Peer-to-peer platform service Unibuddy has entered an agreement with Study in the USA aiming to give prospective students “reassurance and confidence” to study in the country.
The partnership – announced at the company’s virtual conference – will see colleges join a new platform to “give international students the confidence they need to study in the USA”.
“We’ve joined forces for a stronger, more resilient higher education community”
Some 15 colleges have already signed up for the platform, while colleges are able to place students on the Study in the USA website free for six months.
“We’ve joined forces for a stronger, more resilient higher education community,” Unibuddy CEO Diego Fanara said in a statement, as Unibuddy explained that the service would help US colleges “boost their yield and generate students’ interest”.
“Unibuddy on Study USA will help universities optimise their digital channels, reach students and provide them with the information they need throughout their journey,” Fanara added.
“Our new platform allows prospective students from around the world to chat directly with a current international student who is on campus in the USA,” Study in the USA CEO, Renait Stephens, said.
“That allows them to hear first-hand what the experience is really like, and get the confidence they need to study overseas,” he continued.
“With all the challenges in the world right now, international students rightly have lots of concerns and questions. Current students are well placed to address many of those – so we hope our new platform in partnership with Unibuddy can bring students together to support one another.”
In 2019, the edtech startup partnered with UCAS in the UK and currently has more than 300 global university partners.
The provider has also unveiled a new virtual events platform which hopes to offer a virtual experience that will be effective in a post-pandemic world by bringing together content, live chat, and video streaming, Unibuddy added.
With over 40 years supporting international students coming to the US, Study in the USA is the leading educational guide for international students and sees over 7.9 million visits per year.