SI-UK Company History

SI-UK is the leading provider of free, independent advice and support to international students applying to study in the UK. Since 2006, SI-UK has built a reputation as an industry leader, and each year, SI-UK assists thousands of international students join UK universities.

In 2023, our global offices sent over 130,000 applications to UK universities from 45,000 students in over 40 countries, with a 98% success rate of students receiving their first choice offer.

Learn more about SI-UK's history below. If you want to begin your UK university application, arrange a free consultation with SI-UK today.

April 2003

Predecessor company of SI-UK was established in Shinjuku, Tokyo and successfully placed thousands of students from Japan into UK universities and colleges.

October 2006

• SI-UK International Co., Ltd. founded in Tokyo, Japan. Head office opened in Takadanobaba, Shinjuku ward.  SI-UK sets out a strategy for global expansion of services.
• SI-UK Tokyo Language Centre opened offering a wide range of test preparation courses including IELTS, TOEFL, GMAT, LSAT and other university preparation classes.

October 2007

SI-UK Osaka office opened to provide application support to students in the west of Japan.

December 2007

SI-UK Osaka Language Centre opened offering a full range of university preparation lessons including IELTS.

April 2008

SI-UK holds its first UK University Fairs in Tokyo and Osaka. Both attract hundreds of visitors seeking information about courses at UK universities.

August 2008

SI-UK London office opened in Russell Square, next to University of London Campus. SI-UK is the first London-based agency to recruit international students of all nationalities to the UK.

December 2008

SI-UK London creates the first multi-lingual website for international students seeking information on studying in the UK. Languages include English, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian, and Spanish.

February 2009

SI-UK launches a comprehensive online university course search function free of use to all, with over 30,000 university and college courses linking directly to university/college course pages.

June 2009

SI-UK London opens an IELTS preparation centre to help international students gain the required English score to enter university.

April 2010

• SI-UK Tokyo opens its second office in the city.
• Tokyo and Osaka university fairs now established as the largest UK-only education events in Japan.

May 2010

First SI-UK London university fair with over 80 UK universities attending, making it the largest UK university fair worldwide.

June 2010

SI-UK creates the first online library, containing over a thousand samples of university application documents including personal statements, resumes, reference letters, UCAS and university application forms, for students.

December 2010

SI-UK Hong Kong office opened in the commercial centre of the city.

January 2011

SI-UK Delhi office opens.

May 2011

SI-UK Bangalore office opened.

April 2012

• SI-UK Chennai office opened.
• SI-UK Manchester office opened.
• SI-UK London office relocated to its current location on Regent Street.

July 2012

SI-UK Istanbul office opened.

August 2012

SI-UK Tokyo Language Training Centre moves into expanded, custom-built facilities. With 12 UK-native teachers, the Centre now offers more IELTS courses than any other language school in Japan.

October 2012

Tokyo and Osaka university fairs attract a record 53 universities to Japan.

March 2013

First SI-UK UK University Fair held in Amsterdam.

April 2013

First SI-UK UK University Fair in Manchester.

October 2013

First UK University Fair in Istanbul, Turkey.

November 2013

• SI-UK office opens in Bangkok, Thailand.
• Over 90 universities attend London UK University Fair, making it the largest SI-UK UK University Fair to date.

December 2013

SI-UK opens in China.

February 2014

SI-UK opens its first office in Lagos, Nigeria.

May 2014

A second Turkish office opens in capital city Ankara.

July 2014

Tokyo office relocates to the prestigious Shibuya district in Japan.

September 2014

A second Nigerian office is opened in Abuja.

October 2014

• SI-UK launches its new state-of-the-art website in the UK.
• First UK University Fairs held in Abuja and Lagos.

November 2014

• New SI-UK website is launched in India and Thailand.
• First UK University Fair in Delhi.

September 2015

SI-UK London builds two new IELTS classrooms at Regent Street office.

October 2015

Awarded a grant by the UK government as one of the fastest growing businesses in the UK.

November 2015

• SI-UK Delhi hosts India’s largest UK University Fair, with 55 UK universities attending.
• SI-UK's first national TV advert premieres on the Star Network, India.
• A record 100 UK universities attend the UK University Fair London.

December 2015

UCAS Schools Service launches providing expert services to top boarding schools and A-level colleges in the UK and globally.

August 2016

New Spanish and Vietnamese websites launched.

September 2016

SI-UK relaunches brand with new logo.

October 2016

New office opened in Tehran, Iran.

February 2017

• New SI-UK office opens in Doha, Qatar.
• New SI-UK office opens in Toronto, Canada.

October 2017

New SI-UK office opens in Nicosia, Cyprus.

May 2018

• New offices opened in Pune, India and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.
• New SI-UK office opens in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
• New SI-UK office opens in Kathmandu, Nepal.
• New SI-UK office opens in Bogota, Colombia.
• New SI-UK office opens in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

June 2018

• SI-UK India opens new office in Coimbatore.
• New SI-UK office opens in Nairobi, Kenya.
• Italian language website launched.

December 2018

• SI-UK India opens new office in Ahmedabad.
• SI-UK Pakistan opens two new offices in Karachi and Lahore.

January 2019

SI-UK Kenya opens a second office in Mombasa.

May 2019

• New SI-UK office opens in Nicosia, South Cyprus.
• SI-UK Pakistan opens its fourth office in Peshawar.

June 2019

• New SI-UK office opens in Athens, Greece.
• New SI-UK office opens in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

November 2019

• SI-UK India opens its 8th office in Jaipur.
• New SI-UK office opens in Malaysia.

December 2019

SI-UK India opens 9th and 10th new offices in Lucknow and Hyderabad.

February 2020

• SI-UK Thailand opens a second office in Chiang Mai.
• New SI-UK office opens in Uganda.

July 2020

New SI-UK office opens in Sri Lanka.

October 2020

SI-UK Vietnam reopens offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

December 2020

SI-UK Pakistan opens its fifth office in Faisalabad.

January 2021

• New SI-UK student office opens in Hong Kong.

February 2021

• SI-UK Pakistan opens sixth office in Sahiwal.

March 2021

• SI-UK India opens additional offices in Chennai and Delhi and new offices in Kolkata, Kochin, and Chandigarh.

April 2021

• New SI-UK office opens in Taipei, Taiwan.
• New SI-UK office opens in Jakarta, Indonesia.
• New SI-UK office opens in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
• New SI-UK office opens in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

May 2021

• New SI-UK office opens in Casablanca, Morocco.
• SI-UK Saudi Arabia opens Riyadh office.

June 2021

• New SI-UK office opens in Warsaw, Poland.

July 2021

• New SI-UK office opens in Tirana, Albania.
• New SI-UK office opens in Pristina, Kosovo.
• New SI-UK office opens in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Changsha, China.

October 2021

• New SI-UK office opens in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

November 2021

• New SI-UK office opens in Kyiv, Ukraine.
• New SI-UK office opens in Vientiane, Laos.

February 2022

• New SI-UK office opens in Mexico City, Mexico.

May 2022

• New SI-UK office opens in Baku, Azerbaijan.

July 2022

• SI-UK announce Averna Capital investment.

August 2022

• SI-UK India opens its latest new office in Nehru Place, Delhi.

September 2022

• New SI-UK office opens in United Arab Emirates.
• New SI-UK office opens in Islamabad, Pakistan.

December 2022

• New SI-UK office opens in Chittagong, Bangladesh.

May 2023

• New SI-UK Malaysia office opens in central Kuala Lumpur.

June 2023

• New SI-UK India offices open in Ludhiana, Mysore, and Mumbai.

July 2023

• New SI-UK Qatar office opens in Doha.