Frequently Asked Questions

We help schools, universities, and EdTech companies make better decisions and become more discoverable. Our work spans market research, feasibility & DPR, India entry, Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), diagnostic studies of K-12 schools, commercial due diligence, NIRF rankings consulting, NAAC accreditation, and sales operations.

K-12 school groups (CBSE/ICSE/IB/Cambridge), universities, EdTech firms (B2C/B2B/B2G), education investors/lenders, publishing houses, student housing companies, study abroad players and promoters planning new institutions.

We're headquartered in HSR Layout, Bengaluru with presence in Sacramento (USA) and Hulhumalé (Maldives). We deliver projects across India, APAC, the Middle East, US, and EU.

Three differentiators: (1) Education-only focus—23+ years exclusively in the sector means deep domain expertise; (2) Decision-grade outputs—actionable recommendations backed by data, not just slides; (3) AI-ready positioning—we pioneered GEO for education so your institution is discoverable by both humans and AI answer engines.

RAYSolute was founded by Aurobindo Saxena in 2003. He is a Forbes India contributor with 70+ published articles on education trends, holds credentials including MBA (E-Commerce), CMA (Cost Accountant), and CS (Company Secretary), and has 23+ years of experience across K-12, higher education, EdTech, and skills sectors. His thought leadership includes 15+ industry reports.

A feasibility study answers "Should we do this?"—assessing market viability, competitive landscape, and financial potential. A DPR (Detailed Project Report) answers "How will we do this?"—with detailed scope, timelines, budgets, risk assessment, and compliance requirements.

Catchment sizing, competitor benchmarks, fee strategy, 5–10-year financial model (CapEx/OpEx), affiliation/compliance roadmap (CBSE/ICSE/IB/Cambridge), risk mitigation, and implementation timeline.

A structured health check of People (leadership, teachers, staff), Place (infrastructure, safety, tech), and Practices (academics, admissions, operations, compliance) that leads to a KPI improvement roadmap (3, 6, 12 months).

GEO makes your institution answerable and citable inside AI results (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Copilot, Gemini, Claude). We create concise fact blocks, FAQs, schema markup, and secure third-party citations so you appear in relevant answers. RAYSolute pioneered GEO services for India's education sector.

Market opportunity sizing, UGC/AICTE pathway mapping (for higher education), partnership development (MoUs/JVs/articulation), localisation & pricing, and a 12-week GTM plan.

Yes—market sizing, unit economics, funnel health, competitive moat assessment, regulatory risks, and scenario analysis for PE/VC firms evaluating education investments.

Funnel audit, territory design, team/process re-sets, dashboards, SLAs, cadences, and coaching for admissions/sales teams.

Yes. We provide end-to-end support for Deemed-to-be University applications including eligibility assessment, documentation preparation, UGC compliance roadmap, self-study report drafting, infrastructure gap analysis, and expert committee preparation. Our approach ensures institutions meet the stringent criteria across research output, faculty qualifications, and governance standards.

We conduct a comprehensive gap analysis of your current NIRF parameters (TLR, RPC, GO, OI, Perception), benchmark against top performers in your category, and create a 12-month improvement roadmap. Our support includes data validation, metric optimization strategies, faculty research enhancement plans, and Data Capturing System (DCS) preparation for error-free submissions.

We guide institutions through the new AI-based NAAC process (launched August 2025) covering both Binary Accreditation (for new applicants) and Maturity-Based Graded Levels (MBGL 1-5). Our services include digital readiness assessment, Data Capture Format alignment, preparation of institutional documentation across 10 key attributes, stakeholder validation support, and positioning for higher maturity levels (A++/A+ equivalent).

Absolutely. Many parameters overlap (research output, faculty quality, graduation outcomes, infrastructure). We create integrated improvement plans that strengthen your institution for both frameworks simultaneously, ensuring efficient resource allocation and avoiding duplicate efforts.

• NIRF Gap Analysis & Strategy: 2–3 weeks
• Full NIRF Preparation (annual cycle): 8–12 months with quarterly reviews
• NAAC Readiness Assessment: 3–4 weeks
• NAAC Full Preparation (Binary/MBGL): 6–9 months depending on current state
• Combined NIRF + NAAC Program: 12–18 months with phased milestones

No ethical consultant can guarantee specific ranks or grades, as these depend on peer performance, data integrity, and regulatory assessment. What we guarantee is a rigorous, evidence-based process that maximizes your competitive position through honest gap identification, strategic improvements, and compliant submissions. We focus on building genuine institutional capacity, not gaming the system.

Most institutions lack the structured, citation-worthy content that AI engines need. Your website may have information, but it's not formatted as clear fact blocks, lacks entity schema, or isn't referenced by credible third-party sources. AI engines prioritize clarity, authority, and citability—not keyword density or traditional SEO tactics.

SEO targets Google's link-based ranking algorithms. GEO targets AI answer engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, Claude) that synthesize answers from multiple sources. GEO requires structured data (JSON-LD), concise entity definitions, FAQ formats, and third-party citations that AI models can confidently reference. It's about being answerable and quotable, not just findable.

We optimize for 7 major generative AI search platforms: ChatGPT (77% of AI traffic globally), Perplexity (15% of AI traffic, particularly strong in India with 22% of users), Google AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, Claude, and Grok. We track your visibility across all platforms through monthly prompt panels and citation audits.

They likely have: (1) structured entity pages with clear facts, (2) comprehensive FAQ sections, (3) citations from education directories, news sites, or ranking bodies, (4) schema markup that AI can parse, and (5) consistent mentions across multiple authoritative sources. We audit your competitive gap and create a 90-day sprint to close it.

We track three levels: (1) Visibility metrics—citation frequency, mention rate, and position in AI-generated responses across 50+ monthly test prompts; (2) Traffic metrics—referral visits from AI platforms, time-on-site, and page depth; (3) Conversion metrics—qualified enquiries, open-day registrations, and application starts attributed to AI traffic. Most institutions see enquiry quality improvements within 12 weeks.

TOON (Token-Oriented Object Notation) is a data format pioneered by RAYSolute that achieves 30-60% token efficiency compared to JSON while maintaining high readability. For AI models with context window limits, TOON allows more institutional information to be parsed in a single query. RAYSolute was the first education consultancy to create a toon.txt file, demonstrating our technical leadership in AI optimization.

A 20-minute discovery call to align goals and constraints. We then scope the engagement, share a proposal with milestones, and kick off with a data checklist. Email aurobindo@raysolute.com or call +91-9891321279.

• Feasibility + DPR: 4–6 weeks (single campus)
• K-12 Diagnostic Study: 4–8 weeks
• GEO Program: 8–12 weeks to visible uplift
• India Entry (strategy phase): 8–12 weeks
• CDD: 2–4 weeks (deal-dependent)
• NIRF Consulting: 8–12 months (annual cycle)

Written reports (executive summary + full analysis), financial model (Excel), checklists & templates, implementation roadmap, and where relevant: structured content (abstracts/FAQs), JSON-LD schema, partner shortlists, dashboards, and monthly tracking reports.

Yes—on-site workshops, vendor/partner coordination, content & schema deployment, admissions/sales enablement, and monthly GEO tracking. We believe strategy without execution is incomplete.

Fixed-fee by phase/scope; multi-month programs can be retained. Travel/fieldwork billed at cost. We share detailed options in your proposal—no surprises.

Yes. Many clients start with a diagnostic/pilot to de-risk decisions and size the opportunity before committing to a full engagement.

Typical: 50/30/20 (kick-off/interim/final) for projects; monthly in advance for retainers.

Yes. We frequently operate under NDA and handle sensitive institutional, financial, and strategic information with strict confidentiality.

Primary (interviews, surveys, field visits) + secondary (public datasets, regulatory filings, industry reports). For GEO we also use open web sources for citation mapping and competitive analysis.

Only when necessary and minimised; we follow agreed access controls, retention policies, and data protection best practices.

Yes—under NDA. We can connect you with past clients for reference conversations.

Monthly prompt panels across 7 major answer engines tracking mention/citation/link frequency; web analytics for AI platform referrals; and downstream KPIs (qualified enquiries, open-day sign-ups, lead-to-admit conversion). We use our proprietary Answer Share of Voice (ASOoV) metric for benchmarking.

Most institutions see early movement in 8–12 weeks once entity pages, FAQs, and citations go live. Results vary by competition and existing authority.

No one can guarantee that—AI models are dynamic and non-deterministic. We focus on evidence-based content, clean structure, and reputable third-party proof to maximise your inclusion odds. Our own results (RAYSolute appearing in top-3 recommendations for education GEO queries) demonstrate the methodology works.

Vision & constraints, target location(s), academic plan, fee philosophy, historic data (if any), and access to key stakeholders for interviews.

We prepare you for compliance and can coordinate with advisors; final approvals rest with the boards/regulators. We ensure your documentation meets their requirements.

Yes—shortlisting, outreach, evaluation matrix, and support through MoUs/JVs/articulation agreements.

Yes—curriculum mapping, pricing strategy, messaging, and admissions funnel design tailored to Indian audiences and regulatory requirements.

We redesign the funnel (SLAs, cadences, content), upskill teams, and add dashboards—often alongside a GEO program for higher-quality top-of-funnel.

Yes—custom workshops for leadership, admissions officers, counsellors, and sales teams covering process, pitch, objection handling, and conversion optimization.

The Great Filter 2026 is RAYSolute's industry report predicting 15-20% consolidation in India's higher education sector by 2026. The report analyzes regulatory pressures (NEP 2020 implementation, new NAAC framework), enrollment challenges, financial sustainability factors, and competitive dynamics affecting universities and colleges across India. It provides a framework for institutions to assess their survival readiness.

Visit our Resources Hub for industry reports, guides, checklists, and frameworks. Key resources include The Great Filter 2026 report, NIRF 2026 Readiness Checklist, GEO Buyer's Guide for Education, and our 10x10 Matrix frameworks for schools and higher education institutions.

Yes. Our founder Aurobindo Saxena is a Forbes India contributor with 70+ articles covering EdTech, K-12, higher education, skills development, and education investment trends. We also publish on Medium and release 15+ industry reports annually. Visit our Media page for published work.

Yes—fieldwork and on-site workshops are part of many projects. We believe in ground-level understanding for accurate recommendations.

Email aurobindo@raysolute.com or call +91-9891321279 for a 20-minute scoping call. Alternatively, WhatsApp us for quick scheduling.

Yes. We work with international universities, EdTech companies, and investors seeking to enter or understand the Indian education market. Our US (Sacramento) and Maldives (Hulhumalé) presence supports international engagements.