Planning your move abroad as an international student: Tips from an expert

Can you please introduce yourself and tell us about your background?

I am the co-founder of Adventum Student Living, an international student mobility platform, where we work with partners around the world to transform international students' journeys and add value to their higher education endeavors at every step. 

Before moving on from IIT Roorkee, I spent a lot of time there being actively involved in the management of various events and fests. Right after that, I started a home rental company called Fella Homes, which was my sole focus for two years. Given my experience in the accommodation market, I was offered a position at Amber Student, an accommodation provider based primarily in the UK and Ireland. UniAcco was a natural extension where I could use my expertise in international student accommodation to help students from India find the right accommodation abroad. We later realized the need for other offerings for students looking at overseas education like UniScholars (for international scholarships) and UniCreds (for financing). All the offerings are now part of our parent company – ASL, which is the only integrated student mobility platform in India. The company was started along with Mr. Amit Singh in 2019, just 4 months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit us. 

In spite of that unfortunate timing, I am pleased to say that we have grown quickly and consistently throughout these last few years and hope to continue that trend well into the future. 

For how long has this platform existed, and what motivated you to create it?

We (Amit and I) began this journey by launching UniAcco back in August 2019 to help students going abroad find the best possible accommodation. We added two other solutions under the same company, which were UniCreds and UniScholars. While UniCreds focuses on providing loans to students going overseas in collaboration with various financial partners around the world, UniScholars provides end-to-end solutions at every stage of a student's study abroad journey. 

Our idea was to have a one-stop solution to make the study abroad journey for students extremely hassle-free. We deep-dived into the pain points of students who were planning their overseas journey and tried to ease them. The number of students going abroad is increasing every day, and our aim is to help these students have a seamless journey to their dream study destination. 

How is the international response to the solutions provided by ASL?

The response from students who use our solutions has been very positive. Accommodations and financing, in particular, are areas that can be fairly complicated and detail-driven. Hence having an expert to guide students through the entire process becomes critical in increasing success rates. For instance, UniAcco apprised many students of the ongoing UK student accommodations crisis and has helped them find the best possible locations in spite of the situation. 

Internationally, ASL's partnerships with universities, accommodation providers, and banking institutions have been growing over the years. As it continues to help ease the international education experience for students across the world, these partners are simultaneously benefitted by having more students who are unencumbered by non-academic worries.

For the UniAcco solution particularly, we have seen massive demand from students across the world who are looking to find accommodation in the UK and Australia. The UniAcco solution aims to reach out to over 8,00,000 students across the world. 

What, in your opinion, are the things international students should look out for before moving abroad?

It all begins with the country and university a student decides to go to. Most aspire for the Ivy League or the Russell Group of colleges, which means very popular study destinations like the US, the UK, Germany, etc. Naturally, learning about the processes and documentation one will need from the university side and the visa side becomes very important. This ambiguity that students often have to deal with was a primary motivator behind UniScholars, where students can get clarity on the bureaucratic requirements associated with their admission. 

The next step would be to think of financing. There are many ways students can ease financial burdens via particular types of student loans. Figuring out which kind of student debt to apply for, which country to take it in, the currency in which it will be repaid, etc., are essential considerations that services like UniCreds specialize in. Recently, UniCreds has observed an uptick in the number of dollar loans being applied for to make the process of debt repayment easier. 

The final consideration would have to be deciding on one's living situation. Finalizing all the housing details before hopping on that aircraft is essential because any irregularities that arise overseas are much more difficult to resolve without one's close support structure. Furthermore, in-depth research into the destination city, its boroughs, and its transport lines can significantly reduce the number of viable options for students to choose between. 

What are the major pain points when moving abroad to study, and how should students address them?

In India, moving abroad for students is still limited to certain subjects and particular segments of students. There is a lack of information from peers and very few unbiased professional views. Leaving the technicalities aside, there is a whole new world for a student that pushes them out of their comfort zone to manage things on their own. For instance, looking for accommodation in a new country can be a long, cumbersome and overall complicated process. The best solution to this is to plan well in advance. Figuring out where they would like to stay, what kind of housing they would prefer, how far away it will be from their university, who the landlords are, what documents will be required, etc., can make the transition to new accommodations significantly smoother. 

The other problem that many students face is financing their lifestyle. Depending on the student's situation, they may have to work part-time, sacrifice certain comforts they are used to in their own country and budget their expenses more carefully than they did back home. While this is a natural part of being a college student anywhere, it can be made easier by planning early. By creating a rough budget, a list of essential expenses, and learning how the banking systems work for students, they can avoid many surprises when it comes to prices and expenditures. 

The last point is more of a social or cultural aspect, but it is advisable for students to mentally prepare themselves for the big step they are about to take. Being separated from one's family and friends, potentially for the first time ever, can be a rather unpleasant experience. The simplest way to handle this change seems to be by opening oneself to the new culture and doing one's best to make meaningful connections while overseas. While a group of college friends cannot replace family, they do provide a welcomed sense of community and support overseas. 

How would you compare the current demand for student solutions to the pandemic period?

The pandemic period was a turbulent time for both students and universities. Demand for student solutions during this period shifted away from conventional problems and became more focused on the pandemic situation. Digitization of course material, virtual classroom solutions, online exam prep and administration, etc., overshadowed visa and new accommodation demands for a few months.

Most significantly for international education, borders of huge education markets like the US, UK, Germany, and Australia were closed, causing many students to have to delay their education plans. In total, 1.5 billion students and 630 million teachers were affected by the pandemic in 2020. (Source) 

Having said that, we think the demand for student solutions today is greater than it was during the pandemic in all aspects of international education and are quite optimistic about its growth in the foreseeable future. 

Do you have any major projects coming up in terms of overseas student solutions?

ASL plans to expand to The United States and China markets over the year 2023 and is also looking at hiring 500 people across the board to support its growth. Recently, UniAcco has launched its operations in Australia and hopes to continue its upward progress for the foreseeable future.