Edwise International vs IDP Education
An independent, side-by-side look at two of the education consultancies students most often weigh against each other — how they are funded, where they place students, and who each one really suits.
IDP is a listed global company that co-owns IELTS and places students across the major English-speaking countries. Edwise is one of India’s oldest consultancies — India-focused, but with a wide destination spread. For Indian students the choice is often local: Edwise’s decades of India experience versus IDP’s scale, transparency and IELTS integration. Both are free to students.
| Edwise International | IDP Education | |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Mumbai, India | Melbourne, Australia |
| Founded | 1991 | 1969 |
| Ownership | Privately held | Publicly listed (ASX: IEL); ~25% held by 38 Australian universities |
| Fee to students | Free counselling — paid by universities | Free to students — paid by universities |
| Destination focus | UK, USA, Canada, Australia, NZ, Ireland, Europe, UAE (16 countries) | Australia, Canada, UK, USA, New Zealand, Ireland |
| Best for | Indian students who want a long-established, India-focused agent with an unusually wide spread of destinations | Students comparing several English-speaking destinations who want a large, publicly listed, transparent agent |
Branch counts, ratings and review numbers are read live on each brand's hub page. Company-published figures are attributed as claims, not verified facts.
Edwise International
Edwise International is one of India’s longest-established overseas education consultancies, founded in Mumbai in 1991. It is India-focused, with the majority of its branches in Maharashtra and other Indian cities, and it places students across a wider spread of destinations than most — including continental Europe and the UAE, not just the big five English-speaking countries.
Edwise states its counselling service is free to students, funded by commission from the universities it represents. Ask which of the 950+ institutions it says it represents are relevant to your course, and whether any recommended university pays a higher commission than the alternatives.
- Operating since 1991 — one of the longest track records of any Indian study-abroad consultancy.
- The company states it represents 950+ universities across 16 countries, including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Ireland, France, Germany, UAE, Switzerland and Malaysia.
- Head office in Marine Lines, Mumbai, with branches across Mumbai and other Indian cities.
- Coverage is strongest for Indian students; less relevant if you are applying from elsewhere.
- Partner and university counts are the company’s own published figures.
IDP Education
IDP Education is one of the largest international student placement organisations in the world. It is a publicly listed Australian company (ASX: IEL), which makes it unusually transparent for this industry — its financials, student volumes and commission income are all in public filings. Around 25% of IDP is held directly by 38 Australian universities, following a 2021 restructure of the stake previously held through Education Australia.
IDP does not charge students a placement fee. It earns a commission from partner universities when a student enrolls. This is the standard model for large education agents, and it is worth understanding: the agent is paid by the institution, not by you. That does not make the advice bad, but it does mean an agent has more financial reason to recommend a partner university than a non-partner one. Ask which universities they represent and whether your shortlist is on it. IELTS test registration is charged separately and is not free.
- Co-owns the IELTS test with the British Council and Cambridge University Press & Assessment (roughly a third each), and operates IELTS test centres in many of its offices.
- Publicly listed, so its commission income and student placement volumes are disclosed in annual reports — rare in this sector.
- Placement focus is the major English-speaking destinations: Australia, Canada, the UK, the USA, New Zealand and Ireland.
- IDP both places students at universities and administers the IELTS test those students need. Some students find this convenient; it is worth knowing the same organisation sits on both sides.
- Service quality varies significantly between branches — this is a franchise-like network of offices, not a single team. Read reviews for the specific office you plan to visit, not the brand as a whole.