Seven checks that separate genuine guidance from a sales pitch — and AEC's own answer to each, so you can hold us to the same standard.
The short answer: no consultancy is best for everyone. Choose on four things you can verify before paying anything — whether they earn commission from the universities they recommend, how many genuine reviews they have, whether the fee is in writing, and how long they have operated from the same address. Everything below expands on that.
We wrote this page and we are a consultancy, so read it with that in mind. We have given our own answer to each check rather than leaving them abstract — if an answer does not satisfy you, that is a useful result too.
Many consultancies earn commission from a fixed set of partner universities. That is not automatically wrong, but it means the shortlist you receive may be drawn from that set rather than from every university that fits you. Ask directly: which universities do you have commercial arrangements with, and does my shortlist come only from those?
AEC: AEC works across 15 countries and is not restricted to a partner list. Where a commercial relationship exists, you are told.
A 5.0 rating from 9 reviews tells you very little. A 4.8 from 200+ tells you a lot, because sustained volume is hard to fake and Google filters obvious manipulation. Read the three-star reviews specifically — they are usually the honest ones.
AEC: 227 Google reviews at 4.8, accumulated since 2008.
A consultant who says yes to every country, every course and every budget is selling, not advising. Genuine guidance includes telling you a target is unrealistic, or that your money is better spent elsewhere.
AEC: We turn away applications we do not believe will succeed, and say so at the evaluation stage rather than after payment.
Ask what is included, what is charged separately, and what happens if your visa is refused. Vagueness at this stage reliably predicts disputes later.
AEC: Counselling, profile evaluation and shortlisting are free. Service fees are set out in writing before anything is signed, and the refund policy is published on this site.
“99% visa success” is meaningless without knowing the denominator. A consultancy that only files applications certain to succeed can report a near-perfect rate while helping far fewer students.
AEC: Around 70% of our students receive a scholarship, and we have secured 17,000+ offers for 8,000+ students. We do not publish a visa success percentage, because the honest version of that number needs context no headline figure carries.
At larger agencies the person who counsels you is often not the person who writes your SOP or files your visa. Ask who your counsellor will be, and whether you can reach them directly.
AEC: You are assigned a senior counsellor and keep them throughout. The directors are reachable — that is the practical advantage of a single-office consultancy.
Applications span 12 to 18 months. A consultancy that opened last year may not be around when your visa interview arrives. Check how long they have operated from the same address.
AEC: AEC has operated from the same Jayanagar office since 2008 — 18 years.
There is no single best consultant, because the right choice depends on your destination, budget and how much support you need. Large national agencies such as IDP and Yocket offer scale and technology; regional consultancies typically offer more direct access to senior counsellors. Judge any of them on commission structure, verified review volume, written fee terms and how long they have operated — the seven checks on this page.
Fees range widely, from nothing (where the consultancy is paid entirely by universities) to ₹50,000 or more for end-to-end support including SOP writing and visa filing. Free is not automatically better: it usually means a commission-funded model, which narrows the universities you will be shown. What matters is that the model is disclosed.
You can absolutely apply yourself, and many students do. A consultant earns their fee when the process is complex — Germany's APS and dMAT requirements, scholarship strategy across multiple countries, or a profile with gaps that needs positioning. For a single application to one straightforward English-taught course, self-applying is entirely reasonable.
They are worth it if they save you from an expensive mistake — applying to the wrong universities, missing a scholarship deadline, or a visa refusal that costs you an intake. They are not worth it if they simply forward your documents. Ask what they will do that you could not do yourself, and judge the answer.
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