2 papers on recruiting agents

Bottom (Line) Feeders - By Philip G. Altbach, August 23, 2010, INSIDE HE

A specter is now haunting international higher education — the dramatic proliferation of third-party recruiters and agents. Their job is to recruit prospective students in countries that send large numbers of students abroad to study at specific institutions as well as to provide general information about studying abroad. Many officials are authorized by academic institutions in the receiving countries — specifically in the United States, Britain, and Australia — to offer admission to students and to help them enroll. (The agents and the colleges that hire them all say that the college still controls admissions, but effectively the reality is that the agents are making offers.)

Should recruiting agents be regulated? And by whom? - Posted by Eric Beerkens 13 Sep 2010, nuffic

Studying abroad for a full degree has developed from an elite to a mass phenomenon. Parallel to this development, we have witnessed a commercialization of international higher education to an extent where many institutions have become financially dependent on full-fee paying international students.