Project North Star helps families turn their child's university ambition into a roadmap of micro-decisions

Many families begin planning for college in the final year of school, when many of the decisions that shape an admission have already been made. A college roadmap sets out those decisions early, in the order a family needs to make them.

CHENNAI, October 27, 2026 - Project North Star, a new venture that helps families plan their child's university admissions, today opened its services to families in India and overseas, after a pilot with a small group of families. It works with students in Grades 9 to 12 and their families, who can begin with a free Direction Report.

An admission is shaped across the high school years by many micro-decisions, including subject selection, the field of study, the choice of country, and the projects that build a student's profile. Universities publish much of what a family needs, but each in a different form, and assembling it takes time that many parents do not have.

Project North Star does not begin where college counselling usually begins. Counselling often starts with the application: a list of colleges and the work of meeting each one's requirements. Activities can then be chosen to fit the list rather than the child, who has little time to explore what they want.

Project North Star reverses that order. Instead of asking how a student can fit into a college, it asks which colleges fit the student's interests and the way they learn. The roadmap comes first: it maps the pathways towards the child's aspirations, compares institutions on the evidence they publish, and turns the gaps in the profile into micro-decisions the family can make in good time. Support with applications follows from the roadmap. As a choice architect, Project North Star sets out the options and the reasoning behind each, and the family makes every decision.

The venture grew out of its founder's experience as a parent. Vimal Abraham spent two years researching admissions for his daughter, who received an offer for the Sciences Po-Columbia University Dual BA and chose to study at Sciences Po on a full-tuition scholarship. Both were her own achievements. His research gave the family clarity on each decision along the way, and the method behind it now forms the basis of Project North Star.

"I have studied and lived in Chennai all my life, so when my daughter said she wanted to study outside India, I had no idea where to begin," said Vimal Abraham, Founder of Project North Star. "The consultants we spoke to quoted anything from Rs 2.5 lakh for guidance on five colleges to Rs 25 lakh for a package with no limits. That was far more than I had imagined. I was willing to pay for something reasonable, but there was no way to try one or two parts first. You had to take it on trust, and every pitch came with glowing testimonials. But an admission belongs to the child who earned it. My daughter did not get in because of me. She got in because of her own work."

Project North Star is paid only by the families it works with. It takes no commission from any university, makes no promise of admission, and publishes its fees on its website. The student writes every essay, and the family stays involved at each stage.

The free Direction Report is an initial view, built from what the family shares, of where the child stands and the micro-decisions ahead. Families may use it on its own; the paid offerings are optional:

- Launchpad Session, a session with the student and then with the parents, which produces a written pathway document for the child.
- Personal Statement Canvas, a framework that helps the student shape an application essay in their own words.
- The Nudge Programme, in which a dedicated mentor guides the family through the application year.
- Peer Advice, which connects families with current undergraduates at universities in India and abroad, engaged by Project North Star, who answer a family's specific questions and review essays.

The Launchpad Session costs Rs 25,000 plus GST. Families may request a free Direction Report at https://projectnorthstar.in.

"I never had a way to try before I paid, so the Direction Report is free," said Abraham. "A family can see how we think before they spend anything. If they can take it and manage the rest themselves, I would be glad of it. If they do not have the time, that is where we come in."

Project North Star
A venture of Méraki People Private Limited
Gateway House, House of Hiranandani
Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), Egattur
Chennai 600130, Tamil Nadu, India

Press contact: Vimal Abraham, Founder
Email: vimal@projectnorthstar.in
Phone: +91 98407 02672
Website: https://projectnorthstar.in

Project North Star helps the families of high school students turn their child's university ambition into a roadmap of micro-decisions, grounded in what universities publish. It is not paid by any university, and its fees are published. A venture of Méraki People, it is based in Chennai. Learn more at https://projectnorthstar.in.

Méraki People is a boutique executive search and leadership advisory firm in Chennai, led by its Managing Partners, Vimal Abraham and Priyadarshini Abraham. Learn more at https://merakipeople.in.

This release was published on openPR.