Terms of Service

Karan Gupta Consulting provides the following educational consulting services:

• Career Counselling: Personalized guidance for educational and career planning
• University Admissions: Assistance with undergraduate, graduate, and MBA applications
• Test Preparation: Guidance for standardized tests (SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, IELTS, TOEFL, etc.)
• Study Abroad Guidance: Comprehensive support for international education
• Profile Building: Strategic extracurricular and academic planning
• Scholarship Guidance: Information about financial aid and scholarship opportunities

As a client, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, complete, and truthful information at all times
• Respond to our requests for documents and information in a timely manner
• Meet application deadlines and attend scheduled appointments
• Inform us immediately of any changes to your personal information or circumstances
• Pay all fees as agreed upon in your service contract
• Use our services for legitimate educational purposes only

Many of our clients are under 18. Where the client is a minor, these Terms are accepted by the parent or legal guardian on the minor's behalf, and all engagements, consents (including those relating to recording and communications) and payment obligations are those of the parent or guardian.

By engaging our services for a minor, you confirm that you are the minor's parent or legal guardian and that you consent to the minor's use of our services.

Please understand that:

• Admission Outcomes: We do not guarantee admission to any university or program
• Visa Decisions: Visa approvals are at the sole discretion of immigration authorities
• Test Scores: We provide preparation guidance but cannot guarantee specific test scores
• Scholarships: Financial aid decisions are made by institutions, not by us

We are not visa or immigration consultants. Karan Gupta Consulting is an education counselling firm. We do not provide immigration advice, and we do not prepare, file or represent clients in visa or immigration matters. Any visa-related information we share is general in nature, please consult the relevant embassy or consulate, or a licensed immigration professional.

• Fee Structure: Service fees will be communicated during your initial consultation
• Payment Terms: Fees are payable as per the schedule outlined in your contract
• Additional Costs: University application fees, test registration fees, and third-party fees are not included
• Refund Policy: All fees paid to Karan Gupta Consulting, at any time and for any service, are non-refundable

Fees are charged for professional time, expertise and access to our advisory process, not for any particular outcome. The no-refund policy applies regardless of application outcomes, visa decisions, changes in your plans, or discontinuation of services, except where a signed written agreement expressly provides otherwise or a refund is required by applicable law.

Services are provided for the specific intake (semester and year) you sign up for. If you defer or delay, an extension fee may apply as set out in your service agreement.

Services may be invoiced by, and payments collected through, Karan Gupta Consulting (KGC), our associated firm Business Education Services (BES), or other affiliated firms identified on your invoice. Payments made to any such entity against an invoice for our services are treated as payments for Karan Gupta Consulting's services, and these Terms apply equally to all such payments.

We act as independent education counsellors for students and families. We are not appointed admission agents of any university, we do not represent institutions in our advisory role, and no institution directs our advice. Our recommendations are based on the client's profile, goals and fit.

Compensation disclosure. Karan Gupta Consulting or its associated entities may receive referral fees. Any such arrangement does not reduce the fees payable by the client, does not influence our recommendations, and never overrides our duty to act in the client's interest. Any arrangement relevant to a recommendation will be disclosed to the student.

Disclosed interest: IE University. Dr. Karan Gupta serves as Managing Director, India/South Asia for IE University. This interest is disclosed wherever relevant on our website; advice concerning IE University is given subject to it, and our counselling recommendations remain based on client fit.

You warrant that every document, transcript, score, certificate and statement provided to us, or to any institution in the course of our engagement, is genuine and accurate.

We do not create, edit or submit fraudulent or misleading application materials, and our essay and application guidance never extends to misrepresentation: the student's applications must remain the student's own.

Submission of forged or fraudulent documents, or any misrepresentation to an institution, entitles us to terminate services immediately without refund, and may require us to withdraw representations made on your behalf.

We believe in the ethical use of AI and prohibit plagiarism in any form.

(a) You must tell us if any draft or document you provide to us was wholly or partly generated by AI tools, we edit on the assumption that drafts are the student's own work.

(b) Our team may use AI tools under human supervision to support research, structure and language quality; we never use AI to invent a student's experiences, achievements or story, and final materials must reflect the student's authentic voice.

(c) Each university sets its own rules on the use of AI in applications; complying with those rules is the student's responsibility, and we will guide you on request.

(d) AI-detection tools are probabilistic and frequently wrong in both directions; their output is not proof of authorship, and we accept no liability for detector results, particularly on documents that contained undisclosed AI-generated content when provided to us.

(e) If a client insists on submitting fabricated or undisclosed AI-generated material, we may terminate services under Section 8 without refund.

To serve you accurately and improve the quality of our guidance, telephone calls and consultations (online or in person) with our team may be recorded and transcribed.

• Why we record: to prepare accurate session notes and follow-up materials for your family, for internal training and quality review, and to analyse and improve our services.
• How recordings are handled: they are stored securely, treated as confidential, used only within Karan Gupta Consulting and by service providers who process them on our behalf, and are never sold or shared for marketing.
• Retention: recordings are kept only as long as needed for the purposes above and are deleted thereafter.
• Your choice: if you prefer that a particular session not be recorded, tell your counsellor at the start of the session and we will honour your request.

By booking or attending a call or meeting with us, you consent to this recording as described. For more on how we handle personal data, please see our Privacy Policy.

By engaging with us or submitting your contact details, you consent to receive communications from KGC and its associated entities by telephone, SMS, WhatsApp and email regarding your enquiries and services, notwithstanding any registration on DND/NCPR registries.

You may opt out of promotional communications at any time; communications necessary to deliver active services will continue for the duration of the engagement.

We showcase real outcomes. We will use your name, photograph, admission result or testimonial in our marketing, including our website and social media, only with consent. For engaged clients, this consent is provided in the signed service agreement.

If you have given consent and later change your mind, write to us and we will remove the material from surfaces within our control within a reasonable time.

Our services may involve third parties, including universities and their application portals, testing agencies, payment gateways, courier and verification services. We are not responsible for the acts, omissions, fees, availability or decisions of any third party, and your use of their services is governed by their own terms.

By Client: You may terminate services at any time by providing written notice.

By KGC: We reserve the right to terminate services if you provide false information, fail to cooperate, or violate these Terms. Termination by either party does not entitle the client to a refund (see Section 5).

All content on our website is the property of Karan Gupta Consulting and is protected by intellectual property laws.

The student owns their application materials, essays, personal statements and their story.

Institute lists, roadmaps, templates, sample documents, methodologies and online learning content are KGC's intellectual property, licensed to the client for personal use in the client's own applications only, and may not be shared, republished or redistributed.

We may use anonymised excerpts of edited work for internal training and as illustrative samples, with all identifying details removed.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Karan Gupta Consulting shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages.

We are not liable for any delay or failure in performance caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, epidemics, war, civil unrest, strikes, power or internet failures, changes in law or government action (including changes to visa or immigration policy), or the acts or failures of universities, testing agencies or other third parties.

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

We may update these Terms from time to time; the “Last Updated” date above reflects the current version. Continued use of our website or services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

Material changes affecting active service engagements will be communicated to the affected clients.

If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full effect. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of it.

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and, for engaged clients, your signed service agreement, form the entire agreement between us. In the event of a conflict between these Terms and a signed service agreement, the service agreement prevails.