Global student placement company, IDP Education, has acquired the Hotcourses Group for £30.1m. The purchase will add some of the world’s largest education search websites including Whatuni, The Complete University Guide and Hotcourses Abroad to the student recruitment giant’s portfolio.

With more than 66 million visits and two million users accessing Hotcourses Group’s database of 500,000 courses from more than 5,000 institutions in 48 countries, the move expands IDP’s service offering to students and clients.

“The combination of IDP Education and the Hotcourses Group will provide deeper and highly differentiated services offerings to clients”

IDP Education’s CEO Andrew Barkla said the company aims to provide a one-stop-shop for student marketing and recruitment across both digital and agent sales channels while giving students access to Hotcourses online tools and IDP’s network of 600 counsellors in 30 countries.

“The combination of IDP Education and the Hotcourses Group will provide deeper and highly differentiated services offerings to clients through more relevant data insights, more qualified student leads and greater international reach,” Barkla said in a statement.

Hotcourses Group CEO Simon Emmett will continue to lead the company and will also join IDP Education’s Global Leadership Team. A board comprising of senior executives from both entities and chaired by Barkla will oversee the Hotcourses Group.

Emmett said the agreement “brings together a world leader in education search technology and tools, with a world leader in student placement and preparation.

“Together we will now provide unparalleled support and guidance at every step of the student journey, from enquiry to enrolment.”

The Hotcourses Group will continue to operate as an independent entity and will work in collaboration with IDP Education. There will be no change to how clients and customers interact with either company, the statement says.

The Hotcourses Group was established in 1996 by Mike Elms and Jeremy Hunt, a conservative MP and currently the UK’s Health Secretary, as an educational print directory for learning opportunities in London. It now employs more than 300 people with offices in the UK, Australia, Asia and North America.

In 2013, the company’s shareholders – excluding Hunt – held detailed talks with Inflexion Private Equity about a takeover, but abandoned the discussions after failing to agree on terms.

Australia-based IDP Education is a co-owner of IELTS, and is 50% owned by 38 Australian universities through Education Australia Limited. The remaining 50% is traded on the ASX.

It launched an IPO in 2015 selling 125.1 million shares, priced at A$2.65 each, giving it a market capitalisation of A$663.3m.

It also owns and operates 10 English language schools in Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.

The sale of the Hotcourses Group is expected to be completed by the end of January 2017.

source – https://thepienews.com/news/idp-education-acquires-hotcourses-group/#.WHzQvTU2Rgo.twitter