PRINCIPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE

PRINCIPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE

        

1.      General Ethical Business Behaviors

       Sequoia Group will:

-   Manage its relationships with institutions, organizations, and students in a way that ensures impartiality (i.e., that ensures all parties are treated with equal consideration and fairly) and transparency (i.e., openness and honesty);

-    Carry out business in a straightforward, ethical manner, making only truthful claims;

-     Serve both institutions and student clients in an unbiased way, always keeping in mind the best interests of the student;

-  Be completely knowledgeable about Admissions criteria (including language proficiency), Program offerings and their academic prerequisites, Graduation rates,     Tuition and fees, Personal expenses,  Scholarships

-    Keep records of agreements with students and institutions for at least 3 years after a student’s enrollment for the purpose of external review;

-     Follow all instructions of the US Consulate regarding immigration procedures;

-    Refuse to enable or participate in fraudulent behavior on the part of students using false documents and/or essays not written by themselves in their applications packages; 

-    Have an internal mechanism for processing complaints from students and/or institutions and making necessary changes.

 

       2.      Ethical Business Behavior with Students

       Sequoia Group will:

-    Make sure students completely understand the delivery method of the courses they enroll in and which campus they will attend (e.g., whether study will be at the parent institution, a branch campus in or outside of the United States, by distance education);

-    Make sure students understand which institution is conferring the degree (e.g., one institution or a joint degree or twinning program outside of the United States, etc.);

-    Make sure students understand the overall study environment of the institution (e.g., big city vs. small town, weather, recreational opportunities) as well as the living options available to them (e.g., accommodations);

-   Make sure students understand the full cost of studying at particular US institutions, including travel expenses, application fees, book costs, course fees, health insurance, housing, personal (e.g., food and recreation), etc.;

-    Keep student money (e.g., tuition fees, deposits, travel, and accommodation costs, etc.) in secure accounts until due for payment, then pay this money promptly into the proper accounts;

-   Provide a written, legal contract or agreement with students and their families including easily understood description of services and related fees and refund policies;

-   Make it clear to students that American institutions are intolerant of fraudulent documents and/or essays written by a person other than the student, and that these institutions increasingly have fraud verification systems to detect dishonest application packages.

-    Explain to students that admissions offices look for truthful application packages and that grades are not the only aspect they look at to make their admissions decisions;

-    Respond to questions in a timely manner.

 

       3.      Ethical Business Behavior with Institutions

       Sequoia Group will:

-    Disclose its scope of operation, including entire range of geographical regions covered and activities it is involved in;

-     Disclose whether or not it works with sub-agents and describe any such relationships to the institution;

-   Use only authorized material, (including logos) from educational institutions, and advertise only with approval;

-     Check that institutions have supplied accurate and up-to-date information;

-     Submit applications to institutions only from students who have a genuine interest;

-   Submit only applications they know to be truthful representations of a student’s abilities, free from any type of fraudulent information;

-     Communicate appropriately and politely;

-     Represent the institution and its courses accurately;

-     Meet all contractual obligations.

        Sequoia Group will NOT:

-    Arrange for other students to sit for language proficiency tests on behalf of a student who is weak in the language.

-    Obtain student visas for individuals who do not really intend to study in the US, but rather try to go work or live there unlawfully.

-    Induce students to change institutions without regard for educational suitability or outcomes because of any commission-related self-interest.

-    Draw false comparisons between courses or education institutions to make a course or institution appear more appealing (e.g., suggest that an institution that has a similar name to a very prestigious institution is actually linked to it, part of it, or the same as it).

-    Provide false or misleading records of student academic achievement, preparation, and financial capability.

-    Provide “legal” visa advice as if they were certified as immigration lawyers. They can point students to the right sources, but not act as if they were legal authorities regarding sensitive visa issues.

-   Include unoriginal student essays and/or statements of purpose – no one but the applying student should be submitting these.

-    Pass on students’ confidential information to other businesses or people without the permission of the student.

-    Charge extra fees to the student as the relationship progresses without having informed them at the beginning about ALL fees that may apply. There should be no hidden costs or surprises for the student when they come to pay the agent for services rendered.

-    Conduct business with institutions or students if the agency’s financial security is at risk (i.e., if it looks like the business may not survive).

       -    Prioritize their commissions ahead of students’ interests.