SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: IDP Education Limited has entered into a binding agreement to acquire 100% of Intake Education for up to ~A$83 million.

Intake Education is a leading student placement agency that has operations across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, India and the UK.

Established in 1993 as UKEAS, Intake brings to IDP three decades of industry leadership in the UK-bound international education sector. Proudly student-first, Intake’s employees will bring additional expertise, experience and diversity to IDP’s global team.

Murray Walton, Interim Chief Executive Officer, IDP Education, said that by welcoming Intake into its team, IDP will be positioned to help students across more locations access international education.

“The geographic footprint of Intake complements IDP’s global network. Intake is the market leader for UK study in several countries and has the largest and most respected agency in West Africa which will accelerate IDP’s growth ambitions in this emerging region,” Mr Walton said.

“Like IDP, Intake teams care deeply about getting great outcomes for their students and institution partners. We both proudly stay by our students’ sides from first enquiry through to starting in the classroom,” he said.

Pieter Funnekotter, Chief Executive Officer, Intake Education, said Intake will make IDP stronger. “By Intake joining IDP’s team, we will help grow the international education sector and create a new standard for how we support students to achieve their global goals,” Mr Funnekotter said.

The agreement is expected to be completed in November, and the transaction is subject to customary completion conditions. IDP will fund the acquisition using a combination of existing cash and debt facilities.