GradRight
GradRight is an India-based Ed-FinTech platform founded in 2019 that uses AI to connect Indian students seeking international education with 150+ overseas universities and a reverse-bidding marketplace of 15+ lending partners for education loans, refinanced loans, and insurance, monetizing via lender commissions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersHyderabad, India
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What GradRight does
GradRight is an India-headquartered Ed-FinTech company founded in 2019 that operates an AI-powered marketplace connecting Indian students seeking international higher education with overseas universities and education lenders. The platform's core modules include SelectRight, which uses a recommendation engine trained on over 8 million data points to shortlist universities based on student profile and ROI; FundRight, a reverse-bidding marketplace where 15+ banks and non-banking finance companies (ICICI, HDFC, Axis, Union Bank, Credila, Avanse, MPower, Prodigy) compete on loan terms; and Graddie, an AI chatbot copilot that guides students through university selection, loan comparison, insurance, and scholarship discovery. The platform also offers an education loan refinancing module, a health insurance comparison service, visa and EMI calculators, and the ConnectED peer community and Masters of the Future championship program for student engagement.
The platform is zero-fee for students and monetizes primarily through referral commissions and fees from partner lenders on successfully originated education loans, supplemented by revenue from university partnership arrangements. As of August 2023, GradRight had processed over $1.75 billion in loan requests and served more than 55,000 students, with current self-reported figures reaching approximately 250,000 students. The company has partnerships with more than 150 universities globally, including Tulane, Washington University, Rutgers, and Lehigh, and maintains operational offices across five Indian cities (Gurugram, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata) plus international offices in Washington, D.C. and London.
GradRight raised ₹50 crore (approximately $6 million) in Series A funding led by IvyCap Ventures in August 2023 and remains a privately held, venture capital-backed company co-founded by Aman Singh and Sasidhar Sista. The founders have positioned the firm as a multi-sided platform that aggregates fragmented discovery, financing, and ancillary services (forex, insurance, accommodation) into a single digital workflow targeting the Indian outbound education market.
GradRight firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- GradRight
- Legal name
- GradRight, Inc.
- Website
- https://gradright.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- GradRight is an India-based Ed-FinTech platform founded in 2019 that uses AI to connect Indian students seeking international education with 150+ overseas universities and a reverse-bidding marketplace of 15+ lending partners for education loans, refinanced loans, and insurance, monetizing via lender commissions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
GradRight industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Finance Platform
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Loan Brokers (6163)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Scholarship, Financial Aid & FAFSA Support Platforms (EDAFAMAF), University-Affiliated Pathway & Foundation Programs (EDAIAJAA)
Keywords
Where GradRight is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hyderabad
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices7 records
Markets served
GradRight business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Lender Commission / Referral Fees: GradRight serves as an intermediary platform connecting students seeking education loans with partner banks and NBFCs. Revenue is generated through referral fees or commission payments from lending partners (ICICI, HDFC, Axis Bank, Union Bank, Credila, Avanse, MPower, Prodigy, etc.) when students successfully secure loans through the platform. The platform is free for students.
- University Partnership Revenue: Revenue generated through partnerships with 150+ universities, where the platform drives student enrollments to partner institutions. The nature of the commercial arrangement is not fully disclosed.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Zero-fee student platform |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
GradRight product offering
Product offeringCore offering
GradRight is an Ed-FinTech platform that helps Indian students seeking international education discover partner universities and secure education loans through an AI-powered reverse-bidding marketplace. The platform connects students with 150+ partner universities and 15+ lender partners (banks and NBFCs), aggregating lender offers so applicants receive competing interest-rate bids. The service is free for students; GradRight monetizes via referral commissions from lenders.
Product overview
GradRight is a unified Ed-FinTech platform operating as an AI-powered higher education copilot. The platform comprises multiple integrated modules: SelectRight (AI-powered university selection using 8M+ data points), FundRight (reverse-bidding loan marketplace with 15+ lenders), Graddie (AI chatbot companion), Health Insurance services, and the Scholarship Pool program. The platform processes over $1.75 billion in loan requests and supports students across India, US, Canada, and Europe. Additional tools include EMI calculators, visa chance calculators, and refinancing calculators. The ecosystem also includes events (Masters of the Future, ShiftED) and community features (ConnectED peer network).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SelectRight
Companies that use GradRight
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
GradRight technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability5 records
Feature4 records
GradRight partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Tulane UniversitycoreTulane University (including the Freeman School of Business) is one of 150+ universities partnered with GradRight. The partnership enables Tulane to reach Indian students through GradRight's platform for recruitment and admissions, while GradRight offers students access to Tulane's academic programs and associated financial planning tools.
- Washington UniversitycoreWashington University is partnered with GradRight as part of the 150+ university network. The partnership provides Washington University with a digital channel to recruit Indian students, and offers GradRight's student users access to admissions guidance and program information from Washington University.
- Rutgers UniversitycoreRutgers University is a partner university within GradRight's network of 150+ institutions. The partnership enables Rutgers to access Indian students through GradRight's platform while students gain access to Rutgers' program offerings.
- Lehigh UniversitycoreLehigh University is partnered with GradRight as part of the broader university network. The collaboration provides Lehigh with a digital student recruitment channel in India, while expanding options available to GradRight's student users.
- ICICI BankcoreICICI Bank is one of 15+ bank/NBFC partners integrated into GradRight's reverse-bidding loan platform. Students can compare ICICI's education loan products alongside other lenders through GradRight's platform, streamlining the loan application process.
- HDFC BankcoreHDFC Bank offers education loans through GradRight's platform as part of the 15+ lender network. Students can access HDFC's loan products via the platform's comparison engine and reverse-bidding mechanism.
- Axis BankcoreAxis Bank is a lending partner on GradRight's education loan platform, enabling students to access Axis Bank's loan products through the digital application and comparison process.
- Union Bank of IndiacoreUnion Bank of India is a partner lender on GradRight's platform, offering education loans to students seeking international study financing through GradRight's digital marketplace.
- Credila Financial ServicescoreCredila Financial Services (an HDFC Group company) is a specialist education loan provider partnered with GradRight, enabling students to access Credila's tailored study abroad loan products through the platform.
- Avanse Financial ServicescoreAvanse Financial Services is a lending partner on GradRight's platform, providing education loan products that students can compare and apply for through the digital platform.
- MPower FinancingcoreMPower Financing is a cross-border education lender partnered with GradRight, offering loans to international students studying in the US and Canada through GradRight's platform.
- Prodigy FinancecoreProdigy Finance is a partner lender on GradRight's platform, providing education loans to international students through GradRight's digital application and comparison tools.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
GradRight competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Leap Scholar: Leap Scholar (formerly Leap Finance) is an Indian study-abroad lending and admissions platform that offers secured and unsecured education loans, test prep and admissions support. It is the closest direct competitor to GradRight's reverse-bidding marketplace model targeting Indian outbound students.
- Yocket: Yocket is an Indian study-abroad platform offering university search, admissions guidance and education-loan facilitation through partner lenders. It competes head-to-head with GradRight on university discovery and loan comparison for Indian students pursuing overseas education.
- Prodigy Finance: Prodigy Finance is a cross-border education lender funding international students at top global universities using a proprietary credit model. Although already a GradRight partner, it also originates loans directly and competes for the same Indian outbound borrower segment.
- MPower Financing: MPower Financing provides loans to international students studying in the US and Canada without requiring a co-signer or collateral. Like Prodigy, it is both a GradRight partner and a direct competitor offering students an alternative origination channel.
Emerging players
- Funded: Funded is an emerging Indian education-fintech focused on study-abroad lending and student financing. It overlaps with GradRight's core loan marketplace, though it has a narrower product set and partner network.
- Buddy4Study: Buddy4Study is an Indian scholarship-discovery and funding platform helping students find scholarships, grants and education financing. It overlaps with GradRight's Scholarship Finder and education-finance discovery products.
- CollegeDekho: CollegeDekho is an Indian college-discovery and admissions platform that has expanded into study-abroad and education-loan lead generation. It competes with GradRight in the top-of-funnel university selection and student-acquisition layer.
Broad incumbents
- Leverage Edu: Leverage Edu is a broader Indian study-abroad platform offering admissions counselling, test prep, loans and visa support. While not a pure loan marketplace, it competes with GradRight across the university-selection and financing journey.
- Credila Financial Services: Credila (an HDFC Group company) is one of India's largest specialist education-loan NBFCs. As a GradRight lending partner, it is also a potential competitor that could disintermediate the marketplace by acquiring students directly through its own digital channel.
- Avanse Financial Services: Avanse is an Indian education-focused NBFC offering loans for domestic and overseas higher education. Like Credila, it is a GradRight partner but also a competitor with direct student-acquisition capabilities.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
GradRight social profiles
Digital presenceGradRight financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
GradRight leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
GradRight funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
GradRight M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about GradRight
What does GradRight do?
GradRight is an Ed-FinTech platform that helps Indian students seeking international education discover partner universities and secure education loans through an AI-powered reverse-bidding marketplace. The platform connects students with 150+ partner universities and 15+ lender partners (banks and NBFCs), aggregating lender offers so applicants receive competing interest-rate bids. The service is free for students; GradRight monetizes via referral commissions from lenders.
Is GradRight a public or private company?
GradRight is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was GradRight founded?
GradRight was founded in 2019. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is GradRight based?
GradRight is headquartered in Hyderabad, India, in the Asia region.
How does GradRight make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Lender Commission / Referral Fees are the primary driver. The others are university Partnership Revenue.
Who are GradRight's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Leap Scholar, Yocket, Prodigy Finance and MPower Financing. Emerging players are Funded, Buddy4Study and CollegeDekho. Broad incumbents are Leverage Edu, Credila Financial Services and Avanse Financial Services.
Does GradRight have an API?
No public API is recorded for GradRight.
What industry is GradRight in?
GradRight's product category is Education Finance Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAEAM, Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent), with a secondary code of EDAFAMAF, Scholarship, Financial Aid & FAFSA Support Platforms. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.