Most Italy study abroad consultancies in India earn money in two ways: a fee from the student, and a commission from the universities they recommend. The commission is the part they do not advertise. It is also the part that shapes which universities they recommend to you.

This is not a fringe practice. University commission arrangements are standard in the international student recruitment industry. Universities pay recruitment agents a percentage of the first year's tuition — typically 10 to 20 percent — for every enrolled student the agent delivers. In Italy, where tuition at public universities is low, commissions are smaller than in the UK or Australia. But they exist, and they create an incentive that is not aligned with your interest.

The question is not whether commissions exist. The question is how to identify whether the advice you are receiving is shaped by them.

Five questions to ask your consultancy

QUESTION 1
Do you earn commission from any of the universities you are recommending to me?
Honest answer sounds like:
"Yes, we have partnership agreements with some universities. Here are the ones we have agreements with, and here are the ones we don't. We recommend universities based on your profile, but you should know which ones we have financial relationships with."
Red flag answer sounds like:
"We only recommend universities that are the best fit for you" without directly answering the commission question. Or: "We are a registered agent, but we always put students first."
QUESTION 2
Why are these specific universities on my shortlist — and not those ones?
Honest answer sounds like:
A specific explanation per university: your marks conversion to the Italian scale, the program prerequisites, the CFA timeline, the scholarship strength of that region, and your chances based on last year's admitted student profiles.
Red flag answer sounds like:
"These are our partner universities" or "these universities are very good for Indian students" without profile-specific reasoning. Vague enthusiasm is not analysis.
QUESTION 3
What is the DSU scholarship probability for my profile, and which universities on my shortlist are in scholarship-strong regions?
Honest answer sounds like:
A specific analysis of your family income against the ISEE threshold, the regional DSU authority for each shortlisted university, and an honest assessment of scholarship probability per university — including any complications from your degree duration.
Red flag answer sounds like:
"Italy gives free education to all students" or "scholarship is available for everyone" without income-specific analysis. The DSU is income-based — any advisor who doesn't ask about your family income before discussing scholarships is not being thorough.
QUESTION 4
Can you show me the official university program page and the official DSU bando from last year?
Honest answer sounds like:
Immediate access to official URLs. A consultancy that knows Italian universities well can navigate to the university's official English-language admissions page and the regional DSU website within minutes.
Red flag answer sounds like:
Reluctance to share official sources, reliance on their own printed materials, or providing only their own website as the reference. Official information belongs on official university and DSU authority websites — not on a consultancy's brochure.
QUESTION 5
What happens to my fee if I do not get admitted anywhere?
Honest answer sounds like:
A clear, written refund or service continuation policy. A consultancy confident in their shortlisting stands behind it.
Red flag answer sounds like:
"We guarantee admission" — no one can guarantee admission to an Italian university. Or: a no-refund policy with no service guarantees. Pay attention to what is in writing versus what is said verbally.

The admission guarantee claim

Some consultancies offer "guaranteed admission" to Italian universities as part of their pitch. This claim deserves scrutiny.

Italian public universities make independent admission decisions. No consultancy has the authority to guarantee a place at a public institution. What "guaranteed admission" typically means in practice is one of three things: the consultancy has a relationship with lower-competition programs where almost anyone who applies gets in, the guarantee applies only if you meet their minimum eligibility criteria (making it nearly circular), or it is a marketing claim that has no contractual backing.

Ask to see the guarantee in writing. Ask which specific universities the guarantee applies to. Ask what happens if the guaranteed university is not on your preference list.

What a commission-free approach looks like

A commission-free advisor recommends universities based only on your profile fit. They tell you which universities to skip because your profile is too weak for them — even if they could make money from an application fee. They tell you about scholarship-strong regions even when those universities are smaller or less famous. They tell you when your IELTS score is a risk, not a formality.

The difference shows up in the details. A commission-free advisor explains why University A is on your list and University B is not. A commission-earning advisor is more likely to have a standard shortlist that looks similar for different students.

Admify's position: Admify earns zero commission from any Italian university or institution. Our Consultancy Audit product exists specifically to give families who have already received a consultancy shortlist an independent, honest second opinion — checking for commission bias, fit accuracy, and factual claims. If your consultancy is genuinely good, our audit will confirm it. If it is not, you will know before you act on it.

One more thing

This article is not an argument that all consultancies are dishonest. Many provide genuine value and operate with integrity. The commission structure does not automatically produce bad advice — it creates an incentive that a good advisor manages consciously and transparently.

The point is simpler: you should know. Before you pay for advice, you should understand how your advisor makes money. That knowledge lets you weigh their recommendations appropriately — and ask better questions.