Working with an education agent: what to ask before you sign

A good education agent can save a family time, but you should know how agents are paid and what the rules require of them. For students from Kuwait there is one more point. An agent can help you get an Australian offer, but Kuwait decides whether your degree is recognised. Keep these two questions apart.

What education agents do

According to Study Australia, agents can:

• help you choose a course, city and provider
• prepare and submit your application
• help you arrange Overseas Student Health Cover
• give you pre-departure information

Some agents also help with accommodation and travel, and with settling in after you arrive. Australian law defines an education agent as anyone, inside or outside Australia, who recruits overseas students for a provider or advises them on enrolment, and who is not a permanent employee of that provider.

How agents are paid

• Study Australia says some agents are paid by education providers to recommend them, and that this cost is usually included in your tuition fees.
• The ESOS Act defines "education agent commission" broadly. It covers any money or non-money benefit, including fees, bonuses, performance payments, gifts, free services and incentives.
• No official source publishes standard commission rates. The Department of Education's examples, 5 per cent of tuition fees or a flat fee per student, are illustrations only.
• Agents may also charge you directly. Study Australia suggests comparing the service fees of a few agents, and being cautious of agents that seem very cheap or very expensive.

What the rules say

Australia's rules on agents work mainly through the providers that engage them.

• Written agreements. Under the National Code, Standard 4, a provider must have a written agreement with each agent that represents it and must record the agent in the government's PRISMS system.
• Conduct. Providers must require their agents to declare conflicts of interest in writing and take reasonable steps to avoid them. Agents must also act honestly, in good faith and in the best interests of the student.
• Enforcement. A provider must end its relationship with an agent that uses false or misleading recruitment practices.
• Published lists. Under section 21A of the ESOS Act, providers must publish the list of their education agents on their website.
• Transfer commissions. Providers may not pay commission for recruiting a student who has already started studying with another provider. The ban took effect on 1 April 2026, with exceptions such as students accepted on or before 31 March 2026.
• Visa advice. Only registered migration agents or Australian legal practitioners can give visa advice. An education agent who is not also a registered migration agent must not give immigration assistance.
• No guarantees or inducements. No agent can guarantee a visa outcome, a pass in your course, or permanent residency. Agents and providers should not offer gifts, vouchers or cash to persuade you to enrol.

Questions to ask before you sign

1. Which providers do you represent? Check that the agent appears on each provider's published agent list. Study Australia notes that some agents promote only the providers that pay them.
2. Which of those providers are on Kuwait's approved list? The list names universities only. Pathway colleges, private colleges and TAFEs that an agent represents may not be on it. Check the university yourself on the NBAQ search tool or the KCO list.
3. Do you receive a commission or other benefit from the provider you are recommending? The Agent Code of Ethics asks agents to be open about the fees students pay and the commissions providers pay.
4. What do you charge us, what exactly is included, and what is your refund policy? Get a written contract that sets out the fees, the services and the refund policy. Insist on a receipt for every payment.
5. Who will advise on the visa? If visa advice is part of the service, ask for the adviser's registration and check it on the Register of Migration Agents.
6. Has your counsellor completed agent training? Study Australia points to the Qualified Education Agent Counsellors (QEAC) list as one check.
7. Will you make sure KCO certifies my offer before the study start date? KCO will not certify an offer if you apply after the start date.

A Kuwait-specific reminder

An agent works on admission, while recognition is decided in Kuwait. Before accepting any offer, confirm that the university is on the MoHE approved list. Check that the program is taught on campus with regular attendance and has already graduated its first cohort. MoHE's prior approval still does not guarantee equivalency after graduation.