Evidence from global education agents

ICEF Agent Voice

ICEF Agent Voice is ICEF’s global survey programme capturing survey responses from student recruitment agents around the world. It provides evidence on how agents are responding to changing market conditions, policy environments, student behaviour, and institutional expectations.

Download the 2025 report

What ICEF Agent Voice is

ICEF Agent Voice is one of the largest and most geographically diverse agent surveys in international education. Each edition is designed to surface trends, pressures, and shifts in practice across global markets. ICEF Agent Voice builds on ICEF’s long-running agent research, including the annual ICEF Agent Barometer survey conducted from 2007 to 2020, reflecting long-standing engagement with agent perspectives across global markets.

The emphasis is on documenting what agents are seeing, experiencing, and adapting to, rather than interpreting performance or making value judgements about institutions or agencies.

What the survey covers

Each edition of ICEF Agent Voice explores a defined set of themes, which may include:

recruitment projections and student decision drivers
visa policy impacts and approval trends
destination attractiveness and diversification
employability and student outcomes
agency operations, remuneration, and business conditions
training needs and institutional engagement

Survey themes are reviewed and updated regularly to reflect changes in the global recruitment environment.

How the research is used

Findings from ICEF Agent Voice are used to:

provide evidence-based insight into agent perspectives and behaviour
identify emerging trends and shifts across markets
support informed discussion within institutions, agencies, and sector bodies

The data is presented through reports, analysis, and selected summaries across ICEF’s INSIGHTS platforms.

Scope and role

ICEF Agent Voice is a research and evidence resource designed to inform understanding of agent perspectives, rather than assess performance or make judgements. Its role is to contribute reliable data and context to deeper understanding of international student recruitment dynamics.

Who ICEF Agent Voice is for

ICEF Agent Voice is used by institutional leaders, policymakers, sector organisations, and agency principals seeking a clearer, evidence-based view of agent perspectives across markets.

Latest report: ICEF Agent Voice 2025

The 2025 edition of ICEF Agent Voice was conducted during a period of significant change for international student recruitment. Student priorities continue to evolve, with increased attention on cost, return on investment, and post-study outcomes. At the same time, policy and visa changes across major study destinations have reshaped recruitment conditions and contributed to greater destination diversification.

The survey was conducted between April and September 2025 and gathered responses from 1,225 agents across 113 countries, providing a detailed snapshot of agent perspectives across markets.

The 2025 report examines key areas including:

agent recruitment projections and student decision drivers
visa issues and approval trends
employability and student outcomes
agency operations, remuneration, and business conditions
training needs and institutional engagement

Selected findings

Cost of living returned as the primary decision-making factor for students in 2025.
Institutional ranking re-entered the top five decision factors after dropping out the previous year.
While demand for international education remains strong, traditional destinations face increased competition from markets such as Spain, Malaysia, China, Japan, and Germany.
Agents report growing emphasis on employability outcomes and expanded support for students during and after study.
Agents overwhelmingly welcome structured training opportunities from partner institutions.

Download the 2025 report

The ICEF Agent Voice 2025 report was supported by Flywire and Western Atlantic University School of Medicine.