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Skillvelop

Study abroad

A master's shortlist with the reasoning written next to every name

The standard study abroad consultation is free because the university pays at the other end. That is why the same six or seven names appear on almost every shortlist in India, and why nobody talks you out of an application you are unlikely to win.

You are the one taking on the tuition, the living costs and the loan. The shortlist should be built for you.

We charge you instead, which means we can tell you that a university on your list is a waste of an application fee.

Prices from
₹24,000
Assessment
Free, 30 minutes, written up
Scope
Agreed in writing before you pay

Where people apply

Public universities, which is where the value usually is

Public and publicly funded institutions charge a fraction of what private ones do, and in several countries they charge international students almost nothing. These are the kind of universities our clients apply to.
Graduation day at Trinity College Dublin

Not affiliated

Skillvelop is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an authorised agent of any institution named here. These are examples of the kind of public and publicly funded universities our clients apply to. Names are used factually to describe destinations, and every name links to our own country guide rather than to the institution.

Where we work

32 countries, and the honest note on each

The cheapest sticker price is very often not the cheapest total, and the country that suits your profile is frequently not the one you arrived asking about. Each of these has its own arithmetic, and the country pages set it out.

  • United Kingdom

    One year taught master's, the shortest route to a qualification. Post study work rules are set by the government and have changed more than once, so check the current position rather than what a brochure printed last year.

  • Canada

    Two year programmes that connect to post graduation work permits and, for some people, to permanent residence. Provincial differences matter more than most shortlists admit.

  • United States

    The most research capacity anywhere and the most complicated money. Published tuition is often not what a funded student pays, and whether your target department funds master's students is the question to ask before applying, not after.

  • Australia

    Strong in engineering, health and business, with post study work rights that vary by qualification level and by where in the country you study.

  • Germany

    Low or no tuition at public universities, which changes the arithmetic completely. The cheapest serious option on this list for most applicants, and the one that asks most of you in language.

  • Ireland

    English speaking, inside the EU, with two years to find work after a master's. The catch is Dublin housing, which is a genuine shortage and belongs in your budget from day one.

  • France

    Very low public tuition and a large English taught master's offer. The Campus France procedure is mandatory for Indian applicants and its interview carries real weight.

  • Italy

    Tuition scaled to assessed family income, which makes strong public universities unusually cheap for many Indian families, plus regional scholarships with early deadlines.

  • Japan

    Low national university tuition, substantial government scholarships, and real English taught programmes. Japanese still decides how much of the country is open to you.

  • United Arab Emirates

    Close to home, no income tax, and international branch campuses awarding the home institution's degree. Residence is tied to a sponsor, so it is a different proposition from Canada or Germany.

Where it ends up

A place on a course, and a life around it

The application is the part we do. This is the part it is for.
  • Graduation day at Trinity College Dublin
  • Students celebrating their graduation
  • Students on their university campus in Amsterdam

Photographs of students and professionals, licensed for reuse and credited in full on our credits page. None of the people shown is a Skillvelop client, and none of these images has been generated.

Fit

Who this is for, and who it is not for

It costs both of us less if you find out here.

This is for you if

  • Applying for a taught master's for the next intake or the one after
  • A bachelor's degree with transcripts you can produce, whatever the percentage
  • Clear about roughly what you can spend across tuition and living costs
  • Willing to write your own statement of purpose across several drafts
  • Interested in what happens after the degree, not only in getting in

This is not for you if

  • Wanting the statement of purpose written for you
  • Wanting a guaranteed admission or a guaranteed scholarship
  • Looking only for the cheapest possible route to a visa, with the course as a formality
  • Applying to a single university you have already decided on and only needing the forms filled
  • Expecting us to negotiate a fee waiver with a university

What you get

Every deliverable, numbered

This list is what goes on your scope document, made specific to your case. Nothing else is added to the price later.
  1. 01

    A shortlist with the reasoning written next to each name

    Why this university, why this course, what it costs in total, what the entry profile actually looks like, and what graduates of it tend to do next.

  2. 02

    An honest ambitious, realistic and safe split

    Not six universities that will all say yes, and not six that will all say no. If your profile only supports one tier, we say that.

  3. 03

    Statement of purpose coaching across up to four drafts

    You write it. We tell you what is generic, what is unsupported and what a reader will not believe, then you rewrite it.

  4. 04

    A recommendation letter strategy

    Who to ask, in what order, and what to hand them so the letter is specific rather than a template with your name in it.

  5. 05

    Every application completed with you and checked

    On a shared call, not by us alone in a back office. You know what has been submitted in your name.

  6. 06

    A scholarship search limited to awards you can actually win

    Eligibility checked against the award's own page before it goes on your list. Included in the six university package.

  7. 07

    The student visa file for the offer you accept

    Financial documents, the course acceptance paperwork, and interview preparation where the country requires one.

Prices

Two packages, both published

The difference between them is the number of universities and whether a scholarship search is included. Neither includes writing your statement of purpose, because that is not something you should buy.

Ref SA-01

Master's applications, up to six universities

₹38,000one time, paid in two parts
Offer price₹26,500save ₹11,500

A full master's application cycle across up to six universities in one or two countries.

Term

One application cycle, up to nine months

What is included

  • A shortlist built from your profile and your budget, with the reason each university is on it written down
  • An honest ambitious, realistic and safe split, not six universities that all say yes
  • Statement of purpose coaching across up to four drafts. You write it, we make it better
  • Recommendation letter strategy, including who to ask and what to give them
  • Every application form completed with you and checked before submission
  • Scholarship search limited to awards you are actually eligible for
  • Student visa file preparation for the offer you accept

What is not included

  • Government, embassy and biometrics fees
  • Language test fees and test centre charges
  • Certified translation, notarisation and apostille charges
  • University application fees, which you pay directly to each university
  • Writing your statement of purpose for you. Universities check for this and so do we
  • Any promise of an admission offer, a scholarship or a visa
  • Accommodation booking and airport pickup

Full refund within 7 days if we have not yet delivered your shortlist. Read the full refund and scope policy

Book a free assessment

Ref SA-02

Single country, up to three universities

₹24,000one time
Offer price₹17,000save ₹7,000

For people who have already decided on one country and want a tighter, cheaper application cycle.

Term

One application cycle, up to six months

What is included

  • A three university shortlist for one country, with the reasoning written down
  • Statement of purpose coaching across up to three drafts
  • Recommendation letter strategy
  • All three applications completed with you and checked before submission
  • Student visa file preparation for the offer you accept

What is not included

  • Government, embassy and biometrics fees
  • Language test fees and test centre charges
  • Certified translation, notarisation and apostille charges
  • University application fees
  • Writing your statement of purpose for you
  • Any promise of an admission offer, a scholarship or a visa
  • Scholarship search, which is included in SA-01 only

Full refund within 7 days if we have not yet delivered your shortlist. Read the full refund and scope policy

Book a free assessment

Compare every package on the pricing page or read the refund and scope policy.

How it runs

Five steps, and the first two are free

You can stop after the written plan and take it elsewhere. Some people do.

  1. Free assessment

    Thirty minutes on video. Your degree, your marks, your budget, your target intake, and what you want the degree to lead to.

    30 minutes, no cost

  2. Written plan with your realistic odds

    An indicative shortlist, the total cost of each option, and an honest read on which tier of university your profile supports.

    Within 2 working days

  3. Agree the scope and the price

    One page, naming the number of universities, the number of statement drafts, and everything excluded.

    Same week

  4. We do the work with you

    Shortlist, statement drafts, recommendation strategy, applications and scholarships. You write, we review, you decide.

    3 to 9 months, intake dependent

  5. You apply

    Applications submitted, offers compared side by side on real total cost, then the visa file for the one you accept.

    Then it is the university's decision

Limits

What we do not do

Written here rather than in a clause you find after paying.
  • Guarantee an admission offer, a scholarship or a student visa
  • Write your statement of purpose, your essays or your assignments
  • Add a university to your shortlist without writing down why it is there
  • Recommend a course we would not recommend to someone paying us nothing
  • Arrange accommodation, forex, education loans or travel, or take a fee for introducing you to anyone who does
  • Apply to a university you have not read about yourself

Before you start

What you need to have

If you are missing more than one of these, profile building is the cheaper first step and we will say so on the call.
  • A completed or final year bachelor's degree with transcripts available
  • An English test score, or a plan and a date to sit one
  • A realistic budget covering tuition and at least one year of living costs
  • Two people willing to write recommendation letters for you
  • Time to write four drafts of a statement of purpose alongside whatever else you are doing

Read first

Guides worth your time before you commit

All guides

Questions

Asked before people pay

Read every question

What happens next

Get a shortlist nobody is paid to put you on

Thirty minutes on video, then a written note within two working days with an indicative shortlist and the total cost of each option, with the reasoning written next to every name.

Book a free assessmentSee all prices
01Free assessment
Thirty minutes on video with the person who would actually handle your file. Education, work history, language levels, savings, timeline. We tell you which routes are open to you and which are not.
30 minutes, no cost
02Written plan with your realistic odds
Your profile scored against the published criteria, the routes worth pursuing, the total cost including every fee that does not come to us, and our honest read on your chances. Some of these plans say the answer is no.
Within 2 working days

No obligation to buy anything, and we will not call you repeatedly afterwards.