Nobody needs to pay an agent a percentage
A plain guide to studying overseas, written by people who take no commission from any college, recruiter or consultant.
Most families in our samaj sending a child abroad are doing it for the first time. There is nobody at the dinner table who has been through it. That gap is where the money gets made — and it is the gap this guide is trying to close.
Some education agents are honest and genuinely useful, particularly for a complicated case. But two things are worth knowing before you pay anyone. Many charge for filling in forms your child can complete without help. And a number receive commission from the universities they place students with, which means the recommendation you are given may reflect who pays them rather than what suits your child.
What actually happens, in order
Begin roughly eighteen months before the intake you are aiming at.
Choose the country before the university
Post-study work rights vary enormously and matter more than any ranking. A mid-ranked university in a country that lets your child work for three years afterwards is usually a better decision than a famous one that gives them ninety days to leave. Check the current rule on the government immigration site, not on a consultant’s blog.
Sit the English test early
IELTS, TOEFL or PTE, depending on what the destination accepts. Scores are typically valid two years, so sitting it early costs nothing and buys room for a retake.
Apply directly to the universities
Every university has an international admissions page that accepts direct applications. Apply to a spread — two ambitious, three realistic, one certain. Keep a copy of everything you send.
Arrange funds the day the offer arrives
Student visas require proof you can cover tuition and living costs. Most countries want the money to have been held for a set period, often twenty-eight days — funds that appeared last week look borrowed and get applications refused. Indian bank education loans are common and frequently cheaper than borrowing within the family.
Apply for the visa on the official portal
Search for the government site yourself rather than following a link someone sent you. Lookalike sites charging for free forms are among the most common frauds targeting Indian applicants.
Budget for the first six weeks
Deposit, rent and living costs before any part-time earnings begin. University halls for the first year are usually the safest option for a student arriving alone.
Four things families underestimate
Living costs, not tuition
Tuition is the figure everyone quotes. Rent, food and transport across three years is usually the larger number.
Work-hour limits are real
Most student visas cap term-time work near twenty hours weekly. Plan on it covering some living costs — never tuition.
Health cover is compulsory
Several countries require paid health insurance in advance. It belongs in the budget from the start.
The first winter is the hard part
Not the coursework — the isolation. Knowing one family in that city changes the whole experience.
Send us the paperwork before you commit
An offer letter, a contract, a consultant’s quote — send it and a committee member will give you an honest reading. We take no commission from any college, agent or employer, so we have nothing to gain from the answer.