The links worth bookmarking.

Critical links — start here

The seven pages that do 90% of the work on this site.

Test prep — official sources only

Register and prepare on the test-maker's own site. Anyone selling you "guaranteed scores" is selling something else.

• ETS — GRE — registration, official prep, score reporting. The only place a GRE score comes from.
• ETS — TOEFL — same maker, same rule: official site or nothing.
• IELTS — co-owned by British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Book through the official site; "IDP vs British Council" makes no difference to your score.
• Duolingo English Test — cheaper, at-home, accepted by a growing list of universities — but check YOUR program's page first; acceptance varies.

Credential evaluation

US universities need your Indian marks converted to a US GPA. Your university decides which evaluator it accepts — check the admissions page before paying.

• WES (World Education Services) — the most widely accepted evaluator. Start early; document verification from Indian universities is the slow part.
• ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators) — the other major evaluator, accepted by many programs. Compare which one your shortlist wants.

Official immigration & education sources

Policy changes break plans. These are the primary sources — check them before you believe any Instagram post (including ours).

• EducationUSA — the US government's official advising network, with centres in India. Free, and they don't sell anything.
• USCIS — F-1, OPT, and H-1B rules from the agency that enforces them.
• IRCC (Canada) — study permits, PGWP, and Express Entry — straight from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
• DAAD India — the German Academic Exchange Service's India office: scholarships, blocked-account guidance, university database.
• UK Home Office — visas & immigration — the Graduate route rules live here, not on consultancy blogs.

Money: forex & remittance

Moving lakhs across borders has rules and costs. Know both before you transfer a rupee.

• RBI — Liberalised Remittance Scheme (FAQ) — the official rules: how much you can send abroad per year, and the TCS (tax collected at source) that applies. Read this before any transfer.
• Wise — a remittance service many students use for transfers. Compare its total cost (fee + exchange margin) against your own bank's forex rate — the cheapest option varies by amount and timing. We earn nothing if you use it.
• Loan Reality (this site) — the loan half of the money story: banks vs NBFCs, collateral, and what "sanctioned" really means.

Student insurance

• ISO Student Health Insurance — a widely used international-student insurer. Before buying anything: check your university's waiver requirements — most schools mandate specific coverage minimums, and the university plan is sometimes the simpler option.

Rule of thumb: never fly without coverage that meets your university's minimums. One ER visit in the US without insurance can cost more than a semester of tuition.

Housing — and the scams

No single link solves housing; the honest value here is what to avoid.

• Start with your university's housing office and admitted-student groups — sublets from graduating seniors are the safest first landing.
• Never wire money for a place you haven't seen — video-call the landlord, reverse-image-search the photos, and never pay a "refundable deposit" before a lease.
• "Too good to be true" rent near campus is exactly that. Cross-check any listing's price against 3–4 similar ones before engaging.

Flights & student travel

• Google Flights — the honest baseline: track prices for your route for 2–3 weeks before booking. Book on the airline's own site once you've found the fare.
• Airline student fares — Emirates, Lufthansa, and Qatar Airways have historically offered student discounts and extra baggage. Verify on the airline's own site at booking time; the offers change yearly.
• Never pay a "travel agent" for a student discount you can claim directly from the airline. The discount is yours by status, not by agent.

SOP editing — editing yes, ghostwriting no

There is a bright line: editing makes YOUR words better. Ghostwriting puts someone else's words in your mouth — that's fraud, it's visa-risky if discovered, and it's against everything this site stands for.

• Scribbr — academic proofreading and editing: they fix your draft's language and structure. They don't write it for you — that's the point.
• Free first — your Pay It Forward mentor (see mentors) will give SOP feedback for nothing. Use that before paying anyone.

Free learning

Skills before spending: Learn Free — verified free and low-cost skill resources for Indian grads, with honest employer-signal ratings.

If you use a consultancy anyway — 5 vetting questions

We think most students don't need one. But if you hire one, make them answer these — in writing — before you pay a rupee:

1. Do you take commissions from any university? If yes — or if they dodge the question — walk away. A commissioned counsellor is a salesperson.
2. Will you put every promise in writing — admits, scholarships, visa support? Verbal promises are worth nothing. Get it on letterhead.
3. Who writes my SOP? The only acceptable answer: you do, with feedback. If they write it, that's ghostwriting — see above.
4. What are your total fees, itemized, with refund terms in writing? "Package" pricing with no breakup and no refund policy is a red flag.
5. Can I speak to three past students of MY choosing? Not their handpicked success stories — yours, picked from their client list at random.

Read the full breakdown: Consultancy Traps & Fraud Red Flags (free guide).