The prominent study abroad application platform, ApplyBoard, has taken a groundbreaking initiative by publicly disclosing a 'blocklist' of agents prohibited from utilising their services.

The company is also urging colleagues throughout the industry to report agents suspected of malpractice using a nomination form. ApplyBoard's website indicates collaboration with over 10,000 recruitment partners within an "approved recruiter network," enabling institutions to significantly broaden their global outreach through trustworthy agents.

While the prospect of increased access to "more schools, perks, and faster commissions" attracts numerous small- to medium-sized agent enterprises worldwide to collaborate with the platform instead of securing direct institutional contracts, the company is taking a bold step towards enhancing transparency in the sector.

A newly introduced page on the website emphasises the importance of trust and transparency in the international education sector, stating, "That's why we share our list of blocked recruitment partners."

The platform provides a public listing of agents, specifying their names, company names, country of operation, and website if applicable. Presently, there are 45 names publicly disclosed.

Among those on the blocklist is Brijesh Mishra from the agency emsa, who faced arrest in Canada for purportedly defrauding over 700 students by providing them with fraudulent admission letters.

Initially, the website stated that the blocklist "includes all former recruitment partners who are no longer part of our network. ApplyBoard has fully removed their access to the platform." However, ApplyBoard has since updated the website and clarified to The PIE, stating, "Our published blocklist is made up of agents and agencies who may or may not have worked with ApplyBoard. Brijesh Mishra, nor any agency he worked with, was ever part of the ApplyBoard platform."

Stakeholders in the industry are requesting further clarification on how the list is compiled and the right of reply, as being publicly named as untrustworthy can lead to reputational damage. The nomination form on the ApplyBoard website allows partner institutions to submit recruitment partners or international student agents they prefer not to work with. However, the form requires the requester to provide their details, eliminating the option of reporting anonymously, which may deter industry whistleblowers concerned about potential repercussions.

Meti Basiri, founder of ApplyBoard, emphasised to The PIE that the company takes thorough measures to ensure accuracy in the source of entries and the identity of reporters. Basiri highlighted collaboration with colleges and universities, along with a dedicated compliance team that verifies information against internal data. He emphasised the company's commitment to fostering unity and encouraging transparency within the sector.

In Australia, higher education institutions are mandated to publicly disclose the recruitment agents they work with, while in the UK and other regions, this disclosure is not compulsory. Agent expert Vincenzo Raimo noted the lack of regulation around agents, citing challenges in consumer protection laws when dealing with rogue agencies in different jurisdictions.

ApplyBoard's terms and conditions underscore that all recruitment partners working with ApplyBoard must sign and adhere to a contract containing stringent terms aligned with global codes of conduct. The company emphasises ethical standards and accountability to protect students and the reputation of partner institutions, outlining a thorough review and warning process for recruitment partners suspected of breaching contractual obligations.

The blocklist, however, lacks details regarding why agents have been blocked or whether they had initial access.

Meti Basiri encourages institutions to publish blocklists and all partner names if possible, emphasising that expectations for transparency often focus on technology platforms. Basiri notes that over 75% of recruitment partners working with major institutions operate on a business-to-business (B2B) model, and their transparency levels tend to be relatively low.

A spokesperson from AgentBee, a company specialising in agent due diligence solutions for institutions and monitoring agent arrests globally, welcomes any measures to enhance transparency in the education agent recruitment space. The spokesperson emphasises that institutions benefiting from aggregators should hold them accountable for the integrity of their sub-agent networks instead of accepting assurances at face value.