External accreditation is a vital part of validating our work here at Education Advisers, with key consultants undertaking specialist bespoke training to enhance the delivery of their individual roles. This empowers our consultants to achieve the very best outcomes for our clients. It also informs our ethos of openness, in providing the very best independent information and advice to our customers via our websites and ‘one to one’ paid services.

Education Advisers & University and Colleges Admissions Service Centre Accreditation:

In April 2023, we were delighted to announce that our University Service had become an approved University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) Centre, developing our previous provision. Whilst we have always provided our clients with excellent independent and professional advice in assisting them to create a powerful UCAS application and getting them to the destinations that are most suited to their abilities, as an official UCAS centre, we can now upload references and predicted grades, and assist our clients with the progress and tracking of their application, prior to submission to UCAS. And Steven (our Senior Consultant), who led this rigorous accreditation process, was previously both a highly experienced educational senior leader and UCAS Centre manager.

Critically, this UCAS accreditation gives us access to privileged data, briefings, and up to date training, allowing our University Service to stay fully up to speed on the most recent developments.

This UCAS accreditation achievement is all the more noteworthy, as recent British Council data indicates that only 12 per cent of international agents work through accredited UCAS centres.

Education Advisers & British Council Accredited Agent status:

The varying quality of international educational agents has long been a concern within the sector, and in order to ensure a high standard of expertise and conduct, the British Council created a new and demanding Accredited Agent qualification process. This establishes the credentials of each Accredited Agent, ensures that individual Accredited Agents understand the complexity of the UK educational system, and that all Accredited Agents meticulously conduct themselves according to British Council standards.

Education Advisers was one of the first to ensure that key members of our staff were personally accredited under this new and rigorous Accredited Agent training qualification, in January 2023.

The recent British Council ‘Pathways and recruitment channels to undergraduate study in the UK’ report, highlights the vital role of Accredited Agent status.  The report draws upon UCAS data, as well as anecdotal interviews with university admissions teams, higher education providers, employer associations, and other stakeholders.

It confirmed the critical role of Accredited Agents in advising overseas students in their decision making, and selection of undergraduate destinations in the UK. The authors reported that ‘Agents continue to be one of the key influencers and add value to major decisions on study destinations and programmes’. The report went on to say that ‘Agents are the key influencers for students’. It cited research that identified that an estimated 45 - 55% of international higher education and university students studying in the UK, had utilised an agent. The report noted that in 2021/22, there were a record 679,970 international students at higher education institutions in the UK, including 307,470 undergraduate students.

This official British Council report therefore serves to highlight the importance of Accredited Agent status, in confirming both the professional knowledge and personal conduct of individual agents.

Why did Education Advisers become UCAS and British Council accredited?:

The need for these internationally recognised and professional external accreditations becomes clear in the British Council and UCAS spokesperson comments contained within the report:

 ‘… this study demonstrates the increasing importance of…. agents in UK overseas recruitment. For this reason, we’re offering training and best practice to agents and counsellors through our new Agents and Counsellors Hub, engaging directly with these stakeholders to ensure the UK maintains and improves the quality of the international student experience’. (Jacqui Jenkins, Global Programme Lead, International Student Mobility, The British Council)

‘This research report brings greater clarity on the channels to, and key influencers influencing, UK undergraduate study choices. To remain globally competitive, it is essential that the UK builds on its already extensive network of quality international… agents. UCAS is working collaboratively with the sector to further improve the quality of applicant data and use insights like this to deliver more personalised information, advice and guidance on all routes to the UK’s world-class higher education provision’. (Chris Kirk, Director of International Admissions, UCAS).

As a successful UK based educational consultancy founded in 2004, Education Advisers has always prided itself on being ahead of the curve in terms of the latest developments and initiatives, to better enhance our customer experience. These most recent internationally respected professional accreditations continue that policy.

So, what can Education Advisers do for you?:

Embarking on a British university education is a transformative experience that offers a multitude of benefits. The academic excellence, diverse course offerings, research opportunities, emphasis on critical thinking, cultural diversity, networking prospects, and global recognition of qualifications make studying in the United Kingdom an attractive choice for ambitious students. A British university education not only provides a solid foundation for future career success but also fosters personal growth, cultural enrichment, and a lifelong network of connections.

At Education Advisers, we can assist with your pathway to university. We have a multitude of resources on our University Advice website.

Steven, our university consultant with 35+ years of senior leadership and educational experience, leads our university advice service and can provide comprehensive bespoke advice, or one-off university services as required.

As always, please feel free to email steven@educationadvisers.co.uk or call +44(0)1622 813870.

We'd be delighted to hear from you and see how we can help.