A new global university course search platform, Studee, has launched in the UK, with the aim of transforming the way international students find higher education courses overseas while addressing the “elephant in the room” – the industry’s carbon footprint.
The disruptive platform, set up by “Britain’s best boss” – Chris Morling, founder of comparison site money.co.uk – along with Simon Andrews of BigChoice Group, matches prospective students with multilingual advisors who provide guidance from “application to enrolment”.
“I’m addressing the elephant in the room – the fact international education has negative consequences for our environment”
Studee is the new generation company formed with BigChoice Group origins – and it is aiming to “be the world’s number one choice for students to study anything, anywhere and to maximise the education and life opportunities for students by making studying abroad simple”, according to CEO Morling.
Additionally, Studee will plant trees for every student enrolled, via its Trees for Degrees project with Plant-for-the-Planet, to contribute towards absorbing the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere when students fly.
According to Studee, the process of international enrolment at universities is “outdated and not fit for purpose for today’s centennials”, who rely on technology more than previous generations.
This is also the generation that is likely to most suffer from today’s climate emergency, it stated.
“Studee is reinventing the way international students find a university by making it simple and deeply personalised whilst adding transparency in an industry which in recent years has sadly suffered some corruption and has largely ignored the climate crisis,” Morling said.
“Education is the most powerful way to positively change the world but I’m also addressing the elephant in the room – the fact international education has negative consequences for our environment,” he added.
“Our goal is to plant one million trees over the coming years and transform the way international students find their dream university abroad.
“This generation of students will bear the brunt of climate change and they need the option of studying abroad in an environmentally conscious way without doing lasting damage to our planet,” he added.
Chris Morling previously set up the money.co.uk website. Photo: Studee
The Trees for Degrees project is at the heart of the business and a top priority for the company for this reason, Morling continued.
Studee will also be working with charities to provide scholarships to students – the first organisation it will work with is Prospect Burma.
Morling, who launched money.co.uk in 2008 before selling to ZPG plc in September 2017 in a £140m deal, plans to disrupt the international education market by utilising his experience creating websites that drive high volumes of quality traffic with exceptional user experience.
Co-founder Andrews has in-depth knowledge of the education sector, which will be an additional boon for the company, a statement by Studee indicated.
Offering courses at 200 universities in 40 countries, Studee is aiming to “combine a deeply personalised online solution with real person support” assisting students.
“We’re working towards a completely new way for students to better understand which programs are best for them”
“Our international student advice centre based in Ecuador supports over 1,000 students per day, via a number of channels including phone, WhatsApp, online chat and email,” Morling told The PIE News.
Available 24 hours a day, Studee advisors help with visa advice, program application queries, country-specific entry-level requirements, what scholarships are available, which program to choose and which programs might have the biggest impact on their career, he added.
“In addition, we’re working towards a completely new way for students to better understand which programs and universities are best for them,” Morling claimed.
“The end goal is to take the leg work out of finding a university for international students. We want to make the whole process as simple as possible.”
