How to apply to top universities abroad without paying an agent

What an agent actually does

A placement agent shortlists universities, tells you the entry requirements and deadlines, reviews your essay, and walks you through the visa. None of that is secret. Every requirement, fee and deadline is published by the university and the government that issues your visa.

Many agents are also paid commission by the universities they recommend, so their shortlist is not always the one that is best for you. Some are honest and useful. The point is that you do not need one to apply.

How Draimo replaces the research

Tell Draimo which university you are aiming for, and questions about its fees, requirements, deadlines and funding are answered from that university's own official website, with the page linked so you can open it. It covers more than a hundred of the world's top universities, including MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, LSE, Edinburgh, KTH and the leading universities in Kenya.

On a monthly plan, Agent Mode goes further: it compares several universities at once, reads visa pages from the government that issues them, and turns the result into a checklist or a plan you can download. Draimo does not apply for you, and it never guarantees admission.

The plan, step by step

Start 12 to 18 months before you want to begin studying.

1. List five to eight universities across a range of difficulty. Ask Draimo to explain what each one expects from students with your qualifications.
2. For each, ask Draimo for the course's entry requirements, English test, fees and funding for international students.
3. Put every deadline in one place. UK and US deadlines fall between October and January for study starting the next autumn.
4. Book any tests early: an English test, and for some US universities the SAT or ACT.
5. Draft your essay or personal statement yourself, then ask Draimo for feedback on it.
6. Submit through the official system: UCAS, the Common App, or the university's own portal.
7. Once you hold an offer, ask Draimo what the student visa requires, then apply through the government's service.

Check any agent before you pay

In Kenya, student recruitment agencies must be licensed by the Commission for University Education (CUE). In January 2026 the CUE published a list of 20 agencies it said were recruiting students illegally. If an agent is not on the CUE's licensed list, do not pay them.

• No agent can guarantee admission or a visa. A guarantee is a warning sign.
• Pay tuition deposits only to the university, using bank details from its official pages. Draimo can find them for you.
• Never pay a person, or through a link an agent sent you.

What you actually pay for

Your real costs are application fees, English or entrance tests, the visa fee and proof of funds, paid to the university, the test provider or the government. Draimo plans start at KES 34.99 a day in Kenya, $2.99 a day in the US and 29 kr a day in Sweden. An agent can charge hundreds of times that.

Sources we checked

• CUE: licensed student recruitment agencies
• The Eastleigh Voice: CUE flags 20 recruitment agencies (January 2026)
• UCAS
• Common App

Checked 30 September 2026. Dates and amounts change every year. Draimo reads the current pages when you ask.