Six questions worth asking any education agent before you sign

Agents are a normal and often valuable part of international admissions. They are also unregulated in most markets, so the burden of checking falls on you.

1. Are you paid by me, by the institution, or both? Both is common and fine — but it should be disclosed without you having to ask. 2. Which institutions are you actually appointed by? "We work with 500 universities" usually means something looser than an appointment. 3. What exactly does your fee cover, and what happens if I am not admitted? Get the refund terms in writing before paying. 4. Who submits the application — you or me? And will you give me the login and the reference number? 5. Will you tell me about options you earn nothing on? The answer tells you what kind of advice you are getting. 6. Can I contact the institution directly? Anyone who discourages this is not working for you.

On Admission.ly, agents are verified before they can submit files, and any student referred by an agent is told at the point of application that the adviser may receive a commission.