After a rigorous reporting and external review process, Global Study Partners receives the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC) Certification attesting to the overall quality of GSP’s services, including the GSP staff’s extensive knowledge of the U.S. education system.
AIRC is a standards-based association that champions the interest of international students, educational institutions and educational agencies. Its core purposes are to:
- Develop and uphold standards that promote effective and ethical international recruitment practices
- Certify education agencies based on AIRC standards
- Encourage U.S. educational institutions to adhere to AIRC’s Best Practice Guidelines
- Build and support a global network of professionals dedicated to continuous improvement of international student recruitment practices
- Advocate on topics related to the advancement of standards in ethical and transparent international recruitment practices.
Its members comprise regionally and nationally accredited secondary and post-secondary community colleges, universities, and educational agencies. AIRC’s certification process, carried out by a Certification Commission, is an external quality review of education agencies recruiting international students to the U.S. The commission undertakes a thorough review of all relevant materials related to the agency and advances to an external, on-site review to validate the evidence provided during the application process.
There are five key areas of recruitment organisation and practice that the AIRC Standards apply to:
- Organisational effectiveness
- The integrity of the recruitment process
- Student and family engagement pre and post enrolment
- Institutional engagement pre and post enrolment
- Complaints process
Global Study Partners, operating from its headquarters in Sydney, Australia and 18 other key international source markets, have been recruiting international students through its global network of over 2,000 small to medium-sized educational agency partners. Its mission is to connect educational agencies with academic institutions through its two-sided platform, allowing agencies to access a vast array of programs offered by close to 800 of the world’s leading universities and progressive educational providers from 34 different destinations.
“We’ve grown the business slow and steady, not allowing ourselves to lose sight of what we are here for, empowering students to access the transformative education needed to improve their lives and communities,” says Elaine Starkey, GSP CEO. Since its inception in 2014, GSP has grown from a small team based in Sydney, Australia, to a global company with a presence in India, Vietnam, Philippines, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Turkey, Nigeria and a few other emerging international student markets and destinations. “We are in an exciting phase with expansion and growth opportunities underway, yet we tread carefully and wisely choose our partnerships and associations.”
On the AIRC certification, Elaine says, “This certification is a positive step toward strengthening GSP’s relationship with U.S. partners. It also proves that we have kept our values of accountability, integrity, transparency, and collaboration despite our growth trajectory.”
