LONDON, April 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Luminary Education, a London-based educational consultancy with representatives in Almaty and Limassol, is working to bring Kazakhstan’s brightest students to some of the most prestigious American and British universities.
Launched in 2018 by British educators Max Doyle and Charlie Perrott, Luminary Education has quickly positioned itself as a trusted partner for aspiring Central Asian students to tackle the entangled admissions requirements of top universities in the U.S. and UK.
Recent projects in the country have yielded consistent results, with Luminary’s students achieving a 91% acceptance rate to their first-choice UK schools between 2020 and 2022.
And, during its first year of operation, Almaty’s Shoqan School Mentorship Programme, sponsored by philanthropists Kenges Rakishev and Aselle Tasmagambetova, and crafted by Luminary, successfully secured four acceptances of Kazakh students into Ivy League and adjacent institutions.
“The U.S. application process can be intimidating, particularly for international families,” said Max Doyle, Founder and Director of Luminary. “Our model demystifies the process, giving students the structure, information, and one-on-one support they need to compete successfully on a global scale.”
Perrott, co-founder of Luminary, emphasised the importance of providing all-encompassing support to students at an important stage in their lives. “We’re not just providing paperwork or tests,” he said. “Our job is to help students with self-reflection, storytelling, stress management. It’s about working to help them balance academic rigour with ambitious personal aspirations.”
Luminary Education works in partnership with leading local institutions including Shoqan School. The consultancy has also received continued support from well-known local figures.
Their strategic long-term mentorship has produced students who successfully navigate exhaustive application requirements. This involves writing a lot of supplemental essays, studying for standardised tests, and maintaining strong grades.
Kazakh students Arman Sabyrzhan, accepted into Harvard’s Mechanical Engineering programme with a full scholarship, and Kamila Zhandildayeva, joining UC Berkeley’s dual-degree Engineering and Business track, are two examples of Luminary’s recent successes.
The Shoqan School Mentorship programme also received acceptances for two Economics majors: Tomiris Ospan, who received a significant scholarship from Harvard and Dinara Nariman who will study at the University of Chicago.
When asked how Luminary had helped her, Kamila stated, “What helped me most was how Luminary encouraged me to be brave about my accomplishments. I used to downplay a lot, but they pushed me to own my story and show it with confidence. They believed in me in a way that made me believe in myself.”
In the past three years, a total of 21 Luminary students have received offers from Ivy League schools, including Columbia, Yale, Princeton, and Dartmouth.
“Our students learn to tell their stories authentically,” said Doyle. “Admission officers look beyond perfect test scores; they seek out-of-the-box genuine voices and clear goals, apart from mastering English, Math, and everything in between. That’s what we cultivate.”
The biggest issue students in Kazakhstan often face when approaching US college applications is the sheer size of the task. Each of the above students applied to more than 20 colleges, requiring over 20,000-word supplemental essays, a personal statement, resume, preparation for SAT & IELTS exams, maintaining their extracurricular projects, and all while maintaining a near perfect GPA.
According to Luminary, the answer lies in storytelling and self-reflection.
“The most selective schools receive thousands of applications from students with flawless test scores. What sets candidates apart is their voice – their perspective, values, and sense of purpose,” said Doyle. “We help students explore their personal stories, reflect on their growth, and communicate it clearly and authentically in their essays.”
Luminary’s team includes experienced consultants such as Daniele Labriola, Lead Consultant based in the UK, who oversees all students applying to US Colleges. Drew Maycock, Academic Director, with extensive international experience, is responsible for crafting individualised academic strategies.
With over 50,000 hours of tutoring delivered and a 92% success rate of students being admitted to US colleges, Luminary Education continues to demonstrate that Kazakhstan’s students can not only compete internationally but thrive.
For further information, please contact Luminary Education at +357 94 05 62 00 or write to [email protected]
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6edd5681-4163-4b1a-8fcd-843eba600916