International student recruitment is the business of finding students in one country and enrolling them in universities in another, mainly in Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia. The recruitment company is paid a commission by the university for each student who enrols and pays the fees. India sends more students abroad than almost any other country, so much of this work happens in Indian cities.
There are two kinds of recruitment company. The first kind works with many universities. A student tells the company what she wants to study. The company suggests universities, helps with the application and the visa, and earns a commission from the university that she joins. This follows the marketplace model: the company does not teach any courses itself; it connects students with the universities that do. The second kind forms a long partnership with a few universities. It often runs a pathway programme on the university's campus. This is a foundation year that prepares international students for the degree, after which they continue into the university's degree.
Take, for example, a B.Com. graduate from Vijayawada who wants a master's degree in business analytics in Britain. A study abroad consultancy near her home helps her shortlist four British universities, and refers her to a recruitment company that has agreements with two of them. The company's staff check her degree marks, her English test score and her documents against each university's entry rules. Then they submit her applications through each university's own admissions management software.
One university offers her a place. The tuition is £19,500 for the year, about ₹22 lakh. She pays a deposit of £5,000 through an international education payment service. The service converts her rupees into pounds, and matches the payment to her student number at the university. The university then issues a CAS, a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, which she needs to apply for a British student visa. Her education loan pays the rest of the fees.
When she enrols in September, the university pays the recruitment company its commission. Commissions are often between 10% and 20% of the first year's tuition. At 15%, the commission on her tuition is £2,925.
This payment model has a known problem. Because the university pays the agent, an agent may push a student towards the university that pays the highest commission, rather than the one that suits her best. So a careful student compares advice from more than one source, and asks the agent which universities pay it.