Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
22nd Mar 2012

New survey highlights key considerations in working with agents

INTO University Partnerships operates 12 joint ventures with universities in the US and UK and annually admits more than 5,000 students to its preparatory study centres. INTO also conducts an annual survey of nearly 700 agents from its global recruitment network. Findings from the most recent survey were recently presented on the INTO blog. We have summarized a few highlights below.

  • The influence of both parents and agent counsellors on student choices is greater for younger students but tends to diminish as students get older and as they progress to higher levels of study. The INTO survey found that students were the key decision makers in their study abroad plans 13% of the time for secondary or pathway studies. The percentage of cases in which the student was the key decision maker jumped up to 42% for undergraduate programmes and a whopping 79% for post-graduate studies.
  • The survey found that most students have decided on the country in which they plan to study prior to visiting an agent. However, only 12% had also decided on a specific institution before their agent visit. This underscores that agents play a critical role at that point in the decision-making process and are in a position to heavily influence the student's choice of institution as a result.
  • Agent counsellors reported that service quality – the responsiveness and effectiveness of the support from educators – is the thing they value most (even more than scholarships or other financial incentives) in their dealings with institutions.

For more on current findings for global agent surveys, please see our earlier report on i-graduate's 2011 Agent Barometer and our recent presentation at the 2012 Languages Canada conference. Source: INTO University Partnerships

Most Recent

  • Nearly 30 Canadian language programmes closed in Q1, marking the “sharpest decline in the sector’s history” Read More
  • Recruiting in Taiwan: An established student market adapting to demographic change Read More
  • Australia’s central bank highlights importance of international students to national economy Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

Australia’s central bank highlights importance of international students to national economy The Reserve Bank of Australia, the country’s central bank, has released a special bulletin on the economic impact...
Read more
How the UK’s Agent Quality Framework will shape the future of agent training This article was originally published in the ICEF Academy Knowledge Hub and is reproduced here with permission. International...
Read more
Survey finds US institutions expanding agency engagement and focusing on new student markets AIRC (The Association of International Enrollment Management) and BONARD have just released a second edition of the State...
Read more
Language travel sector leaders call for a focus on value amid persistent discount pressure A June 2025 forum convened by ALTO (Association of Language Travel Organisations) confirmed that price discounting in language...
Read more
ICEF Podcast: Together for transparency – Building global standards for ethical international student recruitment Listen in as ICEF’s Craig Riggs and Martijn van de Veen recap some of the latest news and...
Read more
Is Canada valued more as a “pathway to immigration” or as a destination for education? During a 12 June 2025 webinar presented by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and IDP, IDP...
Read more
Real-time insights on shifting international student interest in the US ICEF and NAFSA co-hosted a featured webinar on 11 June, and the session showcased some important data reflecting...
Read more
How likely are students to recommend your institution? Findings from the latest wave of the International Student Barometer (ISB) are out, and the survey found that...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links