Approved education agents and recruitment partners

Education agents and recruitment partners provide a range of services to support you - from identifying the right university and course to guiding you through the application and enrolment process. They can also assist with visa applications, travel, and accommodation arrangements.

In line with the Good practice guide for providers using education agents issued by the British Council, we follow rigorous onboarding and due diligence processes before contracting any education agents or recruitment partners to work with Loughborough University, along with conducting regular training and performance management to ensure that they are representing all parties faithfully and ethically. Contracted education agents and recruitment partners will, in return for their support for students and promoting the University globally, receive a commission-based payment from Loughborough University for every student they have supported.

If you are considering using an education agent, we recommend reading the student and parent guide to choosing an education agent, an important part of the UK Agent Quality Framework (AQF).

The guide provides you and your family with clear information and guidance on what you should look for when considering using an agent. It includes key questions to ask, signs of quality, and how to avoid poor practices.

The guide also contains links to the following, which provide further details on what is level of practice is expected from education agents, recruitment partners and universities in the UK.

Loughborough University has signed and fully committed to the Agent Quality Framework and is delighted to join many other Universities in the UK in committing to this pledge which we see as a positive development for the entire sector. As part of our commitment to the Agent Quality Framework we will require all education agents and recruitment partners who we work with to adhere to the National Code of Ethical Practice for UK Education Agents as part of our commitment to the highest quality experience for students.

External stakeholders are advised that there are 9 parts to the AQF:

1. A student and parent guide to choosing an education agent - a guide supporting students and their parents on what they should look for when selecting an agent, including links to the national code of ethical practice for education agents.
2. National code of ethical practice for education agents - a code of practice setting out the standards and best practice that education agents and agent aggregators, brokers and marketplaces (digital agent networks) representing UK education providers on the register of licensed student sponsors must adhere to.
3. Good practice guide for providers using education agents - a guide to education agent management best practice for UK education providers on the register of licensed student sponsors. The information in the guide allows providers new and established to international recruitment to use it as a step-by-step guide, minimising their risk and embedding resource-efficient processes.
4. Good practice guide for UK education agents partnering for quality - a guide enabling all agents and representatives partnering with UK providers on the register of licensed student sponsors to deliver high quality applicant experiences.
5. Agent Quality Framework pledge - a pledge enabling UK education providers on the register of licensed student sponsors to demonstrate their commitment to the AQF.
6. British Council UK certified counsellor training - training providing agents and counsellors with knowledge and awareness of the UK as a study destination, which certifies them through assessments.
7. British Council UK agent and counsellor training and engagement hub - the hub includes all the information that agents and counsellors need when serving UK-bound international students.
8. British Council database of certified counsellors - students and parents can access a public-facing database of certified counsellors who have passed the training.
9. AQF agency management course - training providing international education agencies who recruit students for UK higher education providers with sufficient knowledge and understanding of the AQF.