Working with agent representatives

Choosing a representative

Sussex works with international student representatives, or ‘agents’, worldwide. They can help with your Sussex application and advise on living and studying in the UK.

Every year, representatives help over 1,800 students successfully apply to Sussex.

The benefits of working with a representative

Representatives can:

help you choose which University and which course is right for you
provide information about the University of Sussex, including courses, accommodation options, scholarships and student life
advise you on entry requirements, application processes and deadlines
submit your application to study with us and track its progress
assist you with your visa application, accommodation choices and travel to the UK
contact the University on your behalf.

Agents can provide you with increased confidence in your application and help smooth the transition between living in your home country and studying in the UK.

Responsibilities of representatives

Many agents offer their services for free, but some charge fees. Check service costs and expectations with your representative before working with them.

Sussex’s official representatives meet high standards and are trained to advise on studying and living in the UK.

Our representatives must:

ensure that advice is given to you in a professional manner
complete mandatory training to provide accurate and realistic information about the University and life in the UK
submit complete, accurate, and genuine applications
act in the best interest of the student at all times, and conduct all interactions with you in this manner
comply with laws, including those concerning GDPR, Anti-Bribery and Anti-Slavery.

Representatives cannot make offers to study at Sussex and should not accept tuition fee payments.

Representatives should not force you to choose a particular University over another – the final decision is yours.

Guidance from the British Council

This guide from the British Council provides you and your family with clear information and guidance on what you should look for when considering using an agent. It includes key questions to ask, signs of quality, and how to avoid poor practices.

The guide also links to ‘The national code of ethical practice for UK education agents’ and the British Council’s UK database of certified counsellors.

Find an agent representative

All our agents are listed below, categorised into regions. You can browse the options available to find the agent best suited to you.

We also list each representative that we have a working relationship with on our country pages.

Contacts for more information

Representatives often host education fairs throughout the year, where you can speak directly to Sussex staff. Details of fairs taking place in each country can be found on our country pages.

Our International Officers are experts in advising students in their regions. Email or book a virtual appointment to speak to them about studying at the University.

Sussex hosts Open Days and online events throughout the year, where you can speak to lecturers and current students. Find out more.

Finally, our UniBuddy chat platform provides a space to speak directly to current international students studying at Sussex.

UK Agent Quality Framework

The University of Sussex is committed to upholding the Agent Quality Framework (AQF), which provides standards, training and resources to enhance the experience of international students applying to the UK.

Our contracts with global representatives are guided by the Agent Quality Framework (AQF), and we regularly review how they are recruiting for Sussex to ensure compliance.

Our complaints procedure

We welcome feedback about the representatives we work with. This helps us monitor the quality of our representatives and improve our processes.

If you have concerns about one of our agent partners, you can submit a complaint to us. We take all complaints seriously and review them carefully.

When we receive a complaint, we will:

review the information you provide and, where necessary, ask for additional evidence
investigate the concerns raised, including considering any previous issues or relevant records
assess whether the agent’s actions have breached our standards, policies, or agreement with the University
decide on an appropriate outcome.

Depending on the findings, we may:

remove the agent’s name from your application
issue a warning to the agent
provide the agent with enhanced monitoring
require additional training for their team(s)
terminate the University’s relationship with the agent.

We will let you know when our review has been completed and, where appropriate, whether any action has been taken.

We will aim to provide a formal response within 30 working days.

Please note that we may not be able to share detailed information about actions taken due to confidentiality and data protection requirements.

Submit a complaint

Our relationship with representatives

Our selection process

We carefully select our representatives to ensure that they adhere to our high standards of quality and each one holds a direct contract with the University of Sussex. The approved agent representatives are listed above.

When screening representatives, we consider:

what services potential representatives can offer to students
whether they have successful partnerships with other UK higher education institutions
whether they have attended British Council training courses
what proportion of their staff have visited or experienced first-hand the education system in the UK.

Working with representatives

Our International Office work closely with representatives to update them with current information about the University, including courses, deadlines, fees, scholarships and processes.

We provide training to representatives and frequently monitor their performance to ensure high standards of integrity and quality of counselling.

The University pays representatives a commission for the support they provide to applicants and in recruiting students to the University.

Contact us

Email: agents@sussex.ac.uk.