As the Senate gets ready to debate the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024 this week, universities are also trying to get ahead of the introduction of enrolment caps in 2025 by offering huge agent bonuses and large scholarships for students who commence in the last quarter of 2024.
As The Koala reported in September (TKN 190924), some private VET providers are offering exorbitant agent commissions and bonuses, including 50 per cent commissions for transferring onshore students.
But if anyone thought that this was restricted to the private sector, information provided to The Koala News shows a bonus of $8k per student being offered to agents of one university, on top of the standard agent commission.
The bonus is being offered for students who commence in October and November, and only for students who transfer from onshore.
As The Koala pointed out in September, the Government has announced that it would ban the payments of agent commissions for students transferring between providers onshore, meaning that going forward, this kind of incentive program will not be possible.
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is also advertising a new Term 3C intake (T3C) for 2024, with a $5000 incentive for students in the form of a ‘Student Success Award’. Students who commence with UNSW in mid-November will receive the $5000 in the form of a tuition fee discount to their Term 1, 2025 tuition fees. T3C courses will be delivered over four weeks, in an intensive mode.
