INTO also announced this week that it is bringing one of the largest delegations of education agencies to the UK for a fam tour of partner institutions. Up to 200 education agencies earned a place on the fam tour, taking place this month, via an incentive scheme – they recruited additional students to specific INTO courses in September 2012.

“To deliver the ultimate student experience, we need agents to understand that what we do, makes a real difference to the lives of our students.” said Jeremy Histon, Assistant Director for Global Recruitment at INTO. “For this to happen, our valued network of recruitment agents around the world need to live and breathe the full INTO student experience from Student Services, English language and academic classes, to what life is like living and learning at a UK university.”

The delegation will be visiting INTO’s study centres at University of Exeter; University of East Anglia; Newcastle University; Manchester; Glasgow Caledonian University and St George’s, University of London.

Meanwhile, a fam tour to Marshall University was also arranged last week. The university hopes that its new partnership with INTO will mean that the private provider recruits at least 200 more students into the INTO pathway programme for August 2013.

“We celebrate the start of an innovative programme that truly will internationalise Marshall University and our greater Huntington community,” said Dr. Stephen J. Kopp, president of Marshall. “Our plan is very progressive and, in many ways, pioneering, because of its potential global influence on our students, our university and our state.”

The university hopes that its new partnership with INTO will mean at least 200 more students

Marshall currently has an international population of about 400 students from 60 countries.

Andrew Colin, chairman of INTO University Partnerships, commented, “Marshall offers a small-town, family-like experience that has proven very welcoming to international students. We will build on the strengths of Marshall’s existing programmes and increase access for international students who want to pursue their higher education goals at Marshall.”

Earlier this year, INTO partnered with Colorado State University following partnerships with Oregon State University in 2009 and the University of South Florida in 2010. Since 2006, it has launched joint venture partnerships to internationalise 17 campuses in the UK, the US, and Asia.