Where our numbers come from
Every figure on Meridian is surfaced from the same dataset the app uses — not written by hand, not generated by an AI. Here is exactly how each one is derived, and where you can check it yourself.
Sourced, not authored
Numbers are read straight from the shared dataset and shown as-stored. No language model writes a fact.
Confidence is capped
Risk confidence never exceeds 92% — we don’t imply a certainty we don’t have.
Neutral by design
The public site never knows or infers where you’re from. Personalization happens inside the app, from a profile you fill in.
Traceable and dated
Every figure links to its official source and carries the date it was last reviewed.
How we estimate monthly costs
Each destination shows a monthly living-cost band, broken into rent, food, transport and other across lifestyle tiers. These come from the shared living_costs dataset — the exact records the app’s budget tool reads — so the web and the app never disagree.
Figures are surfaced as stored: no hand-entered numbers, no AI estimation. The country pages show a coarse band; the decomposition shows where the money actually goes.
Basis: Numbeo + Expatistan cost indices, shown per lifestyle tier (economic / moderate / comfortable). See it in context on any destination page.
How the risk score is calculated
The score is a weighted blend of three signals — the weighting reflects what actually disrupts a student’s year:
Full explainer: What is the country risk score? Sources are cited per country on each destination page.
How we pick the “leader” in a comparison
On comparison pages, each row flags the stronger destination for that metric — lower cost, faster visa, longer post-study work, higher QS rank, safer score. The flag is a direct read of the two numbers, nothing more.
One row is deliberately not flagged: acceptance rate. A higher rate means more open, a lower rate more selective — neither is universally “better,” so we show both and let you decide. Comparison prose is generated from the metrics; we don’t editorialize about a country.
All comparison metrics are nationality-neutral — no origin-relative figures appear on the public site.
How we tier scholarship sources
Each scholarship carries a provenance tier — how official the source is. This describes where the listing came from; it is not a verification of the amount, the deadline, or that you’ll qualify.
Every scholarship links to its official page. Always confirm the current amount and deadline there — figures move. Browse them on the scholarships explorer.
Hero photo: University of Miskolc Library reading room (Szalax, CC0).
Take Meridian with you
The public site stays neutral. ATLAS applies your budget, field and origin to give personalized matches and a risk score tuned to you — free in the app, from a profile you fill in.