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If a study-abroad consultant offers to handle your whole application for a small fee, or for free, it is worth asking a simple question: then who is paying them?
Very often, the answer is the university you end up at. That is not a secret and it is not illegal. But it is something every student should understand before they trust a shortlist.
We should be open about our own position. Mashal Academy offers counselling and is not paid by any university, so this is a subject on which we are not neutral. That is exactly why the rest of this article sticks to how the model works and what to ask, so you can judge any adviser, including us.
How the commission model works
Many universities, particularly in countries that recruit large numbers of international students, pay recruitment agents for each student they enrol. The payment is commonly calculated as a share of the student's first-year tuition, and it is paid by the university after the student arrives and pays their fees.
Some consultancies earn only from commission. Others also charge students a service fee. A few are paid only by students. Most are somewhere in between, and very few explain which unprompted.
None of this makes a consultant dishonest. Many are knowledgeable and genuinely helpful. The issue is structural, not personal.
Why it matters for your shortlist
A commission creates an incentive, and incentives shape advice even when nobody intends them to:
- Partner universities come first. A consultancy can only earn commission from institutions it has agreements with, so those tend to fill the shortlist.
- Higher tuition can mean higher commission. When payment is a share of tuition, a more expensive program pays the agent more.
- Enrolment is the goal. The consultant is paid when you enrol, not when you graduate or find the course was right for you.
- Scholarships can be an afterthought. Funding that lowers your tuition may lower the commission too.
The result is not necessarily a bad shortlist. It is a shortlist that answers the question "where can this student be placed?" rather than "where is this student best off?".
Questions to ask any consultant
You are entitled to ask these, and a good adviser will answer them plainly:
| Question to ask | What a good answer sounds like |
|---|---|
| How are you paid, and by whom? | A direct answer: fees from you, commission from universities, or both. |
| Do you receive commission from the universities you are recommending? | Yes or no for each one, not "we work with many partners". |
| Which suitable universities are you not recommending, and why? | Honest reasons, including "we have no agreement with them". |
| Would you suggest a cheaper or funded option if it suited me better? | Yes, with examples, including universities outside their partner list. |
| What happens if I want to apply somewhere you do not work with? | They help, or they tell you clearly that they will not. |
If an adviser is uncomfortable with these questions, that tells you something useful.
Signs of good independent advice
Whoever you work with, these are signs the advice is being built around you:
- They start with your goals and budget, not with a list of universities.
- They mention funding early, including scholarships that would reduce what you pay.
- They are willing to say "not yet", when a stronger application next year would serve you better than a rushed one now.
- They explain costs in full, including the ones in what studying in Canada really costs.
- They are transparent about how they are paid, without being asked.
Doing it yourself
It is entirely possible to apply abroad without a consultant, and many students do. Universities publish their requirements, fees and deadlines on their own websites, and government scholarship programmes publish theirs.
What it takes is organisation and time: a spreadsheet of programmes, deadlines and documents, early English testing, and a strong statement (see how to write a personal statement). Where students most often go wrong on their own is not the paperwork but the shortlist: aiming too narrowly, missing funding, or not knowing which options exist.
That shortlist is the part a second opinion helps with most. If you would like one from someone who is not paid by the universities on it, bring it to a free counselling session.
