ATHENS, OHIO - When Xiaoxi Li, a 20-year-old from Beijing, decided she should go to college in the United States, she applied only to Ohio University -- not that she knew much about it.

"I heard of Ohio, of course," Li said. "I knew it was in the middle and has agriculture."

What brought her to Ohio was the recommendation of a Chinese recruiting agent, JJL Overseas Education Consulting and Service Co. For about $3,000, JJL helped Li choose a college, complete the application and prepare for the all-important visa interview.

"Everyone I know used an agent," she said. "They are professionals. They suggested Ohio University might be the best for me. They have a good relationship with Ohio University."

Actually, JJL has more than a good relationship with Ohio University. Unknown to Li, it has a contract, under which the agent gets a $1,000 commission for each undergraduate it sends.

British and Australian universities have for years paid commissions to overseas recruiting agents and have attracted a growing share of international students. Now the practice is spreading in the United States, especially at community colleges and public universities eager to enroll more international students, who may pay several times the in-state tuition. Many schools that use agents, including some small, private religious colleges, would have little hope of attracting students from around the world to diversify their campuses without the recruiters.

Ethics in question

But the use of agents is raising uncomfortable questions and strong feelings. Some education officials are queasy about a system in which those who advise students on their college selection have a financial stake in the choice. They fear the approach could make the college-admissions process into a global bounty hunt.

"Putting recruiters on any kind of commission makes them out-and-out sales agents," said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

Like JJL, many agents collect hefty fees from both sides -- the students they advise, and the universities they contract with -- leaving some to question whose interest is being served. Even some advocates of recruiting agents see a need for an ethics code.

"We should be doing this, but we should be doing it right," said Mitch Leventhal, vice provost of international affairs at the University of Cincinnati, which has contracts with agents. "And I don't think it's right for students to have to pay a lot if the agent is also getting paid by the university. I don't think it's ethical."

Scouring the globe

Agents range from huge operations like JJL to mom-and-pop outfits -- and from reputable to fly-by-night. No one keeps track of how many agents there are, how many receive commissions from universities or how many students they send to the United States. But those familiar with the flow of international students say thousands, mostly from Asia, use agents to come to American institutions, particularly community colleges with intensive English programs.

Some agents are paid mostly through commissions from universities; others are paid entirely by the students, with the university never knowing that an agent was involved. The State Department also operates hundreds of offices worldwide advising students on study in the United States.

Some win, some lose

Many colleges see contracts with overseas agents as a win-win proposition, helping to bring in far more tuition dollars than are paid out in commissions. They also see the foreign students as attractive both for their contributions to the local economy and the international bridges they help to build. Ohio, where many institutions are contracting with agents, recently adopted a strategic higher-education plan specifically calling for international recruiting.

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