by Philip G Altbach
16 January 2011
Issue: 154
A spectre 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 authorised by academic institutions in the receiving countries - specifically in the United States, Britain and Australia - to offer admission to students and facilitate their enrolment.
While by no means a new trend, this phenomenon is growing in size, scope and notoriety, as international enrolments have become a compelling part of some universities' bottom lines. The operators, of course, do not work without any source of income. They are paid by the universities that utilise them, usually by providing a fee, based on how many students are enrolled. Sometimes, shockingly, they are also paid by prospective students.
This article has a simple argument that agents and recruiters are impairing academic standards and integrity and should be eliminated or severely curtailed. Providing information to prospective students is fine, but money should not change hands during the admissions process, and universities should not hand the power to admit - after all, a key academic responsibility - to agents or entities overseas.
Full article on the University World News site
http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20110114221505215
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