“Do I need an Agent for Applying to UK Universities? Advice & Experiences Please”

First Post (Discussion):

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to apply to universities in the UK and I’m thinking about whether to use an education agent or try to do everything myself. I’d love to hear your advice and experiences. Below are my details so you can better judge which option might be right for me:

Demographics

•

International student

•

Currently living in [Your Country / City]

High School / Education Background

•

Type of high school: [e.g. International school / Public / Private / IB / A-Levels etc.]

•

Other factors: [e.g. first generation, legacy, etc.]

Academic Profile

•

Intended Major(s): [e.g. Engineering, Business, Computer Science etc.]

•

Unweighted HS GPA: [Your GPA]

•

Weighted HS GPA: [if applicable, plus explanation of weighting]

•

Class Rank: [if known]

•

Test Scores: [SAT / ACT / IELTS / TOEFL etc.]

Courses Taken

•

English: …

•

Maths: …

•

Science (Biology, Chemistry etc.): …

•

History / Social Studies: …

•

Languages: …

•

Other Advanced Courses (AP / IB / A Levels etc.): …

Budget & Costs

•

What is the budget (tuition + living expenses)?

•

Will need scholarship / financial aid: Yes / No

Other Info

•

Strength of personal statement / letters of recommendation: [Your estimate]

•

Extracurriculars, leadership, summer work, volunteering etc.: …

My Questions / Concerns:

How helpful are agents in UK applications — do they give value for the fees they charge?

Are there good, trustworthy agents in [Your Country] or region?

What are potential drawbacks of using an agent versus doing it yourself?

If doing it myself, what are some best practices for meeting UK university requirements (UCAS, subject requirements, predictions etc.)?

How do agents help with scholarships / financial aid applications, if at all?

Would really appreciate your feedback: what you’d do in my situation, any agents you recommend (or advise against), and tips so I can make an informed choice.

Thanks in advance!

— [Ashley]

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 1

Admit-One

Universities Forum Helper

Having worked in admissions for years, and dealt with many applications via agents and had dealings with them directly; in the most part I don’t think they are worth the expenditure.

Reply 2

McGinger

Often they will only recommend Unis where they get a big ££ kick-back. They do not make it any more likely that you will get an offer from any Uni. - its just a way for them to make money out of gullible parents.

Reply 3

YashialW

I am a uk student who applied to university last year. If it helps at all, the application is made to be simple enough to do yourself. They ask you basic information about yourself, your education and your financial situation and then about how you plan to fund your university studies, then the five choices of universities and courses you are putting down. You should expect to write a personal statement and ask your school to fill in your reference and predicted grades section before they send it off for you. If you do get stuck you can ask for help from your head of year about the application. If you need help for your personal statement, you can ask a subject teacher to proof read/ help you and there is advice online on how to structure it. For instance, I applied for economics so when writing my statement, I made an initial draft then asked my economics teacher and an english teacher to proof read and give me feedback.
Your application to university is personal, I doubt an agent can tell you what university or course to apply to. To get the best chances of getting accepted just aim to have good predicted grades and an interesting personal statement.

Reply 4

Kingston Jenifer

Official Rep

Original post

by ashley25

First Post (Discussion):
Hi everyone,
I’m planning to apply to universities in the UK and I’m thinking about whether to use an education agent or try to do everything myself. I’d love to hear your advice and experiences. Below are my details so you can better judge which option might be right for me:
Demographics

•

International student

•

Currently living in [Your Country / City]

High School / Education Background

•

Type of high school: [e.g. International school / Public / Private / IB / A-Levels etc.]

•

Other factors: [e.g. first generation, legacy, etc.]

Academic Profile

•

Intended Major(s): [e.g. Engineering, Business, Computer Science etc.]

•

Unweighted HS GPA: [Your GPA]

•

Weighted HS GPA: [if applicable, plus explanation of weighting]

•

Class Rank: [if known]

•

Test Scores: [SAT / ACT / IELTS / TOEFL etc.]

Courses Taken

•

English: …

•

Maths: …

•

Science (Biology, Chemistry etc.): …

•

History / Social Studies: …

•

Languages: …

•

Other Advanced Courses (AP / IB / A Levels etc.): …

Budget & Costs

•

What is the budget (tuition + living expenses)?

•

Will need scholarship / financial aid: Yes / No

Other Info

•

Strength of personal statement / letters of recommendation: [Your estimate]

•

Extracurriculars, leadership, summer work, volunteering etc.: …

My Questions / Concerns:

How helpful are agents in UK applications — do they give value for the fees they charge?

Are there good, trustworthy agents in [Your Country] or region?

What are potential drawbacks of using an agent versus doing it yourself?

If doing it myself, what are some best practices for meeting UK university requirements (UCAS, subject requirements, predictions etc.)?

How do agents help with scholarships / financial aid applications, if at all?

Would really appreciate your feedback: what you’d do in my situation, any agents you recommend (or advise against), and tips so I can make an informed choice.
Thanks in advance!
— [Ashley]

Hi there,

I have worked with admissions departments before. They are not worth the expenditure - if you can speak, read and write english sufficiently, then you do not need an agency to understand the UCAS process - that is the general consensus from admissions!

Kind regards, Jenifer (Kingston rep)

Reply 5

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Hi there! You have posed a very interesting question and as an international student myself, I relate to this debacle!

I did use an agent myself and looking back at it now, I would say it was not worth it. Not because the agency was not good/reliable but simply because they did not do anything I could not do on my own. As someone said, if you understand English and you do not mind reading through things, you are pretty much all set on doing the University applications on your own! I have answered all your questions to the best of my abilities below:

They are very helpful, they do give you insight on different Universities and they recommend universities best suited for the degree of your choice. However, again, these are all things that you can do on your own so though helpful, one could view it as not worth the value they charge.

Fortunately yes! My experience was with good/trustworthy agents who genuinely had my best interest at heart.

Though this was not the case for me, some people have said that using an agent limits you to Universities they are only affiliated with and so you end up with not much of an option. I would say another drawback is if you do not fully research on your own and a University is highly suggested by an agent, you risk being disappointed if it does not meet your expectations. I would also say, depending on your location, agents can be expensive.

I would say starting early - so creating your UCAS account, checking subject and entry requirements for different universities/universities of your choice, checking to see if some universities require English tests. All this helps you to be well prepared for the application process.

From what I have heard, some agents can help you get scholarships/ financial aid applications but this all is then up to the university regardless. So essentially, it would be the same process if you just apply on your own.

If you do decide to use an agent, I will always suggest your own personal research as well! I really hope this helps and all the best!

Ru
BCU student rep.