Developed for third-party, non-US based F-1 international student recruitment agencies, the standards outline best practices for collaborating with US organisations and represent the essential qualities for successful F-1 international student enrolment in US secondary schools.

“International students and their families deserve a clear understanding of the process ahead”

“The lack of regulation and consistency for the recruitment and enrolment of F-1 international students at US secondary schools has raised serious ethical concerns,” said Chris Page, executive director of CSIET.

“International students and their families deserve a clear understanding of the process ahead of them, and they deserve reassurance that those organisations involved in recruitment are coordinating their efforts.

“Simply put, they deserve the best possible fit for enrolment in a US secondary school,” he noted.

Without standards in place, international students embarking on study in the US may lack clarity in the process or have mismatched expectations when working with third-party recruitment agencies, explained CSIET.

The advisory board is calling on non-US based third-party recruitment agencies and US secondary schools to adopt the standards so that students, schools and agencies become more comfortable, informed and in agreement on the expectations throughout the recruitment process.

“In creating the model standards, we have added another mechanism to safeguard students through global mobility and exchange,” said Lindsay Addington, an advisory board member and director of global engagement at the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

“It is our hope that US schools begin to expect partnering agencies to adopt the qualities laid out… and that agencies become motivated to live up to these standards.”

In addition to being more informed of the recruitment process, schools will be able to ask their recruitment and admission partner agencies if they are certified by CSIET as compliant with the standards, giving the organisations an extra layer of verification to prove their good standing to US schools.

“By providing this incredible tool, schools will be able to identify ethical student-focused agencies to help them with their international student enrolment,” said advisory board member and executive director of Global Education Benchmark Group, Clare Sisisky.

“The new model standards will succeed if they are met by a willingness among US schools to adopt these recruiting practices,” added Page.

“With the help of our trusted and influential partners in the secondary school community, we are confident we can make widespread adoption of these principles a reality.”

The advisory board comprises representatives from organisations including:

• AIRC – The American International Recruitment Council
• AISAP – Association of Independent School Admission Professionals
• CSIET – The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel
• EMA – The Enrollment Management Association
• GEBG – Global Education Benchmark Group
• NACAC – National Association for College Admission Counseling
• NAIS – National Association of Independent Schools
• NAFSA – Association of International Educators
• TABS – The Association of Boarding Schools