Foreign recruitment agents 'paid £120m' by universities But it suggested that the systems currently used by universities to recruit from overseas were "inefficient" and hugely wasteful. According to research, most universities hand agents an estimated 10 per cent of the total annual tuition fee paid by each student recruited onto courses. In 2011/12, 302,680 students were recruited from outside the EU, collectively paying £3.2 billion in higher education fees. The average fee stood at £10,738. Researchers estimated that 38 per cent of these students were recruited through agents, suggesting that total commission may be equal to £120m. This is in addition to some £34m a year spent on international bank transaction fees. One study published last year found that Newcastle University alone had spent £2.2m on commission payments to agents. Some universities clearly state on their websites how much will be paid to agents. Nottingham says it pays a flat-rate of £1,450 commission for foundation, undergraduate and masters students, but payments equal 10 per cent of total fees for PhD students, who can often be charged the highest amount. Foreign students represent a large source of income for British universities, with many undergraduates and postgraduates from outside the EU paying twice as much for courses as home students. Income from students outside Britain and Europe has more than doubled in the last decade and now accounts for almost 10 per cent of universities" total funding, it emerged. Simon Read, Uni-Pay managing director, insisted that overseas agents played an important role but suggested commission costs were too high. "It is absolutely right for UK universities to aim to recruit more overseas students," he said. Their presence on campus brings many educational as well as financial benefits. However, it makes little sense for our universities to be spending millions of pounds more than they need to due to inefficient systems, particularly at a time when they are facing significant cuts in Government funding. I am sure they would rather be spending this money on making the experience of international and home students even better. As part of the study, researchers obtained data on universities" admissions processes using the Freedom of Information Act. It emerged that some universities take just one or two days to process foreign students" applications while others take an average of three months. Data shows that universities successfully recruit an average of 19 per cent of international students who make an initial course enquiry, but the rate drops to seven per cent at some institutions.