Agents are a low-risk, low-cost way of increasing international student enrolment. Both your institution and students can benefit from the many advantages of outsourcing student recruitment to agents. Once a good network of agents is established, it will cost relatively little to service.

• An agent is an accountable local person in whom students and their parents can confide and contact easily in their own country and language. This is especially important to students who are choosing a long-term study program.
• The agent will be familiar with both your institution's strengths and course offerings and the student's profile, needs, expectations, and abilities. They should be able to suggest a good match.
• Agents offer useful value-added services to students such as assistance with application forms, travel arrangements, insurance, accommodation, exam preparation, and visa applications.
• Agents also give valuable counseling, saving students' time and helping them make their decision, as well as provide them with useful pre-arrival information (e.g., about the city, local transport, cost of living, climate, social etiquette, cultural and social life, food, etc.)
• If needed, agents can provide telephone and email support to students and their families once they are overseas.

Choosing where to study abroad is one of the most important decisions that students make in their lifetime. It also represents a considerable financial commitment often funded by their families. Moreover, travelling and living in a foreign country is not always easy even for the most seasoned of professionals, and for students who are shy or coming from rural areas, it can be an overwhelming experience.

Author: Sergey Krasnyanskiy, Director CIS, ICEF.