The initiative will help the University build a more complete understanding of agent performance.
Through a new partnership with miXagent, a national benchmarking initiative developed by miXabroad, Edith Cowan University (ECU) will hear directly from students about the advice and support they received from education agents throughout their journey to university.
The initiative forms part of ECU's broader efforts to strengthen oversight of its global education agent network, ensuring student experiences play a greater role in how agent quality is assessed.
Bringing a missing perspective into agent performance
For universities, understanding whether an education agent has successfully recruited a student is only one part of assessing the quality of that relationship.
Equally important is understanding whether students received reliable information, were supported to make informed decisions, and entered their studies with realistic expectations.
Until now, ECU has not undertaken a dedicated survey asking international students specifically about their experiences with education agents.
Marko Remes, Dean, International Business Operations, said the initiative would help the University build a more complete understanding of agent performance.
"We've invested significantly in understanding how our education agents perform, but there has been an important piece missing from that picture – the experience of the students themselves.
"This partnership gives us an opportunity to understand not just the outcomes our agents deliver, but the quality of the advice and support students receive along the way.
"Ultimately, good agent management should translate into better experiences and outcomes for students."
Building on ECU's approach to agent quality
The initiative builds on ECU's Agent Performance Framework, which assesses education agents across five areas: student success, enrolment performance, conversion effectiveness, quality and compliance, and agent engagement.
Student feedback will add another important perspective, helping ECU better understand how agent practices influence students' preparedness and transition to university.
The importance of student feedback has also been recognised by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, which encourages education providers to incorporate student feedback alongside progression and performance data when monitoring education agents.
ECU's participation in miXagent will complement its existing approach, providing further evidence to inform agent reviews, monitor performance, and identify opportunities for improvement.
Helping students make informed choices
Alongside the partnership, ECU is exploring further improvements to the information and resources available to prospective international students.
Planned enhancements include updates to ECU's 'Find an Agent' online directory, making it easier for students to identify authorised education agents, alongside clearer guidance on what to expect from a quality agent and where to seek assistance if concerns arise.
Together, these initiatives aim to give students greater confidence when choosing an education agent and navigating their journey to ECU.
Putting student insights to work
ECU joins Griffith University, Monash University, Navitas, UNSW and the University of Sydney as one of six inaugural institutional partners in miXagent.
The initiative will provide opportunities to benchmark student experiences, identify emerging trends and share good practice across the international education sector.
For ECU, the value will lie in how these insights are applied – recognising agents delivering positive student experiences, identifying where additional support or intervention is needed, and informing future improvements across its global agent network.
By listening directly to students and strengthening the information available to them, International Business Operations aims to ensure that the quality of ECU's education agent partnerships is reflected not only in recruitment outcomes, but in the experiences of the students they support.
