How We Match You to Programmes

1Our Data Sources

We cross-reference data from multiple authoritative sources to build a comprehensive picture of every programme in our database.

• Official university websites — programme details, tuition fees, admission requirements, deadlines
• Government education and immigration portals — student visa requirements, work rights, post-study options
• QS World University Rankings and Times Higher Education — institutional quality and reputation
• Scholarship databases — government scholarships, university grants, third-party funding
• Cost of living indices — Numbeo, national statistics offices, student experience surveys
• Language proficiency frameworks — IELTS, TOEFL, and country-specific language requirements

2Programme Eligibility Scoring

The first layer of our matching engine determines whether you meet the hard requirements for each programme. We check:

• Education level — does your current qualification meet the programme's entry requirements?
• Field of study — is the programme relevant to your academic background or target field?
• Budget — can you cover tuition fees and living costs with your stated budget?
• Language proficiency — do you meet the language requirements (IELTS, TOEFL, or local language)?
• Nationality — are there any nationality-specific restrictions or advantages (e.g. EU tuition rates)?

If you do not meet a hard eligibility requirement, the programme is marked as ineligible. No exceptions, no guessing.

3Country Fit Scoring

For programmes where you meet eligibility requirements, we score each destination country across multiple dimensions that affect your study-abroad experience:

• Cost of living — monthly expenses relative to your budget
• Safety — Global Peace Index, crime rates, political stability
• University ranking — institutional reputation and academic quality
• Scholarship availability — likelihood of funding based on your profile
• Work rights — can you work part-time during studies? Full-time during breaks?
• Weather and climate — based on your stated preferences
• Cultural fit — diversity indices, international student populations, expat communities
• English proficiency — if relevant, how widely is English spoken in the destination?
• Post-study options — post-study work visas, pathways to permanent residency
• Student life — student satisfaction scores, campus culture, city liveability

4Priority Weighting

During your assessment, you tell us what matters most to you. Your priorities directly influence how scores are weighted.

If you prioritise "affordable tuition," cost-related factors receive a higher weight. If you prioritise "post-study work rights," countries with strong post-study visa pathways are boosted. This ensures your top matches genuinely reflect what you care about — not a one-size-fits-all ranking.

5Review Cycle

All data is reviewed on a quarterly cycle. Critical changes are updated as soon as they are announced.

• Quarterly full review — every programme's tuition fees, eligibility criteria, deadlines, and scholarship terms are re-verified against official sources four times per year
• Critical updates within 2 weeks — when a university announces a programme change, tuition increase, new scholarship, or closure, we update our database within 14 days
• Continuous monitoring — we track official university announcements, government education policy changes, and scholarship portal updates across our top destination countries

6Limitations and Transparency

We are transparent about what our tool can and cannot do:

• We cannot guarantee admission — universities make their own decisions
• We cannot guarantee scholarship awards — funding bodies make their own decisions
• Programme data may be slightly outdated between review cycles
• Our scoring model is deterministic and rules-based, but no model captures every nuance of every programme

We are not an education agency. We do not submit applications, file visas, or receive commissions from universities. Our only revenue comes from report sales.

7Our Values

To report an error or request a correction: hello@wheretoemigrate.io