Recruiters are mis-selling courses to students, OfS finds

English regulator says universities are prioritising financial gain over course quality

Recruitment agents paid by English universities to place students on franchised courses operate in a worryingly opaque manner, with some encouraging learners onto programmes that are not right for them or charging unnecessary fees to clients, the Office for Students has said.

In a briefing published on 3 September, the OfS said the practices of third-party agents recruiting students to franchised courses in England “often lack transparency, and in some cases this has given us concerns”.