An education agent is a third-party entity who is paid to assist a student to find, apply to, and/or prepare for college. In China, agents are often hired to assist students in finding an international institution fitting their academic goals. Although using an agent has been a common practice in China, there is virtually no research regarding the balance of costs and benefits of using an agent, nor is there evidence of any examination if Chinese students have been well served by their agents when applying to a foreign institution. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, this study intends to provide a better understanding about Chinese students' rationale of using, or not using, an agent; their expectation of using an agent; major problems related to the application process; and factors that most defined or discriminated the two groups of students in terms of using or not using an agent. (Contains 3 figures, 3 tables and 1 note.)