tool that helps admissions officers reach international students who have opted in to receive information regarding higher- education opportunities abroad."


Administered by ETS, the TOEFL is the most widely accepted English-language assessment worldwide, recognized by more than 8,500 institutions in more than 130 countries. To date, more than 27 million students globally have taken the test. The TOEFL Search Service is the first tool to offer TOEFL test-taker data for student-recruitment purposes.


The new TOEFL Search Service offers admissions officials access to an expanding database of more than 350,000 recent TOEFL test takers who have requested to learn more about higher education opportunities abroad. Admissions officers can search the user-friendly database using more than 26 criteria to customize results and connect with potential targeted applicants.


Major features of the service, powered by Hobsons, include

  • web-based search capabilities that can be automated to secure real-time data about prospective students, driving timely and accurate recruitment decision-making ;
  • data that easily integrates with leading campus-management systems, enabling easy electronic, print, or telephone contact with potential students, streamlining outreach efforts;
  • insight into the applicant pool by customizing search results by an institution's preferred criteria, such as country or region of the world, TOEFL scores, planned level of study, planned date of enrollment, or desired field of study.

"In an increasingly competitive market, admissions and enrollment professionals need to reach and connect with students who are a good fit for their institutions", commented Craig Heldman, Chief Executive Officer, Hobsons. "The TOEFL Search Service will help admissions officers find and engage prospective international students with the English-language skills required, creating mutually beneficial connections that ultimately maximize student success."