Youni has awarded USD 45 million in scholarships to young people who applied to colleges in the United States and Europe, including Cambridge and Oxford, over the last two academic years, according to the company.
Approximately 30% of the total has been full scholarships, which means that parents are not required to pay tuition fees and, in the case of US universities, housing and meal costs are also paid. The remaining 70% were partial scholarships that helped cover tuition costs. These scholarships are provided for the entire period of study.
The firm mentioned that this year, more than 500 Romanian students were accepted into some of the world’s most prestigious universities, including Cornell University, Cambridge, Oxford, New York University, The University of Chicago, Brown University, Sorbonne, École Polytechnique, and ETH Zurich. In 2022, 63 students were accepted to international universities, marking an eightfold increase in just two years. Romanian students pursuing international education choose fields like computer science, business administration, architecture, psychology, hospitality, and medicine.
Andrei Nicolae, founder and CEO of Youni, commented on the development:
Our students are drawn to international universities for various reasons, such as the practical nature of courses, high employment rates in well-paying jobs after graduation, and extensive career and networking opportunities.
To prepare students at an advanced level, Youni has launched Youni Center, an online training hub focused on math and English. Romania’s only online SAT testing centre will soon join Youni Center.
Youni was founded in 2020 by Romanian entrepreneurs Andrei Nicolae, Ștefan Țăpescu, and Daniel Posdărăscu. Supporting students in reaching top universities in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia, the company has secured over EUR 2 million in funding from Early Game Ventures, Soulmates Ventures, Simple Capital, and various angel investors. The platform develops a comprehensive ecosystem for the success of students seeking to study abroad. It believes that there is a university that is right for each student. With a suitable adviser, every student will be guided and prepared to discover the fields and faculties that are most appropriate for them.
Over the following five years, Youni hopes to assist one million students in identifying the best university for their future studies.
