In January and February 2026, EdSummit brought together the international education community across Mexico City, Bogotá, and São Paulo.

Across the three events, one thing was clear: despite market pressure, the industry is evolving — and stronger operational strategies are separating top performers from the rest.

From real-time platform data to student wellbeing insights and payment innovation, here are the key highlights — and what trends are emerging across LATAM.

🇲🇽 EdSummit Mexico City

📊 Market Insights from Edvisor

The Mexican market data was presented by Edvisor’s team during the Data Takeaways session, alongside product updates led by Juan Garoz, Product Director at Edvisor.

Key 2025 Mexico figures:

• 132 agencies operating in Mexico
• 156,000 proposals sent (↓9.14%)
• 17.62 weeks average duration (↓7.75%)
• $5,326 average proposal value (↓0.32%)
• 14 weeks average proposal-to-booking cycle

While proposal volume declined, conversion levers became more evident.

💳 Payment Plans = 4.7x Higher Acceptance

One of the strongest insights shared:

• 83% acceptance with payment plans
• 17% without plans
• 4.7x higher acceptance rate when plans are included

Mexico showed the highest uplift across all three markets — reinforcing how critical financial flexibility has become.

🇨🇴 EdSummit Bogotá

📊 Data Takeaways by Edvisor

During the Bogotá event, Edvisor presented real-time platform data highlighting a more challenging year for Colombia:

• 155 agencies operating in Colombia
• 135,000 proposals sent (↓42%)
• 22 weeks average duration (↓5.5%)
• $5,700 average proposal value (↑4.4%)
• 20 weeks proposal-to-booking cycle

Despite a significant drop in proposal volume, the increase in average proposal value indicates a shift toward higher-ticket sales.

💳 Conversion Impact of Payment Plans

Edvisor’s data showed:

• 69% conversion with payment plans
• 31% without plans
• 2.2x higher conversion when plans are offered

Even in a contracting market, structured payment options remain a powerful growth lever.

🇧🇷 EdSummit São Paulo

📊 International Education Data Trends

Presented by James Cowan, Sales Manager at Edvisor

Brazil demonstrated the most stability among the three markets:

• 197 agencies operating in Brazil (+4%)
• 242,000 proposals sent (↓1%)
• 12.94 weeks average duration (↓15.37%)
• $3,537 average proposal value (↓2.37%)
• 16 weeks proposal-to-booking cycle

Shorter duration and relatively stable volume suggest a more resilient market environment.

💳 Payment Plans Continue to Drive Results

• 61.1% conversion with payment plans
• 38.9% without plans
• 2.2x higher conversion with structured payment options

Across all LATAM markets, the trend is consistent: Payment flexibility directly increases conversion.

🛡 Student Protection in a Changing World

Presented by Lucia Quigley, Senior Account Manager at GuardMe Europe

Across Mexico, Bogotá, and São Paulo, Lucia shared powerful global student wellbeing insights:

• 1 in 3 students feel emotionally unprepared
• 62% report increased anxiety while abroad
• 81,000 students accessed support platforms in one year
• 66% of support is accessed after hours (5pm–9am)
• 72% reported reduced distress immediately after intervention
• Nearly 50% of real-time cases resolved in a single interaction

One of the most impactful takeaways:

Most high-risk incidents happen outside office hours.

Student support is no longer just a welfare initiative — it is institutional risk management.

💰 Global Education & Payments

Presented by:

• Thomas Butler, Commercial Director of Education at TransferMate (Mexico)
• Jefferson Lima, Business Development Manager – Team Lead at TransferMate (Bogotá & São Paulo)

They highlighted the macroeconomic importance of international education:

• $55B contributed to the U.S. economy
• £37.4B net economic benefit to the UK
• Global mobility projected to grow from 7M to 9M students by 2030

Operational results shared included:

• 60% reduction in reconciliation time
• $30K+ annual savings in bank fees
• Payment queries reduced from 8,299 to 211
• 39% fewer inbox emails

As complexity increases, payment infrastructure becomes a competitive advantage.

🔎 Cross-Market Data Trends: What’s Emerging?

When comparing Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil, four major trends stand out:

1️⃣ Demand Is Under Pressure — But Not Uniformly

• Colombia: ↓42%
• Mexico: ↓9%
• Brazil: ↓1%

Brazil remained the most stable. Colombia experienced the sharpest contraction.

2️⃣ Payment Plans Are the Strongest Conversion Lever

• Mexico: 4.7x higher acceptance
• Colombia: 2.2x higher conversion
• Brazil: 2.2x higher conversion

This is the most consistent data pattern across all three events.

3️⃣ Agencies Are Expanding Despite Market Pressure

Across LATAM:

• 96–99% of agencies expanded their network
• Connected/promoted schools increased in every market

Rather than shrinking, agencies are diversifying partnerships.

4️⃣ Top Performers Operate Differently

Data presented by Edvisor across markets showed that top agencies:

• Send dramatically more proposals
• Sell more products per proposal
• Close significantly more sales per month

Efficiency and diversification are outperforming pure volume strategies.

🚀 The Big Shift: From Volume to Strategy

Across all three EdSummits, the narrative is clear:

The international education sector is not simply growing or shrinking — it is maturing.

Success in 2026 is being driven by:

• Structured payment strategies
• Operational automation
• Stronger partner networks
• Integrated student protection
• Smarter recruitment insights

As global mobility trends toward 9 million students by 2030, the agencies and institutions that operate strategically — not reactively — will define the next phase of growth.