Do you really need Agent to Apply for Study Abroad?

Millions of students from India and other countries have a dream to Study Abroad. However, most of them face many challenges due to lack of information. In this article we would analyze the question- Do we really need an agent to apply for study overseas?

The report says’ nearly 2 lacs students head to Study in the USA every year, and near about 1.5 lacs per annum to Study in Canada. Apart from that, Australia, UK, New-Zealand, Ireland, Europe are also the favourite destination for Indian students.

What is the big challenge in your study abroad dream is lack of knowledge and information. In most of the cases, you need a mentor or guide to assist you with the process. In the professional term, we call them Overseas Education Agents or study overseas agent.

how to apply for Study Abroad without Agent/Consultants.

In my personal opinion, you do not need an agent for your overseas dreams. The reason, today we have a strong internet facility where we can obtain all the information in a minute.

Unless you are applying for some very specific program I think you do not need an agent. You can do it all yourself. Here are some steps, following which you can self apply for the admission to an overseas University. You have to learn the following-

Learn about the Validity of the Degree of a particular country first:

The very first exercise is to select a perfect country for your course of study. Study well before finalising your selection and the only criteria to finalize is that you get a valid degree. Suppose you are applying for Study in USA, then you should know what are the regulatory bodies to authenticate an Institution. Select a proper recognized/affiliated University or College.

Admission Process of the University you applying for the Study abroad: 

Learn the admission process of the Universities briefly. what to do for that-

• Go to the official website of University College.
• Read the Admission requirements for your course applicable for International students.
• Check the minimum percentage for Admission and IELTS, TOEFL Score requirement. Remember in some countries IELTS is acceptable some need TOEFL. Both are English language testing systems.
• Also check if your course needs some specific tests scores like GRE, GMAT.
• If you fit in the bracket, check if they need application by post or electronically. USA Colleges accepts an International application by post some accepts by Email.
• You can also communicate with your admission officer via email or chat.

Learn about the Visa Application process and requirements:

Visa application process is the most typical job, for that you need a Study Abroad consultant. he challenges is you do not have enough knowledge and experience to prepare the file. However, there is no rocket science in it, as every country has pre-defined visa regulations. Every country has a dedicated Immigration website. You need to go to the official website and check what documents are required for a student visa to that country.

You need to focus on the following key points-

• Download the visa application form for students. Read the guideline, timeline for the visa application process.
• Prepare the documents according to the checklist given on the immigration website of the country.
• Arrange the documents in the same sequence as per the checklist.
• You need to provide the sufficient liquid fund proof of your parent or the sponsor. Do check who can sponsor your study abroad. Only the prescribed source of the fund will be counted as valid.
• Normally you should have the liquid funds equivalent to your complete course fee + Accommodation of the first year. Also, tell the regular source of income for your parent or the sponsor.

Conclusion:

These are the basic process for the admission and visa application for your Study Abroad Goal. However, sometimes this is not as simple as you feel. If you want to avoid these much of exercises you can find the best overseas education agent for you.

It is advisable to choose the authorized Education Consultant of the University. Many overseas Universities have the representatives in India & they show this information on their website. You can find one of them but must do little self exercise so that no one fools you around.