Association of Colleges
Overseas student recruitment
International Partnership Guide
AoC, in partnership with Eversheds, have produced a major new resource for Colleges in the form of a guide for International partnership work; ‘International Operations – A legal guide for Colleges’. The aim of this guide is to help inform the development of international strategy and to act as a route map for Colleges seeking to establish sustainable international partnerships that will help to maximise the benefits from international engagement whilst minimising the risks. Key themes of the guide include; international partnerships, the importance of international strategy, assessing risks and opportunities, responsibilities and structures. The chapters include; Planning an international project, Due diligence, Documenting the project, Staff and Student issues, Managing the project, What to do if things go wrong and Ending the partnership and beginning again. Appendices include a model due diligence questionnaire and country guides for some key international markets. The guide looks to cover all areas of Colleges’ international work including; student recruitment, overseas delivery, institutional partnerships and exchange programmes.
This is a free resource for Colleges which we hope will provide useful support as you grow and develop your international work. I’d like to thank the hard work of the steering group who gave invaluable insights which helped focus and inform the guide. I would also welcome any comments you would like to make to help us update and ensure the relevance of the guide.
Overseas student recruitment
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) implemented the Points Based System (PBS) for Tier 4 (student visas) on 1 April 2009, electronic offers in February 2010 and Highly Truster Sponsors status in April 2010. Colleges wishing to recruit students from outside the EU onto L3, 4 or 5 courses will need to obtain a sponsorship licence and Highly Trusted Sponsor status before they will be able to issue elctronic offers, known as Confirmations of Acceptance to Study.
You should apply to the UK Border Agency to obtain your sponsorship licence a soon as possible if you have not done so already. The UK Border Agency will aim to process applications within eight weeks.
Guidance on Tier 4 of the Points Based System is available on the UK Border Agency website. Guidance is subject to change as this area is under review.
Please read the paper below on recruitment of overseas students and workers for more details. Please get in touch with Robert Russell if you have any questions about the rules relating to visas and immigration.
AoC survey of Colleges and the recruitment of overseas students
AoC Overseas recruitment survey results
For rules on recruitment of overseas students and workers, please see the UKBA website.
British Council guidance on international recruitment
| First steps A pre-departure guide for international students | First steps A guide for educational institutions |
| Safety first |
