Regulating International Student Recruitment Agents: Lessons for Ontario was written by Alastair Woods and Jessica Antony, Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, based on a project undertaken by Higher Education Strategy Associates
Research from Higher Education Strategy Associates examines models for the regulation of international education recruitment agents in four countries to inform ways to introduce regulation in Canada and protect both students and the country’s reputation as a high-quality educational destination.
International students remain an important demographic in Ontario’s postsecondary landscape, and international education agents play a key role in bringing the best and brightest to the province from all over the world. However, the possibility of unethical behaviour by education agents raises concerns about student protection and reputational risks. There is no specific provincial legislation or formal accreditation system in Ontario that regulates international education agents, which can open the possibility for unethical practices, such as spreading misinformation, knowingly matching students to inappropriate programs or being evasive about tuition fees or enrollment status. Standardized regulation and training programs for education agents could streamline recruiting efforts and help protect both international students and institutions against unethical practice.
Higher Education Strategy Associates (HESA) was commissioned by HEQCO as part of their consortium on international education to conduct a study that explores models for the regulation of international education recruitment agents in other jurisdictions to determine if any elements could be applied to education agents in Ontario. HESA employed a mixed-methods approach, combining a comprehensive literature review with qualitative interviews with Canadian and international stakeholders. HESA explored models of education agent regulation in countries that are major recipients of international students and have broadly similar legal and constitutional backgrounds to Canada: the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. This research formed the basis of HEQCO’s latest report.
The research found that other jurisdictions offer models of regulation that could be useful in the Canadian context. The United States relies mostly on sector-based self-regulation. The UK, Australia and New Zealand have non-governmental and arms-length actors that support policy development and regulation in the areas of international education. All three jurisdictions also have, to varying degrees, the possibility of direct government intervention, usually in the form of restrictions on study permits or an institution’s ability to recruit internationally.
These models ultimately rely on colleges and universities being held accountable for the behaviour of the agents they authorize to represent them. Applying aspects of these models in Canada, institutions could encourage or require agents to undertake training or sign on to codes of practice. By linking recruitment data with student success metrics, education agents could also be held accountable for student outcomes. For those education agents operating independently, institutions could publish the names of unaffiliated agents and assist students in distinguishing between agents who are approved by the institution and those who are not. However, further study would be required to determine if these approaches are effective in mitigating the negative impacts that could result from unscrupulous education agents, or for regulating those unaffiliated with postsecondary institutions in Canada.
Given that international student recruitment is an industry that operates in multiple countries, there are limits on what Ontario or Canada can to do establish and enforce regulation. However, it is crucial to work within those limits to protect international applicants as well as Canada’s reputation as a destination for study. HESA’s research is a helpful step toward understanding and identifying pathways to regulation, which would require close collaboration within the higher education sector and between institutions and all levels of government.