ChoosingHow much should you bid?
The number you write decides how many schools answer. Too low is not a bargain, it is silence.
3 min read
Your bid is what you can actually invest, not the lowest number you can imagine. Schools read it and decide whether they can work with it, so the number does more work than any other field in the form.
Start from what you can pay, not from what you wish
Add up what you have available for the whole experience and take off what will not go to the school: flights, insurance, visa, and your day-to-day spending there. What is left is what a school can compete for.
A number far below reality does not open doors
It closes them. A school that cannot come near your figure does not counter-offer, it declines, and you end up with fewer answers instead of cheaper ones. The competition only works when there is something to compete for.
Say what the number includes
Course only, or course plus accommodation? Two bids with the same figure mean completely different things, and a school that guesses wrong sends you an offer you cannot use.
If the number does not fit, change what you can
A shorter stay, a smaller city, fewer hours per week or a different month often move the total more than haggling does. Ask for the same experience in a cheaper shape rather than for the same shape at an impossible price.
Be open on destination
One bid can reach a city, a whole country or several countries. Every destination you add is more schools reading you, and more schools is what turns a bid into a choice.
Still choosing your school?
Tell us the course, the destination and the budget you are looking for. Accredited schools can send you offers to compare. You compare, and you choose.
