• The AEC is an independent program and deals exclusively with Australia and NZ.
• Students from over 400 universities have participated to-date in the AEC Study Abroad Program.
• The AEC considers priorities in relation to the AEC service through a process of consultation with students (The Student Consultative Group). This provides the AEC with important information about pricing and various AEC initiatives. For more information, click here.
• The AEC is the only North America based program that sends students to Australia/NZ which provides direct enrollment (students pay Host University tuition fees) and does not charge an application fee to students; instead the AEC requests a program deposit with applications.
• The AEC specializes only in Australia and NZ
• The AEC provides an extensive list of universities across all major cities in Australia and currently one university in New Zealand. (It is planned to increase NZ university participation in the program.)
• AEC has signed consortia agreements for the disbursement of financial aid with many US universities, thereby, enabling US students to study in Australia/NZ. The AEC can therefore, prepare or enter into consortia agreements and where feasible, will arrange payment plans for students in consultation with their home schools.
• AEC prides itself on affordability for Australia/NZ bound programs whilst safeguarding the integrity of the program through sound business practice and ensuring high quality services to students.
• The AEC participates wherever possible in study abroad fairs and campus visits. 
• In their assessment of the AEC, students rate "the cost of the Australian/NZ program" and the "quality of the program" as the two major reasons for choosing the AEC.

Finally, whilst there are a number of well established programs (that offer an Australia/NZ option) operating in North America, the AEC recognizes that not all students can afford the cost of study abroad through these programs. The AEC therefore, sees itself as an alternative and attempts to ensure that students of varied socio-economic backgrounds have at least, an equal opportunity to study abroad through the efforts of a multitude of programs offering a diverse range of prices and services.

The AEC also holds the view that as funds are often used from the US Government financial aid pool, it is in our collective interest to research all options for study abroad so that students who would otherwise not be able to afford to go abroad or can participate only with enormous debt, are able to have access to lower cost programs – at the least, students should be provided a choice. The AEC therefore, relies on the goodwill of Advisers to inform students about the AEC program side-by-side with all other programs. The My Study Australia website has been created for the Australian Education Connection (AEC program), with a view to providing students, parents and advisers information about semester abroad, year abroad, full degrees, transfer and internship programs to Australia and New Zealand at direct enrollment prices.  Information about direct enrollment is listed on this website. There is also information about student services. It is important to state that students undertaking AEC programs have access to all student services including assistance and information on scholarships, financial aid, orientation, arrival and other services.

It is by providing a range of quality study abroad options, we can avoid creating monopolies in study abroad which have the potential to disadvantage needy students.

The AEC is able to participate in study abroad fairs at the request of North American universities. Participation however, will require a commitment from the inviting university that the AEC as one of the many programs participating in the fair, may also be accessed by students side by side with other programs. Transparency is important to the AEC and where universities have criteria set down for programs to be `approved’, the AEC would assume that this criteria will be open to all programs.

CLICK HERE to read our views on: Why Integrity, Fairness and Transparency Matter in Study Abroad?