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Thinking About Increasing the Number of International Students to Your College or University? The Challenging Question of Whether to Use Agents.


Gary Rhodes
Associate Dean, International Education & Senior International Officer, College of Extended & International Education
Director, Center for Global Education
California State University at Dominguez Hills

 

In the July 2015 edition of the Terra Dotta Newsletter, I provided an introduction and some questions to think about when considering the issue of whether a college or university should use agents to bring international students to their campus.  In this article, I will provide a background on the issues and provide information to help institutions answer that question for themselves.

In George D. Kuh’s publication High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter (AAC&U, 2008), he highlights a number of high impact areas in higher education.  The chart at the following link provides a summary of those practices:  https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/HIP_tables.pdf.  Three of the high impact practices include areas that provide opportunities for international students to make an impact:
 

Introduction:  International Students at U.S. Colleges and Universities

Internationalization in U.S. higher education looks different at the thousands of institutions in the U.S.   Some have a Senior International Officer to whom most areas report.  Others are fully decentralized for all international activities with limited central control.  Some have branch campuses for full degree programs abroad and implement study abroad programs of their own, others focus on integrating students at a university outside the U.S., others only have short-term faculty-led programs.  While the growth in study abroad has slowed in the past few years, the growth in the number of international students continues at a much higher rate.

In the November 17, 2014 release of the Open Doors Report, the Institute of International Education included the following update on international students at US Colleges and Universities:

The 2014 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, released today, finds the number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by eight percent to a record high of 886,052 students in the 2013/14 academic year, confirming once again that the United States remains the destination of choice for higher education. The United States hosts more of the world’s 4.5 million globally mobile college and university students than any other country in the world, with almost double the number hosted by the United Kingdom, the second leading host country…

…In 2013/14, there were 66,408 more international students enrolled in U.S. higher education compared to the previous year. While students from China and Saudi Arabia together account for 73 percent of the growth, a wider range of countries contributed to the increase, with India, Brazil, Iran and Kuwait together accounting for an additional 18 percent of growth. The number of Indian students increased by 6 percent to 102,673, reversing a three-year trend of declining numbers of Indian students at U.S. campuses. The fastest growing student populations in the United States in 2013/14 were from Kuwait, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia, all countries whose governments are investing heavily in scholarships for international studies, to develop a globally competent workforce. The fastest growing region this year was the Middle East and North Africa, with an increase of 20 percent in students enrolled in U.S. higher education. There were eight percent more students from Latin America and the Caribbean, which has benefited from support from 100,000 Strong in the Americas, a public-private partnership led by the U.S. State Department. Students from Asia increased by 8 percent as well, driven by a 17 percent increase from China.

International students make up just over four percent of the total U.S. graduate and undergraduate enrollments combined. International students’ spending in all 50 states contributed more than $27 billion to the U.S. economy in 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Although the number (886,052 provides) an initial picture of a large body of international students, as highlighted by IIE above, that amounts to just over four (4) percent of the 21,216,000 students in U.S. higher education.  According to the National Center of Educational Statistics, in 2011/12 there were 4,706 degree granting institutions of higher education in the U.S.

Dividing the numbers of institutions by the number of international students would show an average of just over 188 international students per campus. However, enrollments are far from even.  The IIE 2014 Open Doors report showed that New York University had the largest number of international students with 11,164.  The 25 U.S. campuses with the largest numbers of international students hosted over 20% of all international students.

Looking at the list of the top 25 institutions hosting international students, one finds large institutions that are highly ranked and well known in the U.S. and abroad. Many U.S. colleges and universities are neither as highly ranked nor as well known in the U.S. and around the world.

Institutions that aren’t as well known, but would like to increase the number of international students on their campus use different methods to recruit international students.  One of the strategies used to recruit international students is using agents.
 

Defining “Agent”

While there are many different ways to internationalize and many different ways to implement study abroad and international student programs, there is one issue that results in controversy and differences of opinion more than many others, the question of whether to--and if you do, how to--use agents to support the recruiting of international students for your campus.

What do we mean by “the use of agents for international student recruitment”?:  According to the Merriam Website Online Dictionary, an “agent” is:

Let’s take out the James Bond, 007 definition of “secret agent”, so that leaves someone “who acts on behalf of another” and “causes something to happen”.  However, the agent for an international student is not just a “college consultant”.
 

College Consultants for U.S. Students

Many wealthy students in the U.S. have parents who spend thousands of dollars paying for ACT or SAT test preparation and college admissions advising.  There are companies who help high school students through “every step of the process of getting into the most competitive U.S. colleges and universities.”  High schools have “college counselors” who also help students get into college.  The U.S. government also provides funding for first-generation and low income high school students to get assistance in planning for college through programs like the Council for Opportunity in Education Talent Search (honoring its 50th Anniversary this year), Upward Bound, and other programs at the state and local levels.

The Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) notes that an “educational consultant is a skilled professional who provides counseling to help students and families choose a school, college, or other program that is a good personal match: one that will foster the student's academic and social growth. Independent Educational Consultants (IECs) can provide a student and family with individual attention, firsthand knowledge of hundreds of educational opportunities, and the time to explore all of the options.”

A difference that separates IECA consultants from “agents” for international students is that: “IECA member consultants are compensated directly by their clients, and do not receive any compensation from educational institutions.”  U.S. federal law actually does not allow U.S. universities to pay consultants who advise U.S. students.   According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC):

In the United States, the Higher Education Act (HEA) obligates postsecondary institutions participating in the Title IV federal student aid program as follows:  The Institution will not provide any commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on success in securing enrollments or financial aid to any persons or entities engaged in any student recruiting or admission activities or in making decisions regarding the award of student financial assistance, except that this paragraph shall not apply to the recruitment of foreign students residing in foreign countries who are not eligible to receive Federal student assistance (20 USC §1094[a][20]) (West, E & Addington, L (2014) NACAC International Student Recruiting Agencies:  A Guide for Schools, Colleges and Universities.

In the Barron’s article “How to Pick a College Admissions Consultant” (June 11, 2015), the author starts raising the challenge faced by students and parents thinking about where to go to college:
Students who want to go to the U.S. for college face a daunting challenge understanding how the U.S. university system and admissions process works. There are thousands of U.S. colleges, how do you pick? And then, how do you apply?... It’s no wonder parents and students seek professional help to figure it out.
 

Understanding Their Options

We have thousands of U.S. colleges and universities enrolling millions of students all over the U.S. with 886,052 international students (IIE Open Doors, 2013/14 data).  These international students are bringing almost $27 billion to the U.S. economy (2013/14 - NAFSA: Association of International Educators). Many of these students as well as their parents have never been to the U.S. and may be limited in their English language skills.

As difficult as it is for U.S. students trying to decide on a U.S. college or university, it is even more complicated for international students.  How do international students decide on a U.S. college or university?  These decisions are very complicated for international students and each student and each family brings different priorities to the decision of what college or university is the right choice in the U.S.  It may be that a friend or family member had a positive experience that they would like to follow or a negative experience they would like to avoid.  There is the long list of issues:  price, urban or rural, climate/weather, large or small college, numbers of international students, academic offerings, faculty to student ratio, etc.

Then, of course, there is another controversial area involved in decision-making… the rankings… There are different opinions about whether rankings are valid or reliable, however it is clear that they influence U.S. students and parents as well as international students and parents in the decision-making process of where to go to college.

Whether it is U.S. News and World Report Best Global Universities, Shanghai Jiao-Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities, Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the QS World University Rankings, or others, only a small number of the thousands of U.S. colleges and universities are so highly ranked that they would be seen as “obvious” choices for students and parents who use rankings. Many of these “obvious highly ranked universities” may not really be the best fit for the needs of many international students who have a hard time understanding the differences between the many choices they have on which college or university to apply to.
 

Language Issues

A critical issue in trying to understand the differences between colleges and universities in the U.S. is the ability to understand U.S. English and the complexities involved in analyzing the differences between U.S. colleges and universities in a second language, often without visiting the U.S. college or university before enrolling.  Looking at the top 25 countries sending international students to study in the U.S., English is most often not the first language for students.  Even if students know English, as confusing as university choice is for U.S. students, for international students, the challenges are multiplied.
 

Agents:  Reality of Who Uses Agents

According to NAFSA’s Guide to International Student Recruitment, 2nd Edition, agents are more widely used abroad, but also widely used by U.S. colleges and universities:

More than 30 percent of U.S. institutions of higher education, along with more than 80 percent of United Kingdom and almost 90 percent of Canadian institutions use agents.

If an international student gets help from a “College Consultant” in their home country and that consultant is not involved in communicating or contracting directly with the U.S. campus, whether they call themselves an agent or not, they may not be any different than a U.S. College Consultant and there are no regulations against college consultants for U.S. or international students. NACAC uses the following operational definitions for agents and agencies:

It is clear that many colleges and universities around the world continue to use agencies, agents and sub-agents.  According to NACAC:

Many colleges and universities do use agents.  According to NACAC, Estimates suggest that 20,000 agencies operate worldwide, differing in terms of location, size and student recruitment specializations.  The utilization of agency services by educational institutions also varies across the globe.  For example, while most Australian, British, and Canadian universities work with international student recruitment agencies, this enrollment strategy is far less common in the United States; data suggest that approximately one quarter of American institutions, or specific campus programs, contract with agencies to conduct international student recruitment. (West, E & Addington, L (2014) NACAC International Student Recruiting Agencies:  A Guide for Schools, Colleges and Universities.

However, just because many institutions in the U.S. and around the world use agencies, agents, and sub-agents, doesn’t necessarily lead to the conclusion that all institutions should.
 

Agents:  Yes, No, or Maybe?

There will continue to be disagreements about whether to use agents and if a student, parent, or institution does use an agent, how to verify that they meet a minimum standard.  In the U.S., this will continue to be an institution-to-institution and program-to-program decision.

While some individual universities or systems don’t allow using agents, others have processes in place that require clearance and special contracts and agreements to be able to work with an agency, agent, or sub-agent.  With the decentralization of internationalization activities that is in place at many U.S. colleges, a specialized program (ESL or Short-term study in the U.S.) might use an agent, while the degree-seeking side of campus may not.

NACAC provides the following suggestions for institutions who decide to work with agents “to ensure accountability, transparency, and integrity:

The U.S Department of State provides online resources for international students to help them choose a U.S. college or university through EducationUSA.  They also support regional advising centers around the world to support international students.  They have a specific policy regarding incentive- or commission-based agents, college fair participation, and required free services:

EducationUSA advisers refrain from partnering with any recruitment agent who receives compensation in the form of a per-student commission from an institution in which a student enrolls following recruitment by the agent. Agents receiving compensation under such an arrangement cannot be expected to give priority to a student’s need to explore the full range of options provided by the diversity of U.S. higher education.

The issue that the U.S. Department of State raises is whether an agency, agent, or sub-agent that receives compensation from one or some specific U.S. colleges or universities can be prioritizing the needs of the student first if their income depends on placing that student in a limited number of institutions that will only pay them if they send students to their campus.

In a sense, this issue could be expanded to be relevant to anyone who has a stake in where a student goes to college.  If a university recruiter doesn’t successfully recruit students to their campus, they will lose their job.  This would also limit their potential to give advice not supporting the student or family going to the home campus that pays their salary.  If taken to the next level, one could raise the question as to whether the EducationUSA Center staff are interested in the best interests of students as they only represent U.S. colleges or universities. If they promote UK, Canadian, or Australian universities above U.S. universities, it may be in the interest of the student or parent, but who is paying them for their work?  One critical issue to confirm is that any agency, agent, or sub-agent should be clear at the outset who they are being paid by, what institutions they represent, and that there are other resources to help find other institutions in the U.S. or other countries that may be a good fit for them as well.
 

Different Agents for Different University Programs

Many universities don’t use agents.  Others that use agents use a small number for individual countries or individual academic programs (one for full degree, another for ESL, another for short-term study in the U.S., etc.).

Every campus should evaluate if they should use agents and if so, how to choose what agents they use and how to effectively train agents, pay agents, and manage the relationships with agents.

As with many other issues in terms of administration of programs on a U.S. college or university, one size doesn’t fit all.  Each institution should be active and inclusive in evaluating processes for working with agents and deciding how to implement and review those programs.
 

Payments to Agents By Students, Families, and Institutions:  Concerns About “Double-Dipping”

Campus directly-funded and employed recruiters provides for greater control over the training and process of the recruitment and admissions process.  However, most U.S. colleges and universities don’t have the resources to fund salary and benefits for a sufficient number of recruiters to cover the entire world.  Some may use alumni or families of current students to help in the recruitment process.  However, with appropriate training and support, an agency, agent, or sub-agent has the potential to provide high quality support for global outreach.

An area of special concern are the times when agencies are paid by both the individual parent or student and the U.S. campus.  The practice of agents charging fees to students in addition to receiving commission from contracted partners is often called “double-dipping”.  The term is a misnomer when applied to international student recruiting because double-dipping is actually the practice of receiving two incomes from the same source.  That said, the unsavory feeling is understood and perhaps a more accurate terminology would be “student paid fees” and “university paid fees”.  While it is important to guard against predatory practices in agency relationships, it should also be understood that in many markets, charging fees for service to students is appropriate and even necessary to remain viable.  Some of the principal reasons that agents charge student fees are:

It reminds me of the practice of real estate agents to sometimes represent both the buyer and seller of a property.  While it can serve both the buyer and seller well in certain real estate circumstances, the transparency about the relationships in real estate is critical.  For the student and parent and the U.S. university, the payment and relationship transparency is critical for the recruitment process to take place in an effective and ethical manner.
 

Standards for Agencies, Agents, and Sub-Agents

If a college or university does decide to work with someone to help in recruitment and admissions, it is important to think about what steps to take in implementing these policies and procedures in an effective and appropriate way.

In 2006, NAFSA: Association of International Educators published the “Guidelines for Ethical Practices in International Student Recruitment (Kallur, R. & Reeves, M., Released January 2006, quarterly update Spring 2007).  It includes a basis for ethical principles in recruitment of international students:

There is a standards organization focused on issues related to using agents for international student recruitment.  The American International Recruitment Council The American International Recruitment Council (AIRC) was founded in 2008, and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership association recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission as a Standards Development Organization (SDO).  Their membership includes both institutions who use agents for recruitment and agencies and agents who go through a review process and pay a fee to be on the “Agency Certification” list.
 
The AIRC Standards provides a list of issues to be considered to provide appropriate information and recruitment services. It includes sections covering a variety of issues, including

Central to AIRC’s purposes is the Certification process whereby recruitment agencies are reviewed on the basis of a set of Standards, which appear in their Manual:
AIRC Certification attests to the quality determined upon an external review of a recruiting agency, which meets the AIRC Certification Standards for a designated period of time. The AIRC Certification Process & Standards Manual,Version 5.1, November 2014, provides guidance on the steps and agency would need to complete as a part of the AIRC Certification Process.

While some universities are limiting their agreements to agents and agencies that have been approved through the AIRC, there are challenges.  For instance, there are some countries that have limited or no AIRC approved agents.
 

Ensuring That the University – Agent Relationship is Transparent

One of the important concerns is that the relationship between a college or university and an agent is clear to all who are involved, including parents and students getting help to find a university.  According to the organization Transparency International:

Transparency is about shedding light on rules, plans, processes and actions. It is knowing why, how, what, and how much. Transparency ensures that public officials, civil servants, managers, board members and businesspeople act visibly and understandably, and report on their activities. And it means that the general public can hold them to account. It is the surest way of guarding against corruption, and helps increase trust in the people and institutions on which our futures depend.

All recruiters should provide details about the relationship between themselves and the institution they represent, as well as the role any alumni, agencies, agents, and sub-agents play in connection to the institution as well as providing information about where to go for additional details, opportunities for online and in-person campus visits, so that the parent and student can access other resources to help them in making the decision about where they will study, based on the variety of options they may have.
 

What Agents Can and Cannot Do

NAFSA’s NAFSA’s Guide to International Student Recruitment, 2nd Edition provides some brief guidance on what agents can and cannot do:

Agents can:

Agents cannot:

It is important for U.S. colleges and universities create clear relationships with agents to clarify the limits of the ways that the agent can effectively represent the institution and follow-up on administrative practices to support recruitment, admissions, and enrollment independent of the university they represent.
 

Continuing Complexity and Development of the College and University Recruitment and Use of Agencies, Agents, and Sub-Agents

The change by NACAC to accept the use of agents by U.S. colleges and universities for international student recruitment reflects the continuing change in the way that connecting with agents is viewed.

The Australian government Productivity Commission released a report in April 2015 that included concerns about the university and agent relationship. One of their recommendations was that Australian universities should reduce their reliance on agents.  They also were clear that additional data would be helpful:

Increased intelligence about education agents is essential. The industry currently operates under a shroud of mystery, with very little disclosure about commissions and recruitment methods. There is little information available through which agent performance can be assessed. Enhanced disclosure about agent performance and pay would provide signposts to both students and providers. It would provide a greater incentive for agents to recruit quality students in order to maintain their reputation and their contracts with education providers. It would also assist education providers by enabling them to compare agents across the industry. And students would be able to make a more informed choice about their agent and have a better understanding of agent motivations.
 

Conclusion

Recruiting international students to U.S. colleges and universities is an important process that needs to be designed in ways to support the mission and vision of a college or university to bring international students to the campus in a way that supports the mission and vision of a university to internationalize their campus.

Most U.S. universities do not have a large enough international student recruitment staff to be able to send staff to recruitment fairs on an annual basis to countries and cities around the world.

In order to expand international recruitment outreach, many U.S. universities use agencies, agents, and sub-agents to provide support for recruitment.

It is important that those relationships are taken seriously and that agents get enough training to properly represent the U.S. university and provide transparency in the funding support they receive to represent the U.S. campus.  U.S. campuses need to take the relationship with each agent as seriously as if they were being directly hired by the campus to represent them around the world.