The parent company of UVIC, Learning Without Borders, has obtained several million Chinese RMB in A+ series funding to further develop its “ecosystem of support” for students looking to study abroad.
Established in 2003, the cross-
CEO and founder of Learning Without Borders Philip Hao said its strong reputation in China stems from its multi-faceted businesses.
He said that the key to its success is “an elite team in China and in the UK with nearly fifteen years of experience, deep familiarity with the industry and a growing list of unique business models”.
These business models include the Super Mentor scheme, which provides beginning-to-end coaching for international students seeking further study, and the 51Room brand, which allows students to easily search for and secure their ideal international student accommodation options.
Its myMoney brand – a strategic partner of WeChat and Alipay – simplifies the cross-border payment process for the parents of international students with an easy-to-use online platform in English and Chinese.
Beyond this, Learning Without Borders is pioneering its Young Elite Scheme, which organises monthly Fortune 500 corporate boot camps to connect UK based students to Ernst & Young, the London Stock Exchange and HSBC’s global headquarters for executive training.
Head of global engagement at UVIC David Staley told The PIE News that the success of obtaining A+ series funding will support the rapid development of additional student services, such as ‘Dual Mentor’, a combination of both university and application mentor support.
“This additional investor funding will enable us to further develop our depth and breadth of education support and advice services”
“‘University mentors’ provide a one-to-one service for international students in key areas such as breaking down the structure of courses and direction of subjects,” Staley explained.
“The application mentors then further provide help with daily life, visas and all kinds of applications.
“Through the ‘Dual Mentor’ model, Learning Without Borders can provide beginning-to-end assistance for those preparing to study abroad by alleviating many of the concerns that come with it.”
Staley told The PIE News that Learning Without Borders’ 2017 student recruitment numbers to the UK has increased by 240% on the previous year.
“We acknowledge that our business model is very different from the usual agent format with us offering a developed ‘ecosystem’ of student support and guidance services,” he said.
“This additional investor funding will enable us to further develop our depth and breadth of education support and advice services moving forward alongside our 100+ university partners,” he added.
The funding will also allow 51Room to increase its source of properties which already spans over 440 cities across the UK, US Australia, Japan and South Korea.
Following on from the success of its UniFair event in London last October, UVIC recently exported its brand to Kuala Lumpur and hosted a UK Pavilion at the major regional event in the KL Convention Centre.
The event received more than 57,000 visitors, 73% of which were young people studying for their Malaysia Certificate of Education or High School Certificate.
“Our nationality data from UniFair in London indicated a healthy interest from our attendees from Malaysia so we decided to take their interest back home and assist with all their Pathways and undergraduate enquiries,” said Staley.
“We wanted to meet with the young people alongside their key influences, their parents and to be joined by many of our partnering UK universities.”
