Why we’re building AI-enabled commission optimisation

In the first half of 2025 more universities have announced swingeing jobs cuts. Some must save as much as $250M or £100M. Many colleges are barely hanging on.

We’ve chatted to dozens of users and prospects in traditional destination markets. All say commission pressures mean they’re thinking of lifting what they pay agents in order to capture disrupted student supply. These aren’t just perennially struggling institutions; they’re a mix of types and locations, and all are facing significant margin stress.

The need for universities and colleges to optimise - or in other words reduce wastage on - commission spend is more urgent than ever. There’s extra value if you can also capture the right student supply before it goes to your competitor across town. It's not just us saying this, and the need to think beyond the box is now widely accepted.

Knowing exactly what to do differently can be another matter, however, beyond paying consultants millions to help restructure (the same consultancies whose prior deliveries led to the asthmatic models many universities are seeking to reinvigorate today).

Happily, AI can do more than help students write essays

With support from the NSW Government, we’re building an AI-powered commission enablement tool to help optimally price commission every time it is agreed. Why? Because a system that relies on flat rates of commission, or basic program- or country-level figures, is no longer good enough for a multi-billion dollar sector in 2025. It leads to many millions, perhaps billions, in collective waste each year.

And when more money leaves campus than needs to, it is indeed 'waste'.

Soon we’ll launch a tool that helps users identify the most effective commission rate for a given negotiation or for the kind of student supply they want to attract. It will also show where to find that supply, using filters for source market and agent track-record. This supports both diversification and compliance.

And our users will optionally be able to issue compliant electronic contracts instantly, as well as digitally manage hundreds of existing agreements. All of this will cut hundreds of people-hours a year in effort when renewing or performance-assessing.

All data will all be visible to senior leaders making today's high-stakes decisions. They’ll gain the ability to spot and respond to dips in student load before they hit, whether at program, faculty, or market level.

To be part of it: app.feezy.io/sign-up