IDP Education, the world’s largest international student placement service, is jointly-owned by 38 Australian universities and SEEK Limited, Australia’s leading online employment and training company. In addition to the student placement division, IDP is a major sponsor of research into international education and pioneered forecasting of international student trends and growth.

Established by Australian universities in 1969 to channel aid to universities in Asian countries, IDP continues its founding vision by managing scholarship programs on behalf of various governments for developing countries.

IDP also is part-owner of IELTS – the world’s leading English language proficiency test – with the British Council and Cambridge University. More than 1.2 million people take the IELTS test each year. The IELTS test is recognized by more than 2,000 US academic faculties, colleges and universities. IDP conducts IELTS tests around the world in 247 locations and 44 countries.

IDP Education recently announced that the firm is entering the American higher education market, looking to place international students into American universities in Fall of 2010. IDP has placed over a quarter of a million students into education institutions in Australia and is expanding its international student recruiting operation to the United States at a time that American universities need students.