The WorldGrad, an initiative of LINC Education based in Singapore, is a leading provider of online education programs. With a focus on bespoke courses developed in collaboration with top international institutions, The WorldGrad offers students an opportunity to begin their global education journey with ease. Currently partnered with 10 esteemed institutions in Australia and the UK, The WorldGrad aims to help aspiring students save time and financial resources while preparing them for future success. In an interview with EduKida, Pranav Saxena, Co-founder, The WorldGrad, sheds light on the company’s funding, growth, and expansion plans

1. What made you start The Worldgrad? The journey behind it.
The WorldGrad was started in 2021 by LINC Education, with the primary goal of facilitating access to high-quality international education for students. We do so by creating new pathways that allow students to study at top 2% of the universities in the world. Today, we are partnered with more than 30 high quality institutions which offer over 350 study choices to students.

Our company is the pioneer in the market for hybrid models in overseas degrees. Students can choose to complete up to one year of their degree from the comfort of their home and then complete the remainder of their course on-campus at the university of their choice. We provide bespoke online education that offer students the flexibility to choose the duration, subjects, and timing of their studies with us. This approach creates personalized routes for students based on their readiness to transit overseas.

Our company boasts a team of highly experienced academic counsellors who initially aid students in selecting the best path for them. After enrollment, students can begin their international coursework, receiving tailored one-to-one academic support from our award-winning teaching team of overseas teachers and local facilitators. This approach not only helps our students bridge academic gaps, but it also helps them become accustomed to academic standards in other countries.

2. Tell us how The Worldgrad has increased its student enrollment during the pandemic months and years. What measures has the organization taken to achieve this growth?
The COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to the education sector globally, with universities and educational institutions facing massive disruptions. However, The WorldGrad has successfully increased its student enrollment during the pandemic period through several innovative measures.

Firstly, The WorldGrad quickly adapted to the changing circumstances because of the entire hybrid curriculum, enabling students to continue their studies remotely. This move allowed the organization to reach a broader student base, including those who could not attend classes in person due to health and safety concerns or travel restrictions. Additionally, The WorldGrad implemented several measures to provide students with a seamless and enriching learning experience. These measures include developing various bespoke learning programs that cater to students’ needs and providing tailored academic support from overseas teachers and local facilitators.

Furthermore, The WorldGrad also enhanced its digital infrastructure and technology capabilities to provide students with an interactive and engaging online learning environment. The organization invested in state-of-the-art technologies such as virtual classrooms, and online resources, to ensure that students have access to high-quality learning resources.

Another measure taken by The WorldGrad is the provision of personalized and responsive student support services. The organization has established a team of experienced academic counsellors who offer guidance and support to students throughout their academic journey.

Through these measures, The WorldGrad has successfully increased its student enrollment during the challenging times of pandemic, demonstrating its commitment to providing high-quality education to students worldwide.

3. How do Indian students view studying in countries like the UK, US, and Australia? What factors influence their decision to pursue education abroad?
Indian students often view studying in countries like the UK, US, and Australia as a means to acquire high-quality education and gain a competitive edge in their career paths. Many students aspire to study in these countries due to their reputation for offering world-class education, exposure to cutting-edge research and technology, and opportunities to network with experts and professionals from around the world.

Additionally, the availability of scholarships, financial aid, and part-time job opportunities can make studying abroad more affordable for Indian students who may otherwise struggle to finance their education. Studying abroad can also offer a unique opportunity to explore new cultures, make international connections, and build a global network.

4. Could you elaborate on The WorldGrad’s strategic partnerships and how they are enhancing the organization’s technology and services? How has the Gyandhan + benefited study-abroad students, and what are the features of the in-house tool for real-time data access?
In collaboration with overseas universities, The WorldGrad provides programs that enable students to complete a portion of their international degree from their home country and then continue the rest of the program abroad. These programs are offered with 30+ international partners and include various undergraduate and postgraduate courses in STEM and business disciplines. These academic partnerships are the backbone of our model.

The collaboration between The WorldGrad and GyanDhan has enabled the provision of appealing student loans with features such as a low-interest rate ranging from 3-5%, no collateral requirement, and a quick approval process that only takes 2 hours upon document completion. Disbursement is quick and easy, and it takes only 6 business hours after application.

The loans are granted for both Bachelor’s and Master’s programs and will be categorized according to different courses. The ‘All American PG’ program is one of the most popular categories, where students can complete their first semester of a US Master’s program with The WorldGrad and finish the rest of their degree in the US. Loans for this program are available to students at a 3% interest rate, resulting in EMIs of approximately INR30,000. The WorldGrad also offers similar one-term programs for Australia and the UK, with EMIs ranging from INR50-60K. Students can also obtain additional loans for the overseas component of their degree.
The in-house tool for real-time data access allows students to easily access and track their academic progress, ensuring that they stay on track towards completing their degree.

5. What are the international partners and STEM/business programs available for students to choose from at The WorldGrad? How does the organization ensure the quality of these programs?
The WorldGrad has 6 kinds of Programs – All American Undergraduate program, All American Graduate program, Global online Accelerator Program, UK Year1 Program, UniSmarter and UniSmarter PreMasters Program. With over 30+ Academic partners over 4 continents, WorldGrad is in a tie-up with renowned companies like McKendree University, University of Wollongong Australia, Tiffin University, University of Portsmouth etc, Mount Saint Mary’s University Los Angeles, New York Institute of Technology, Cleveland State University etc.

Our teaching model is distinctive, as it consists of two tiers. Each subject is overseen by an international educator or course coordinator, with assistance from a local educator or course facilitator. Along with the regular lecture hours, students have the opportunity to receive personalized guidance, feedback, and doubt resolution from our educators through 1-1 tutorship. This service is available 7 days a week and extends until late evening. Our validating partners maintain a strict oversight on quality through a stringent QA process which ultimately leads to a student getting a bonafide transcript for their first year studies with us.

6. How do students benefit from The WorldGrad’s fee subsidies, scholarships, and financial aid? Can you walk us through the admissions process and the organization’s success rate in placing students abroad?
As part of our academic partnership agreement with overseas universities, we set a clear tuition fee and scholarship / financial aid structure for students who progress overseas through us. Navigating to the right scholarships, their requirements etc. can be a daunting challenge for students which is simplified through these agreements. Many universities require special essays and SOPs to be considered for aid but if the student is going though our hybrid program, these can be waived off. Additionally, The WorldGrad also reserves scholarship supported seats in its hybrid programs for meritorious students.

We follow a unified admissions process for the in-country and overseas program where the student only needs to apply to us once to get offer letters for both legs of their program. A student would typically get an offer from The WorldGrad and the overseas university before they start the hybrid program giving them the assurance of a seat overseas upon completion. Needless to say, the student has to meet the admissions criteria set for each program and our partners. Our program completion rate is >90% and we enjoy a near 100% visa success rate for overseas studies.

7. How has The WorldGrad been funded, and what plans does the organization have for future growth and expansion?
The WorldGrad is funded by LINC Education (parent company of The WorldGrad) in 2021, the company has been recognized and awarded for its unique approach to personalizing online learning and improving retention and completion rates for its partner universities. The WorldGrad also raised funds from Online Education Services, Australia in 2022.

The WorldGrad has always focused on offering students seamless access to renowned universities across the globe. We are pleased to share that we have plans in place to influence the arena of education in 2023. By the end of this year, we will expand our partner base to 50 prestigious universities worldwide to provide the best academic courses to our students. We will scale up our study centers, 3 of which are already operating in the North, in order to provide a digital and social infrastructure to complement the online learning mode. We are also planning to grow our team, including branding, content developers, recruitment, instructors, and administration. It is noteworthy that our hybrid learning programs allow students to complete a part of their degree from home, which helps them save about 20% to 25% in overall expenses.