Working with agent partners
Source: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/international-students/working-with-agent-partners Parent: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/international-students
Choosing a representative
What can a representative do?
Sussex works with international student representatives, also known as ‘agents’, from around the world. They can help you with your application to Sussex and provide advice about living and studying in the UK.
Representatives are frequently used by international students – every year they help over 1,800 students successfully apply to Sussex.
Representatives can:
- help you choose which University and which course is right for you
- provide information about the University of Sussex, including courses, accommodation options, scholarships and student life
- advise you on entry requirements, application processes and deadlines
- submit your application to study with us and track its progress
- assist you with your visa application, accommodation choices and travel to the UK
- contact the University on your behalf.
Agents can provide you with increased confidence in your application and help smooth the transition between living in your home country and studying in the UK.
What should I consider?
Many agents do not charge you for their services, however some do. It's important to clarify service fees and expectations with a representative before you start working with them.
Sussex has high standards for our official representatives, who are trained to provide advice about studying and living in the UK.
Our representatives must:
- ensure that advice is given to you in a professional manner
- provide accurate and realistic information about the University and life in the UK
- submit complete, accurate, and genuine applications
- act in the best interest of the student at all times, and conduct all interactions with you in this manner
- comply with laws, including those concerning Data Protection, Anti-Bribery and Anti-Slavery.
Representatives cannot make offers to study at Sussex and should not accept tuition fee payments.
Representatives should not force you to choose a particular University over another – the final decision is yours.
How can I find a representative?
We list each representative that we have a working relationship with on our country pages.
Who else can I contact for information?
Representatives often host education fairs throughout the year, where you can speak directly to Sussex staff. Details of fairs taking place in each country can be found on our country pages.
Our International Officers are experts in advising students in their regions. Email or book a virtual appointment to speak to them about studying at the University.
Sussex hosts Open Days and events throughout the year, where you can speak to lecturers and current students. Find out more.
Finally, our UniBuddy chat platform provides a space to speak directly to current international students studying at Sussex.
Guidance from the British Council
This guide from the British Council 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 links to ‘The national code of ethical practice for UK education agents’ and the British Council’s UK database of certified counsellors.
Providing feedback
We welcome feedback about the representatives we work with. This helps us monitor the quality of our representatives and improve our processes.
Our relationship with representatives
Our selection process
We carefully select our representatives to ensure that they adhere to our high standards of quality.
When screening representatives, we consider:
- what services potential representatives can offer to students
- whether they have successful partnerships with other UK higher education institutions
- whether they have attended British Council training courses
- what proportion of their staff have visited or experienced first-hand the education system in the UK.
Working with representatives
Our International Office work closely with representatives to update them with current information about the University, including courses, deadlines, fees, scholarships and processes.
We provide training to representatives and frequently monitor their performance to ensure high standards of integrity and quality of counseling.
The University pays representatives a commission for the support they provide to applicants and in recruiting students to the University.