UK-based study abroad platform, the Study Group aims to expand its offerings to international students with a primary focus on India. The company claims that after China, India is the second largest source of customers. In India, the platform claims to recruit students through its agent network and meticulous admissions process. “Our students excel in two main pathways. One is direct entry into partner universities and the second is the ‘International year-one programme’ which eases their transition. This programme provides a year of preparatory study with smaller class sizes and higher support ratios, acclimatising students to the UK academic environment,” Ian Crichton, CEO, Study Group told FE Education. The platform further stated that it offers a foundation pathway for students who have failed to achieve desired grades, giving them a second chance to prepare for entry.
As per the company’s website, it operates in more than 30 countries including the UK, the US, Canada and Ireland among others. Study Group India’s, an Indian subsidiary of the Study Group, revenue from operations grew 167% to Rs 43.78 crore in FY23 from Rs 16.39 crore in FY22, as per the data accessed by the business intelligence platform, Tofler. Moreover, the company’s net profit widened 178% to Rs 8.14 crore in FY23 from Rs 2.92 crore in FY22. “To attract the pool of students, our primary strategy involves leveraging our alumni and students’ positive experiences, but we also undertake various initiatives to generate demand. The majority of these efforts focus on explaining our offerings. In India, we’re currently running campaigns to help students understand the benefits of considering a pathway to university over direct enrollment,” he said. Further, the company claimed that its parent firm clocked revenue of £138 million (Rs 1406 crore) in FY23.
It furthermore, claims to offer foundation programmes and a special ‘International year one programme’ for students who aim to study in European countries. As per the company, these programmes aim to develop students in English proficiency and build their profile so that they can find suitable universities. “In the U.S., we don’t offer foundation courses, we directly recruit students to universities. While we can provide information, the university determines the student fees. This differs from the UK, where students opt for foundation pathways or international year-one courses. We operate a few courses for students in the first year for which they pay us. The UK tuition fees vary widely, from about £28,000 at prestigious universities like Durham to £12,000- 14,000 at more affordable institutions like Teesside,” Crichton explained.
For the foundation course and one-year international programme, the Study Group claims to charge between £12,000 to £20,000 per student. The course fees depend upon the university selected by the students for their studies. The company asserted that on average annually between 2,500-2,600 students are recruited, with approximately 1,000-1,200 students recruited from India last year. Moreover, of the total number of students globally, 16% are from India. However, the platform doesn’t have any centres in India and manages its work through networking agents. The company further stated that it will soon open a centre in India. “We have a total of 16 centres in the UK, each situated on a university campus and one in Ireland currently serving University College Dublin. We directly engage with a dozen or so universities in the US. But at the moment we are looking at broadening our global footprint, especially in India. As part of our efforts, we established an India Success Group this year intending to seek partnerships in India,” he said.