QS in a new report has shown that students are turning to education agents to aid them while making decisions for their study-abroad journey. The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that there has been a tonne of uncertainties in the study-abroad process for all students. Whether it be term-dates or fee structures, students and their parents are under a cloud of uncertainty as lockdowns in countries worldwide have disrupted university operations.
Educational agents have a channel of communication with universities and their partner universities, which allows them to gain crucial information which students themselves might not be able to gain. The report, published from the QS International Student Survey, gleans information on these statistics. In 2014 a mere 14% international university students who participated in the survey responded saying they had worked with an agent. In 2020, 22% of students worked with an agent. These statistics, coupled with other interesting findings from the report, make a case for universities to increase their involvement with local agents, to reap the benefits of higher student numbers going to these agents.
Furthermore, the result also portrays a comparison of the reasons that students accepted an offer of enrolment into an Australian university, and the findings show that there has been a 7.8% increase in students enrolling into universities because of their agent recommending it.
One other chart contained in the report also showed that a large percentage of students found that agents were useful in helping them make their study abroad decisions. However, there is one caveat. The same graphic also shows that while students found agent’s advice helpful, the University’s direct communication remained the most trusted source of information for students. Therefore, there still are greater factors that play a role in student’s study abroad decisions, but, education agents have become a steadfast way of gaining helpful information, and aiding decisions.
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