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Eighteen free tools for planning a move abroad — scholarships, visa refusals, proof of funds, budgets, timelines, interviews and permanent residence. Each one runs on a published source and shows you which one, with the date it was checked.
What these tools have in common
See how we verify every figure on this site for the full standard behind the claim below.
They all answer with a source. Every figure carries a link to the government page, statute or funder’s annual report it came from, and the date it was read. That sounds like a small thing until you go looking for a maintenance requirement and find four different numbers on the first page of results, none of them dated and none of them sourced.
They also share one rule that shaped every dataset behind them: where a government publishes no figure, these tools publish none. The United States has no national proof-of-funds amount — your number is the cost of attendance on your I-20. Australia keeps its living-cost figure in a legislative instrument rather than on the visa page. Germany’s Federal Foreign Office states plainly that the blocked-account amount varies by mission and sends you to your own embassy. In each case the tool says so and links you to the right place, instead of quietly filling the gap with a number that looks authoritative and is somebody’s guess.
The same applies to the things that cannot be scored at all. The country match quiz will not rank academic quality by subject, because no government publishes that. The odds estimator will not tell you your personal chance of winning a scholarship, because no dataset supports one. The cost of living comparator will not invent a “budget” or “comfortable” lifestyle tier, because no government publishes one. The PR pathway builder will not put a month count on the H-1B lottery, because a lottery is not a waiting time. Refusing to answer is sometimes the only honest answer, and it is always flagged rather than hidden.
Where to start
If you are still choosing a destination, begin with the country match quiz, then check what each government requires on proof of funds by country. If you have picked a country and an intake, the application timeline will tell you whether you are already behind. If you are funding-hunting, run the eligibility checker first and the odds estimator second, so you spend your months on awards you can realistically win, then use the essay checklist once you have a draft. If an interview is coming up, the interview question bank tells you honestly whether you even need to prepare for one. And if an offer has landed in your inbox unexpectedly, start with how to verify a scholarship is real before you reply to it.
Frequently asked questions
Are these tools free?
Yes, all of them, with no sign-up. They run entirely in your browser — the answers you enter into the refusal risk assessment, the budget template, the mock interview and the scholarship verifier are never sent anywhere.
How often are the figures updated?
Each tool shows the date its figures were checked, and every number links to the source so you can confirm it yourself. Some tools update themselves: the deadlines calendar rolls forward automatically so it never shows a month of dates that have passed. The visa-free checker runs on a dataset last compiled in January 2025 — still the most current open dataset available, but check the official visa policy for your destination before booking.
Can I rely on these for my actual application?
Use them to plan, then confirm on the official page before you act — every tool links straight to it. Maintenance amounts, visa fees and post-study work rules change without much warning, and no third-party tool, including this one, should be the last thing you check before you move money or file an application. None of this is legal advice.
Which tool should I use if I have been refused before?
The refusal risk self-assessment, which maps your application against the specific legal ground a decision-maker would refuse you under, and the refusal rates page for the published figures on your country and consulate. A previous refusal does not automatically bar a new application — the Schengen Visa Code says so expressly — but failing to disclose one does real damage.