Sara Karimi

Sara held an economics degree and wanted to move into analytics. Four European countries were under consideration, and from the outside they appeared broadly equivalent.

The countries were not equivalent at all — they differed in tuition, in required proof-of-funds levels, in whether a blocked account was needed, and in consulate appointment waiting times. None of that was visible from university websites.

Sara also lacked a programming background, which several analytics programmes required.

We built a single comparison covering all four countries: tuition, living costs, the funds level each immigration route required, application deadlines and realistic appointment lead times. Seen together, two of the four dropped out immediately on the funds requirement alone.

On the programming gap, we identified which programmes ran a bridging module for students from a quantitative but non-programming background, and made that a filter rather than a hope.

We then supported three applications and reviewed the motivation letter for each separately, since a generic letter reads as one.

Three applications went out in February. Two offers arrived in March, including one with a 30% merit scholarship, and Sara accepted the Vienna offer in early April after comparing net cost.

The residence permit application was lodged in May with the funds evidence already in place, and approval came through in July — comfortably ahead of the September start.

Sara began the MSc Business Analytics programme in Vienna in September 2024 with a 30% scholarship, and completed the bridging module in the first semester.