UK Study

What UK Study does

UK Study is a Brighton-headquartered (Sussex Innovation Centre, BN1 9SB) university placement service that guides prospective international students through applying to UK higher education institutions. The firm, operating under legal entity StudyFirst Group Limited (Company Reg. No. 07087579) and founded in 1999, maintains direct referral relationships with 69+ UK universities and operates as a registered UCAS centre and British Council accredited agent. Its core product is an end-to-end placement workflow covering course and university selection, UCAS application submission, offer tracking, CAS issuance, visa application guidance, accommodation arrangement, and airport transfer coordination, delivered through educational consultants via free 30-minute telephone, WhatsApp, or Microsoft Teams consultations.

The underlying platform is a multilingual web application (apply.ukstudy.com and ukstudy.com) supporting 11 languages (English, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Pashto) and exposing a catalogue of 11,459 university courses across 55 UK destination cities. The technology stack relies on commodity third-party integrations including Google Analytics, Google Maps API, Google reCAPTCHA, Tawk.to chat, Mailchimp, Sendinblue, and Facebook embeds; no proprietary AI, data flywheel, or differentiated platform IP is disclosed. The product portfolio spans GCSE, pre-university/foundation, undergraduate, postgraduate, and pre-Master's pathway programmes with September 2026 and January 2027 intakes actively being recruited.

UK Study operates a commission-based revenue model where students are serviced free of charge and the company earns referral or placement commissions from partner universities upon successful enrolment, supplemented by adjacent services such as student visa support, accommodation placement, scholarship guidance, and (via group affiliates British Guardianship Ltd. and Tours for Groups) guardianship and educational tours. Customer acquisition is digital-led and multilingual, combining SEO content, organic social, free consultation funnels, and university partner referrals, with a physical branch recently added in Kabul, Afghanistan to serve Afghan applicants directly.

Name

UK Study

Legal name

StudyFirst Group Limited

Website

https://ukstudy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UK Study is a Brighton-headquartered international student placement service, founded in 1999, that places prospective overseas students with 69+ UK universities via a free, commission-based consultancy model delivered through multilingual educational consultants and a UCAS-registered centre.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Education Consultancy

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Overseas Secondary School Admissions Consulting & Application Support (EDAIAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pre-Master’s / Graduate Pathway Programs (EDAIAJAD), Admissions, Placement Testing & Progression Management for Pathways (EDAIAJAL), Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ), English Test Preparation (IELTS, TOEFL, Duolingo English Test, etc.) (EDAAACAJ), Student Housing Ancillary Services (Utilities Setup, Furnishings, Deposits/Guarantors, Cleaning) (EDAIALAJ)

Keywords

• University placement services
• International student recruitment
• Study abroad consulting
• Education consultancy services
• Visa application assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Portslade

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. University Placement Commission: UK Study provides its services free of charge to students. The company generates revenue through commissions and partnerships with UK universities and educational institutions, receiving referral or placement fees when students are successfully enrolled at partner institutions. This is a classic commission-based model common in the international education sector.
2. Educational Consultancy Services: Free initial consultation with revenue generated through guiding students through the application process, visa assistance, and accommodation placement services. Additional revenue may come from supplementary services such as document translation assistance and airport transfer arrangement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

UK Study provides end-to-end university placement services for international students seeking UK higher education, covering course and university selection, application submission, student visa application support, and accommodation assistance. The service is offered free of charge to students, with revenue generated through commission payments from more than 69 partner UK universities.

Product overview

UK Study is a UK university placement service operated by StudyFirst Group, offering a unified platform of educational consultancy services to international students seeking to study in the UK. The core product is the UK University Placement Service, which encompasses course and university search tools, application management, visa support, and accommodation assistance. This is supported by a portfolio of academic pathway products including GCSE Courses (September 2026 and January 2027 intakes), Pre-University/Foundation Courses (covering International Foundation Year, A-Levels, Pre-Master's, and English language preparation), Undergraduate Courses (bachelor's degrees across multiple disciplines), and Postgraduate Courses (master's, MBA, and research degrees). The service is delivered through both the website platform — which includes a university course search tool covering over 11,459 courses, a destinations guide for 55 UK cities, and a maintenance cost calculator — and direct advisory services via a free 30-minute consultation available through telephone, WhatsApp, or Microsoft Teams. Additional services include scholarship guidance, student visa application support, and student accommodation assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UK University Placement Service End-to-end placement service that helps international students select a UK university and course, prepare and submit applications, and progress to enrolment. Offered free of charge to students with revenue generated via commissions from 69+ partner UK universities.
• Student Visa Application Support Guidance and assistance for international students preparing and submitting UK student visa (Tier 4 / Student Route) applications as part of the placement journey.
• Student Accommodation Assistance Advisory service helping placed international students identify and secure suitable UK student accommodation in their university city.

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Study First GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Study First Group is the parent organisation of UK Study. Founded in 1999, it has grown to become the largest provider of educational services to UK international colleges, English language schools, and summer junior schools. Since 2009, it has forged links with over 50 leading UK higher education institutions. In 2010, Study First Group was created to meet growing demand for guardianship, sponsorship, university applications, counselling, student tours, group bookings, and immigration advice services.
• British Guardianship Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBritish Guardianship provides educational guardianship services for international students under 18 studying at UK boarding schools. UK schools require parents to appoint a UK-based educational guardian. British Guardianship has years of experience in the international education industry and understands the needs and concerns of students and their parents.
• UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK Study is a registered UCAS centre, enabling it to submit and track student applications through the official UK university application system. UCAS operates the centralised application process for all UK universities and colleges.
• British CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK Study is accredited by the British Council. All staff working directly with students are UK Certified Agents through the British Council, demonstrating knowledge of UK education standards. The accreditation is verified through the British Council's official agent database.
• UK Agent Quality Framework (AQF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK Study (through BritishGuardianship) is committed to the principles of the AQF as set out in the National Code of Ethical Practice for UK Education Agents. This ensures compliance with UKVI Student Sponsor License responsibilities.
• 69 UK UniversitiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK Study has established partnerships with over 69 UK universities including Anglia Ruskin University, University of Brighton, University of Buckingham, Coventry University, Durham University, University of Glasgow, Lancaster University, University of Leeds, University of Leicester, University of Manchester, Newcastle University, University of Sheffield, University of Stirling, and many others. These partnerships enable UK Study to offer students guaranteed placement options and commission-based revenue.
• Tours for GroupsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTours for Groups is a private tour operator company specialising since 1991 in arranging UK tours for students, groups, and international tourists. Part of the Study First Group ecosystem, it arranged tours for over 20,000 international students last year to see historical cities in the UK and Europe.
• UK Higher Education Institutions (40 Colleges)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK Study provides information on over 40 UK colleges offering pathway programmes, foundation courses, and further education programmes for international students.
• UK English Language Schools and Summer SchoolsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK Study provides information on 50 English language schools and summer junior schools across the UK, helping international students access pre-sessional English courses and summer programmes.
• UK Boarding Schools (30+)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK Study provides information on 30+ UK boarding schools for students under 18, including those requiring guardianship arrangements, working in conjunction with British Guardianship services.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UKstudyOfficial
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwLJAH8e5xjO9X4qDlJqP3w
• Instagraminstagram.com/uk_study
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uk-study
• Xx.com/UKstudyOfficial

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UK Study