Student Recruitment Agents in International Higher Education A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective on Challenges and Best Practices In late Spring 2023 a new volume in Routledge’s Internationalization in Higher Education Series will be released, Student Recruitment Agents in International Higher Education. Pii-Tuulia Nikula, Vicenzo Raimo and I are co-editors, and the book includes chapters from a variety of different perspectives. Our aim in producing this new publication is to shed light on commissions-based international student recruitment agents, to help stakeholders make more informed de ..read more

Are Students Protected? An In-depth Look Into Overseas Education Advisory Services is a research report issued earlier this year by the Consumer Council of Hong Kong. It examines Hong Kong-based agents and educational consultants who recruit and advise students interested in studying abroad. The report identifies a number of issues, including: “service providers would not readily disclose pricing information” “it was clear that the service providers would not transparently disclose the relationship they had with the recommended overseas education institutions” “practices of aggressive sellin ..read more

Late this past October University World News published An ethical approach to commissions-based recruitment, an article I co-authored with Mark Ashwill, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Capstone Vietnam. Mark and I address the practice of educational institutions paying per-capita commissions for the recruitment and enrollment of international students. We also propose a more student-centered advising model. I’ll have much more to say on this subject in 2019. In the meantime I hope you’ll have a read ..read more

Former students of Fremont, California-based Northwestern Polytechnic University (NPU) have brought a class action lawsuit against the school, alleging “fraud, deceit and/or misrepresentation” concerning its accreditation. Since 1998 NPU has been accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), a controversial organization accused of lax oversight of troubled for-profit institutions. In late 2016 the U.S. Department of Education revoked ACICS’ authorization as a federally recognized accreditor. However, the current Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, has si ..read more

The University of Texas at Tyler has upended the plans of an estimated 40 or more Nepali students to whom they’d previously pledged full-ride scholarships, by unexpectedly revoking the awards. Late last year the Dallas area-university, 1 of 14 institutions that comprise the University of Texas system, notified students that they had been granted Presidential Fellow scholarships, which were designated to cover most of students’ expenses, as the President explained in a congratulatory e-mail: “This means our university and hopefully your new home for the next four years is taking care of your t ..read more

Want to gain real world work experience while pursuing your undergraduate degree? Then consider heading to Canada, and opting for a co-op. Co-ops are programs that alternate periods of academic study with periods of work experience in business, industry, government, social services, and the professions. Think of a co-op as a paid, substantive internship you complete during your degree studies. How cool is that? Very! It’s true that many American universities make internship opportunities available to undergraduates. Some, such as Northeastern University, are even quite committed to the co-op ..read more

One of the best kept secrets about U.S. Federal Financial Aid is that it can often be used to fund studies outside the United States. Hundreds of universities around the world participate in the program. These universities accept federal financial aid from American students, in the form of Stafford Loans and PLUS Loans. Note: students attending a foreign university are not eligible for Pell Grant funding. American students who are considering attending a university outside the States and want to pay for some of their expenses via Federal Financial Aid need to complete ..read more

If you find yourself intrigued about university options north of the U.S.-Canada border, you’re not alone. Following the U.S. Presidential election, and years of a strengthening U.S. dollar, reports suggest growing interest in Canadian universities among American students. Here are some basics about undergraduate studies in Canada: Length of bachelor’s degree: 4-years, just like in the U.S. Top universities include: McGill University, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia Other excellent universities include: Queens University, University of Waterloo, University of Victo ..read more

There are lots of ways to study abroad that don’t break the bank. The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is one such way. And it’s a great one. The Gilman Scholarship Program is funded by the U.S. Department of State, and is open to undergraduate students in the U.S. who are receiving a Federal Pell Grant, or will be when they study or intern abroad. More than 2,500 students earn Gilman scholarships each year. The program prides itself on helping students who otherwise might be unable to study abroad. Last year 46% of Gilman scholarship recipients were fi ..read more