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Build a costed study-abroad case file for one real programme

The capstone project for Study Abroad from Nigeria — a free Civic & Life Skills course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.

Start the course free Download the project workbook

The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.

What you will submit

A written case file of roughly 1,000 to 1,800 words covering: the named programme, institution and intake with a defended reason for choosing it; a dated, itemised first-year cost in destination currency and naira at a stated rate, repeated at a rate twenty per cent worse; a funding plan separating confirmed from uncertain money with the naira gap and at least two named sources; the destination country's own requirements with an official source and read-date for each, and an honest note of anything you could not confirm; a backwards-dated document timeline naming every slow item and the two most likely to be late; and a closing risk section and adviser's note with refusal grounds, money at risk by stage, a costed plan B, one admitted weakness, and written terms of engagement that promise neither a visa nor an admission.

What to do, step by step

  1. Choose ONE real, named programme at ONE real, named institution — for yourself, or for one real person you are advising — and state the intake you are targeting with its actual month and year. Write down why this programme and not a cheaper or nearer alternative, in three or four sentences that would survive a sceptical uncle asking the same question. If the case file is about someone else, use first names or initials only and do not include their passport number, bank details or full address anywhere in your submission.
  2. Build the total landed cost for the first year, in both the destination currency and naira, at the exchange rate on the day you write it, and state that date. Itemise at least: tuition, the visa or immigration fee, the mandatory funds you must show, flights, rent for the first three months, and a start-up allowance for the things nobody counts — a winter coat, a phone line, a deposit. Then convert the total to naira, and run it a second time at a rate twenty per cent worse so the reader can see whether the plan survives it.
  3. Write the funding plan against that total: what exists today (savings, family contribution, property, an existing sponsor), what is uncertain (a scholarship you have not won, a sponsor who has not confirmed in writing), and the gap in naira between the two. Name at least two specific funding sources you have actually looked up — a named scholarship with its deadline, a named assistantship route, a named sponsor — and say what each one realistically pays and when.
  4. State the destination country's own requirements as they stand on the day you write, citing the official page for each and the date you read it: the funds figure and how long it must be held, the immigration document the university issues, the accepted English tests, and any country-specific step such as an academic evaluation, an attestation letter or an approved medical screening. Say plainly which of these you could not confirm from an official source.
  5. Build the document timeline backwards from the application deadline, as a dated list. Include every item that has to come from somewhere slow: transcript, WAEC or NECO verification, any credential evaluation, the international passport, the English or admission test with its booking and result dates, and each reference letter with the name of who is writing it. Mark the two items most likely to be late and say what you will do if they are.
  6. State the honest risks without softening them: the refusal grounds an officer could reasonably reach for in this specific case, what happens to the money at each stage if the answer is no, and a costed plan B. Include at least one thing about this application that is genuinely weak. Then close with the adviser's note — one short page written as though you were handing this file to the family paying for it, saying what you recommend, what you are not certain about, and the terms you would work under: what your service would include, what it would exclude, and what happens to fees if the visa is refused. Nothing in this note may promise a visa or an admission.

Files to work with

Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 7 KB

How it is graded

CriterionWeight
The target is real and specific: a named institution, a named programme and a stated intake month and year, with a defended reason for choosing it over a cheaper or nearer alternative rather than a ranking or a brand claim15%
The costing is complete and arithmetically sound: tuition, immigration fees, mandatory funds to be shown, flights, three months of rent and a start-up allowance, itemised in destination currency and converted to naira at a dated rate, then repeated at a rate twenty per cent worse20%
The funding plan separates confirmed money from uncertain money, states the naira gap explicitly, and names at least two specific funding sources with what each pays and when, rather than referring to scholarships in general terms20%
Country requirements are sourced rather than remembered: funds rule and holding period, the university's immigration document, accepted English tests and any country-specific step, each with an official page cited and the date it was read, plus an honest list of what could not be confirmed20%
The timeline, risks and adviser's note are honest and usable: a backwards-dated document timeline flagging the two likeliest delays, specific refusal grounds for this case, money at risk stage by stage, a costed plan B, one admitted weakness, and written terms of engagement that promise neither a visa nor an admission25%

You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.

Before you submit: make your link public

If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to finish Study Abroad from Nigeria before submitting the project?

Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Study Abroad from Nigeria is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.

How is the project graded?

An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.

Can I resubmit if I fail?

Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.

What do I actually submit?

A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters). You can mention a public link to supporting files in the write-up. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 6 steps.

Is the certificate real?

Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.

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