--- url: 'https://kdinternational.com.au/kd-international-awards-verify-admissions-agent-saudi/' title: 'KD International Awards: Verify a Saudi Admissions Agent' author: name: هند العمري url: 'https://kdinternational.com.au/author/hind-alamri/' date: '2026-10-11T10:00:00+00:00' modified: '2026-10-11T10:02:14+00:00' type: post summary: 'Learn about KD International''s Study Group awards and VETASSESS partnership, and how to verify any Saudi admissions agent''s credentials yourself.' categories: - KD services tags: - accredited admissions agent - CRICOS - KD International awards - Study Group - VETASSESS image: 'https://kdinternational.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/kd-101-en-1791626831334.png' published: true --- # KD International Awards: Verify a Saudi Admissions Agent *[اقرأ هذا المقال بالعربية](https://kdinternational.com.au/ar/?p=3213)* ### Key takeaways - KD International announced via its LinkedIn page that it received outstanding performance certificates from Study Group, in collaboration with the partner, in 2021 and 2024. - No official winners’ list naming KD by name was found published on Study Group’s blog; the information comes from the company itself. - VETASSESS, Australia’s largest skills assessment body, opened an office in Riyadh operated by KD to represent it and its parent group, BKI Group, in Saudi Arabia. - VETASSESS skills assessment concerns professional migration applications, a different pathway from university admission. - The accreditation that actually protects you as a student is the university’s CRICOS registration, plus the university’s confirmation that the agent officially represents it. - Australian law requires education providers to have a written contract with their agents and to monitor their activities in the student’s best interests. ### In this article - [What awards has KD International received?](#s-1) - [What is the VETASSESS partnership and why does it matter to you?](#s-2) - [How do I know an admissions agent is accredited and trustworthy?](#s-3) - [Do awards and partnerships mean admission is guaranteed?](#s-4) - [Practical steps before choosing an admissions agent](#s-5) KD International has received recognition from international partners it works with, most notably an award from the UK-based Study Group for Best Agent in Saudi Arabia in 2021, alongside an official partnership with Australia’s VETASSESS organisation, under which an office was opened in Riyadh and is operated by KD. But the accreditation that actually matters to you as a student comes from two sources you can verify yourself: the university’s CRICOS registration, and the university’s confirmation that the agent officially represents it. ## What awards has KD International received? KD International announced via its official page that it received certificates of outstanding performance in empowering and guiding students to study abroad, in close collaboration with its partner Study Group. This type of recognition typically comes through agent evaluation programmes run by international education groups for their partners worldwide. ### Study Group’s "Agent Premier Club" award Study Group launched its annual "Agent Premier Club" awards to recognise top-performing education agents worldwide, with Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers [Study Group’s official blog, 2021](https://blog.studygroup.com/study-group-announces-inaugural-agent-premier-club-2021-award-winners). According to what KD announced via its X account (August 2021), the company received the Perfect Performance award for Best Agent in Saudi Arabia for 2021. It should be clearly noted here: this announcement’s source is KD’s own page and official account, and we did not find a published winners’ list on Study Group’s blog explicitly naming KD among the officially available public results. This recognition is therefore reported as stated by the company about itself. ### 2024 outstanding performance certificate Alongside the 2021 award, KD states on its page that it received an additional outstanding performance certificate from Study Group in 2024, as part of the ongoing partnership between the two parties to guide students towards study-abroad programmes. ## What is the VETASSESS partnership and why does it matter to you? VETASSESS, Australia’s largest skills assessment body, opened a new office in Saudi Arabia operated by KD International, handling inquiries, verification, and technical interview support in the Middle East [VETASSESS, official website](https://www.vetassess.com.au/news/vetassess-opens-office-in-saudi-arabia). According to the same page, KD International represents VETASSESS and its parent group, BKI Group, in the Kingdom. KD’s General Manager, Abdullah Saud Al-Ghamdi, stated that the company is a Saudi-Australian firm with extensive experience working with universities seeking to connect with students in the Middle East, while VETASSESS CEO Rob Thomason noted that skills assessment applicants in the region can now travel to Riyadh for their technical interviews, and that KD will host training sessions for migration agents there [same source](https://www.vetassess.com.au/news/vetassess-opens-office-in-saudi-arabia). Note that VETASSESS skills assessment primarily concerns professional migration applications to Australia, a different pathway from university admission, but it illustrates the kind of institutional relationship KD builds with official Australian bodies. ## How do I know an admissions agent is accredited and trustworthy? Awards and partnerships are a good signal, but they are not the only or sufficient proof. The evidence that actually protects you as a student rests on direct verification from two sources: confirming the university is officially registered, and confirming the university that the agent is acting on its behalf. ### Check the university and course registration on CRICOS To confirm the credibility of any Australian educational institution or study programme, you must verify its official registration on CRICOS, the joint register of institutions and courses for international students, via the official government website [TEQSA, Australian Government](https://www.teqsa.gov.au/students/checking-provider-registration-or-course-accreditation). If you cannot find the university or programme in this register, that is reason enough to pause and verify before proceeding. ### Confirm the agent is accredited by the university itself Australian law requires education providers to have a written agreement with their education agents, to monitor their activities, and to require them to act honestly, in good faith, and in the best interests of students, under the International Education Agent Code of Ethics [Commonwealth Ombudsman](https://www.ombudsman.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/79683/Factsheet_student_education-agents-links-fixed-A1576258.pdf). Students are also advised to check whether an agent is an authorised representative of their target institution, by requesting written proof directly from the university, or by searching the list of authorised agents published on its website [same source](https://www.ombudsman.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/79683/Factsheet_student_education-agents-links-fixed-A1576258.pdf). If you are applying via one of the King Salman Scholarship Program ("برنامج خادم الحرمين الشريفين للابتعاث") pathways, the official reference for approved university lists is the Ministry of Education directly, via its [scholarship pathway pages](https://sites.moe.gov.sa/scholarship-program/paths/), not any private agency’s website. | Verification step | How to do it | Official source | | --- | --- | --- | | University and course registration | Search the university’s name on CRICOS | [TEQSA](https://www.teqsa.gov.au/students/checking-provider-registration-or-course-accreditation) | | Agent accreditation with the university | Request written proof from the university or check its published list | [Commonwealth Ombudsman](https://www.ombudsman.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/79683/Factsheet_student_education-agents-links-fixed-A1576258.pdf) | | University matches your scholarship pathway | Check the university list for your pathway (Al-Rowad, Imdad, Research and Development) | [Ministry of Education](https://sites.moe.gov.sa/scholarship-program/paths/) | ## Do awards and partnerships mean admission is guaranteed? No. Recognitions such as the Study Group award and the VETASSESS partnership reflect a track record and an institutional relationship with Australian bodies, but university admission itself remains governed by your academic record, your language test score, and the pathway you are applying through if you are part of a scholarship programme. The form of offer also differs between a [conditional offer and an unconditional offer](https://kdinternational.com.au/ar/conditional-vs-unconditional-offer-australia/), and this is something no intermediary controls — it is decided by the university’s admissions office based on your file. ## Practical steps before choosing an admissions agent - Ask the agency which universities it works with, and verify each one yourself on CRICOS. - Request proof that the agency is an accredited agent with your target university, not just an informal intermediary. - If you are a scholarship student, confirm the university is listed under your pathway in the [Ministry of Education’s lists](https://sites.moe.gov.sa/scholarship-program/paths/) before taking any other step. - Ask clearly whether the admissions service is free for you as a student — typically the university pays the agent’s commission, as explained in the guide [Are admissions agencies free?](https://kdinternational.com.au/ar/education-agents-faq-free-authorised-saudi-students/) - Communicate only through the official channels listed on the agency’s website, and avoid any contact from unverified accounts claiming to represent it. KD International’s awards and partnerships with Study Group and VETASSESS give you an indicator of the company’s track record, but your final decision should always rest on your own verification of the university’s registration and the agent’s accreditation with it. If you want to understand how KD operates in detail, see [Why KD International: how a study admissions office works and what it offers you](https://kdinternational.com.au/ar/kd-international-admissions-office-australia/), or review [Steps to apply to study in Australia via KD](https://kdinternational.com.au/ar/how-to-apply-study-australia-kd-steps/) to know what to expect from your first consultation through to your offer. ## Frequently asked questions How do I know an admissions agency is accredited and trustworthy? Check that the university and programme are registered on Australia’s official CRICOS system, and ask the agency or the university itself for written proof that the agent is authorised to represent it. What awards has KD International received? KD states on its official LinkedIn page that it received outstanding performance certificates from Study Group in 2021 and 2024, plus an official partnership with Australia’s VETASSESS to operate an office in Riyadh. Is the 2021 Study Group award documented by Study Group itself? The available announcement comes from KD’s page and official account. We did not find a published winners’ list on Study Group’s official blog that explicitly names KD among that year’s results. Does VETASSESS accreditation mean an agent can guarantee university admission? No. The VETASSESS partnership concerns professional skills assessment for migration purposes, a different pathway from university admission, which the university determines based on your academic results and English test score. Is the admissions agency service free for students? Usually yes, because the university pays the agent’s commission. See details in the guide Are admissions agencies free on the website. Where can I find the list of approved universities under the Saudi scholarship programme? The official lists are published on the King Salman Scholarship Program pathway pages on the Ministry of Education website, sites.moe.gov.sa, and the list varies by pathway. ## Official sources - [Study Group Announces Inaugural Agent Premier Club 2021 Award Winners](https://blog.studygroup.com/study-group-announces-inaugural-agent-premier-club-2021-award-winners) — مدونة Study Group الرسمية - [VETASSESS Opens Office in Saudi Arabia](https://www.vetassess.com.au/news/vetassess-opens-office-in-saudi-arabia) — VETASSESS - [Checking Provider Registration or Course Accreditation](https://www.teqsa.gov.au/students/checking-provider-registration-or-course-accreditation) — TEQSA – الحكومة الأسترالية - [Factsheet: Student Education Agents](https://www.ombudsman.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/79683/Factsheet_student_education-agents-links-fixed-A1576258.pdf) — أمين المظالم الأسترالي (Commonwealth Ombudsman) - [مسارات برنامج خادم الحرمين الشريفين للابتعاث](https://sites.moe.gov.sa/scholarship-program/paths/) — وزارة التعليم السعودية - [وزارة التعليم السعودية توفر من خلال ‘مركز خدمات الابتعاث’ خدمات شاملة قبل وأثناء وبعد الاب](https://www.moe.gov.sa/ar/education/Pages/ScholarshipServices.aspx) — وزارة التعليم السعودية - [برنامج خادم الحرمين الشريفين للابتعاث هو برنامج رسمي لابتعاث الطلاب والطالبات لأفضل المؤسس](https://sites.moe.gov.sa/scholarship-program/) — موقع وزارة التعليم السعودية (برنامج الابتعاث) - [موقع KD International الرسمي يذكر أن الشركة تضم أكثر من 6.5 ألف طالب ضمن شبكتها ممن يسرّعو](https://kdinternational.com.au/) — موقع KD International الرسمي ### Ready to start? KD International helps you choose a university, prepare your admission and visa file, and answers your questions about Saudi scholarships and studying in Australia. [Apply now](https://kdinternational.com.au/applynow/) or [message us on WhatsApp](https://wa.me/966582357717). *Last updated: 9 October 2026. Fees and requirements change; always confirm with the official source before deciding.*