Study Abroad SA

What Study Abroad SA does

Study Abroad SA is a privately held, founder-owned study abroad consultancy incorporated as Study Abroad SA International Study Advisors LTD, headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a secondary office in London, UK. The company was established in 2022 by Michael Kay, an Oxford Brookes University MBA graduate with over a decade of UK-based experience, to assist self-funded South African students seeking overseas education at universities in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and Mauritius. Its product is a unified advisory service: university shortlisting from a claimed network of 500+ partner institutions, application support with UCAS and equivalent systems, UK/US/Australian student visa guidance, and pre-departure arrangements covering flights, accommodation, and transport. The firm explicitly excludes scholarship-funded students and requires a minimum ~R300,000 annual self-funding threshold.

The business model is a flat R1,000 consulting fee per student with no scholarships or funding assistance, sold via direct-to-consumer inside sales (website contact form, phone, Skype/video). Customer acquisition relies on content marketing (website blog), organic social (LinkedIn, X), industry mentions (ICEF, The PIE News), and testimonial-driven referral. The company is compliant with POPIA, GDPR/UK GDPR, and the British Council's National Code of Ethical Practice for UK Education Agents. Operationally, it is a small team (1-10 employees) with no disclosed funding, no proprietary technology beyond a website, and no AI/ML capabilities; delivery is human-advisor driven. Theoretical revenue is low (R1,000 fee × hundreds of students per year), placing it firmly in the sub-USD 1M band.

Name

Study Abroad SA

Legal name

Study Abroad SA International Study Advisors LTD

Website

https://studyabroad.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Study Abroad SA is a Johannesburg-based consultancy that guides self-funded South African students through university applications, visa processing, and pre-departure logistics for study in the UK, Mauritius, USA, Canada, and Australia via a flat R1,000 fee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Consulting Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Direct Enrollment & Third-Party University Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hybrid, Multi-Location & Multi-Country Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAE)

Keywords

• Study abroad consulting
• University placement services
• Student visa assistance
• International education advisory
• Pre-departure student services

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Consulting/Service Fee: Study Abroad SA charges a flat consulting fee of R1,000 for their study counselling service targeting fee-paying/self-funded students. This fee covers university shortlisting, application support, visa guidance, and pre-departure assistance including flight and accommodation arrangements. The company explicitly does not work with scholarship-funded students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Study Abroad SA is a service-based study abroad consultancy that provides personalised guidance to self-funded South African students seeking overseas education. For a flat R1,000 fee, the consultancy handles university shortlisting from a network of 500+ global universities, application support (including UCAS for UK programmes), student visa application guidance, and pre-departure logistics covering flights and accommodation. The service targets students heading to the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and Mauritius, and is delivered virtually across Southern Africa.

Product overview

Study Abroad SA is a study abroad consultancy that offers a unified advisory service for self-funded South African students seeking international education. The core offering combines personalised study counselling (priced at R1,000), university placement through a network of 500+ global universities (UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Mauritius), visa application support, and pre-departure assistance covering accommodation and flights. The company primarily operates as a service-based consultancy rather than a software product, assisting students from initial university selection through to departure. The company does not offer scholarships or work with students who have scholarship funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Study Counselling and Advisory Service Personalised study abroad advisory service for self-funded South African students, covering university selection, application support, visa assistance, and pre-departure arrangements, delivered for a flat R1,000 consulting fee.
• University Placement Services Matching of self-funded South African students to suitable universities from a network of over 500 institutions globally, including Russell Group UK universities, Group of Eight Australian universities, and partner institutions in the USA, Canada, and Mauritius.
• Visa Application Support Guidance and support for student visa applications, including document preparation, application submission assistance, and interview preparation for the UK, US, Australian, and other study destinations served by the firm.
• Pre-Departure Services Assistance with arranging accommodation, booking flights, airport transportation, and other logistical arrangements to support students' transition to studying abroad.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of students placed at overseas universities annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• British Council (UK Education Agent Code)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudy Abroad SA formally complies with the National Code of Ethical Practice for UK Education Agents issued by the British Council. This indicates an official, recognised standing as an ethical UK education agent, enabling them to act as an authorised intermediary between South African students and UK universities.
• UCAScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStudy Abroad SA guides students through the UCAS application system for UK university applications, acting as an authorised intermediary. UCAS is the centralised universities and colleges admissions service used for applying to undergraduate programmes in the UK.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• ApplyBoard: ApplyBoard is a digital-first platform that connects international students with educational institutions worldwide, including significant recruitment from African markets. It competes with Study Abroad SA on the same self-funded international student placement workflow, but uses a technology-enabled marketplace model.
• Crimson Education: Crimson Education is a fast-growing global admissions consultancy that helps students gain entry to top universities worldwide, including significant African clientele. It competes with Study Abroad SA for high-achieving, fee-paying international students seeking UK, US, and Australian university placements.

Broad incumbents

• Kaplan International Pathways: Kaplan International operates pathway and direct admission programs that place international students into partner universities, primarily in the UK, USA, and Australia. It competes with Study Abroad SA on UK and Australian placements for self-funded international students from Africa.
• QS (Quacquarelli Symonds): QS is a global higher education analytics and student recruitment company, operating QS Study Abroad consulting services that match students to international universities. It is comparable to Study Abroad SA in the international university placement value chain, though at vastly greater scale and with a more data-driven offering.
• INTO University Partnerships: INTO is a global higher education partnership organization that runs pathway programs and recruits international students into partner universities, predominantly in the UK, US, and China. It is a comparable institutional partner/competitor in the same study abroad value chain Study Abroad SA operates in.
• IDP Education: IDP Education is a publicly listed global leader in international student placement with offices across Africa, including South Africa. It is comparable to Study Abroad SA as a multi-destination study abroad agent, though operating at much larger scale and with broader service offerings including IELTS testing.
• SI-UK: SI-UK is a large, established global education agent specializing in recruiting international students to UK universities, with a significant South African presence. It is directly comparable to Study Abroad SA as a UK-focused study abroad consultancy serving the same self-funded South African customer segment.

Others

• Studyportals: Studyportals is a global study choice platform that helps prospective students find and compare international degree programmes. It is comparable to Study Abroad SA as an enabling tool in the international student search and decision journey, particularly for self-funded African students researching overseas options.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/studyabroadza
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/study-abroad-south-africa

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Study Abroad SA