London, December, 2025: In a mission to make Global education accessible to every talented student, NovaGrad, an AI-enabled education access platform founded by Prodigy Finance, has announced a new partnership with three globally recognised universities: SKEMA Business School (France), EBS Universität (Germany), and the University of Aberdeen (United Kingdom).
As part of its commitment to expanding educational access across Africa, NovaGrad is collaborating with EduTimes Africa, one of the continent’s leading education-focused publications, in an editorial capacity to share information and updates with students across the region on scholarships, university partnerships, and study-abroad opportunities.
These collaborations mark an important step in NovaGrad’s mission to support students across LATAM and Africa. The partnerships will provide students with early guidance in several areas, including selecting the right universities, exploring scholarship opportunities, and receiving support with their applications, instead of leaving them to piece everything together on their own.
NovaGrad was launched earlier this year to address a growing problem: students around the world, especially in emerging regions, face rising tuition costs, changing visa policies, and an overwhelming amount of fragmented information. With thousands of students searching for scholarships, transparent admissions guidance, and financial clarity, NovaGrad brings these elements together through an accessible AI-driven planning platform.
Through the new partnerships, SKEMA Business School, EBS Universität, and the University of Aberdeen will work with NovaGrad to streamline early-stage decision-making for prospective students.
The platform will provide:
University-verified programme insights and requirements
Guidance on shortlisting courses and preparing strong applications
Clear visibility into admissions expectations, timelines, and documentation
More confidence for first-generation and underserved students entering global education systems
These partnerships are about making sure students can access the right information and make their own decisions, no matter where they come from.
Mariana Alcocer, Head of Acquisition Strategy at Prodigy Finance and Spokesperson for NovaGrad, added: “Growing up in Colombia, I recognized how difficult it can be to find trustworthy guidance. Many students from Africa and Latin America face similar challenges today, especially when reliable sources of assistance are scarce. NovaGrad provides a space where their questions can be answered, and their ambitions are taken seriously, thanks to support from trusted universities and experienced counselors. This allows students to navigate their study abroad journey with confidence and preparation. By partnering with globally respected universities, we ensure that the support students receive is accurate, practical, and geared toward real success.”
She further added that NovaGrad is designed to support students at every stage of their study-abroad journey, from discovering universities and preparing statements of purpose to financial planning and understanding visa requirements. By incorporating trusted partnerships with universities, the platform aims to reduce uncertainty for students while enhancing global diversity across campuses. With more institutions expected to join in 2026, NovaGrad is set to become one of the most inclusive, student-first planning tools available to international applicants. This is just the beginning of 2026, and more improvements are on the horizon.
______________
About NovaGrad
Built by Prodigy Finance, NovaGrad combines data, expertise in the field, and AI to make studying abroad simpler, smarter, and stress-free. With Prodigy Finance’s long experience supporting international students, we focus on providing clear information, realistic expectations, and step-by-step guidance for every international student.
NovaGrad is your starting point for the study abroad journey: a place to check where you qualify, explore universities and scholarships, and turn a big study-abroad dream into a practical plan you can actually follow. From your first search to your final shortlist, we’re designed for your next step.
Our Mission
To help students everywhere to make confident, well-informed academic decisions. We do this by making complex choices easier to understand, surfacing options that truly fit you, and explaining your next steps so you can move forward with confidence.
*Prodigy Finance Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom.
*Loan offers are subject to our eligibility, funding, and credit assessment criteria.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.