In proposals being finalised at the moment by AIRC – which accredits education agencies for a considerable fee, endorsing them to the US higher education community – members would no longer be able to take commission on any form of financial aid, and would be made more responsible for the behaviour of their sub-contractors.

Accredited agencies would also have to file annual progress reports including detailed feedback from their clients, and could be placed on probation and de-certified for breaking AIRC rules.

John Deupree, AIRC’s executive director, said the updated rules, which are being voted on currently, reflected new conditions and operational issues faced by members. A quality assurance expert, educational institutions and agencies were among those consulted during the revision process, he said.

“In reviewing our standards and processes, we found that while what has been in place has worked well, there were areas of ambiguity as well as issues which were not considered when the standards were developed,” he explained. “We have in the process also recommitted to the idea of continuous improvement – meaning that we expect that agencies will undertake internal quality reviews…”

This is the first revision of the council’s guidelines since it was established in 2008 and will further safeguard the quality expected of agencies counselling international students about study in the US. It also appears to head off some of the simmering criticism in the US about education agents, given Nacac’s position on per-head recruiting. Deupree added, “The timing of this review was prompted largely by the perception that as a recently created standards body, AIRC should invest early on in determining how well our standards have served us.”

“As a recently created standards body, AIRC should invest early on in determining how well our standards have served us”

In other AIRC proposals, students would get to post complaints about agents on the AIRC website, which offending agencies would have to link to from their own sites. And in one bold suggestion, agencies would have to gain approval for any substantive change to their operations in advance from AIRC. This includes, but is not limited to, changes in ownership; mission; nature of institutions served; legal structure; business name of the agency; or additions or deletions of offices, branches, franchises or any locations where recruiting services take place.

Members would also be encouraged to commit to new best practices, such as producing ethical marketing materials and ensuring campuses provide robust international student support services.

The National Association for College Admission Counselling (NACAC), which proposed banning commission-based international recruiting in May, is conducting an enquiry into the matter that could make or break the industry when it reports back in 2013. NACAC’s chief executive, Joyce E Smith, has promised to hear all sides of the debate on agents – and has included an AIRC member in the investigating committee – during the enquiry.