University Compare, the edtech start-up helping prospective students choose the right course at the right university, has launched a campaign on equity crowdfunding platform Seedrs.
Launched Monday 5th March, the campaign has already raised £180,000 and is well on its way to overfunding its goal of £250,000.
With University Compare students are able to compare over 38,000 courses from 425 institutions across the UK.
Students can compare a number of key metrics using the platform, from institute, course quality and student satisfaction to employment prospects and social life.
“Choosing a university and course is one of the toughest decisions young people will ever have to make,” said University Compare founder and CEO Owen O’Neill.
“It’s also a considerable investment into their future so being equipped with the right information from a trusted resource is vital.”
Funding from the Seedrs campaign will be directed towards the next stage of growth.
“We are always looking at ways to improve our services and are currently developing an app to help our community of students establish closer connections with universities,” said O’Neill.
“The app will allow students to seek out necessary support in real time when needed, throughout the year-long application process and beyond.”
Founded in 2012 when O’Neill was studying at Anglia Ruskin University, University Compare invites written reviews and insights from current and recently graduated students. All reviews are individually vetted for authenticity.
University Compare now has over 75,000 members. Each year it helps thousands of students to choose a course and university including almost 20,000 who used the service to apply for a place during clearing.
Despite UK tuition fees being among the highest in the world, demand for higher education remains high particularly among sixth formers.
The UK also continues to hold its appeal as one of the most attractive destinations in the world for international students. Last year saw around 650,000 applications for UK university places.