Here's how College Vidya is building the Amazon of online education

The rise of online education in India has been meteoric, with the market poised to reach $10.2 billion by 2025, according to the HolonIQ report. This surge is driven by the growing recognition of online degrees as flexible educational options that allow for professional skill-building alongside higher education.

As working professionals seek to upskill themselves, the overwhelming array of choices combined with limited time makes it challenging to select the right course and right education partner.

Enter College Vidya, the 'Amazon' of online education. With the ability to compare over 30 critical factors—including authentic reviews, fee structures, faculty, and placement partners—across 500+ accredited courses and 100+ online universities/edtech platforms, College Vidya offers transparency, extensive choice, and detailed insights, empowering users in their decision-making process.

From canopy boy to visionary founder

In 2019, Rohit Gupta founded College Vidya, driven by a vision to transform the landscape of online education. From his modest start as a canopy boy to receiving the top online education advisory platform from Outlook and leading a company with revenues exceeding Rs 30 crore, Gupta's journey is nothing short of inspirational.

During an interview when asked, "Where do you see yourself in the next five years?" Gupta was prompted to reflect on the broader issue of career guidance, realising that such pivotal conversations often occur too late in one’s educational journey. Recognising that over 80% of students in India struggle to choose the right career path—a challenge he himself had faced—he founded College Vidya. The platform aims to provide clarity and trust from the start, empowering students and working professionals to make informed decisions with facts at their fingertips and support from expert career counsellors.

Today, College Vidya not only reflects Gupta’s transformative vision but also combats misinformation and profiteering in the online education sector. With over 500 experienced counsellors, the platform assists in choosing the best online university for career aspirations, ensuring that educational decisions are both informed and impactful, recognising the lasting impact these choices have on one’s future.

How does this work?

The process starts when users visit the official website and engage with the "Suggest Me in 2 Mins" feature. This AI-powered tool personalises the search based on detailed inputs about the user’s educational and professional preferences, including course preference, budget, and time commitments.

From here, users can compare potential online universities using a detailed list that filters over 30 different parameters, including course fees, student reviews, and placement statistics. The platform’s blog offers deeper insights into courses and institutions, enhancing the decision-making process. Additionally, once enrolled, users receive admission assistance along with post-admission services such as dedicated mentorship throughout the degree completion, an active online community, and career support.

The platform caters specifically to a diverse range of demographics, from working professionals looking to upskill without pausing their careers to traditional students in undergraduate and postgraduate programs who benefit from the flexibility of online learning. It also supports those pursuing dual degrees—one of which is online—as well as non-traditional learners such as government job aspirants and individuals with physical disabilities, ensuring diverse educational needs are met.

For these users, College Vidya is not just a tool for finding the right academic programme but also a gateway to necessary resources and community support through the CV Community. This unique feature fosters networking, access to internships, job opportunities, and even industry webinars, effectively supporting users from admission to placement.

What sets it apart?

College Vidya stands out in the online education space with its exclusive focus on digital learning, distinguishing itself from other platforms that mix online and offline educational resources. True to its tagline ‘ChunoApnaSahi’ (choose what’s right for you), it features over 100 UGC-DEB, NAAC, AICTE and NIRF online universities and edtech platforms, allowing students to compare and select the best options for their needs meticulously.

The platform's academic counselling is unbiased and student-centric, supported by seasoned counsellors who leverage advanced technologies and AI-powered tools to personalise the user experience. These technologies ensure that each student receives recommendations tailored to their specific educational goals.

What makes College Vidya particularly unique is its commitment to providing all services free of charge. Users do not incur any fees for platform use or through it to universities. This enhances accessibility and underscores the platform's dedication to education over profit.

The path ahead

By 2030, it’s estimated that India’s higher education will emerge as the single largest provider of global talent with one in four graduates in the world being a product of the Indian higher education system. In tandem with this, Gupta articulates a strong vision for the future of education in India, emphasizing the transformative power of online learning. "We firmly believe that online education will overtake traditional modes as it integrates practical work experience with theoretical knowledge, which students can pursue over weekends or according to their convenience”, he says.

He adds that by 2025 they aim to empower 500,000 students, supporting them through pre-admission and post-admission stages with the CV Community and College Vidya LinkedIn page. The vision is to ensure every student from across the country has the tools they need to succeed in their educational and professional endeavours.