Avishek Khadka

2212361
UniSelect: Consultancy Management System
BSc (Hons) Computer Science and Software
Engineering

Final Report

Department of Computer Science and

Technology
The University of Bedfordshire

Supervisor: Tara GC
AY 24/25
 ASSIGNMENT TOP SHEET
Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies & Science
Department of Computer Science & Technology

Student Ref. No 2212361 Unit Code: CIS017-3

Unit Name: Deadline for Submission(s)

Undergraduate Project Friday 11th April 2025

Student's Surname: Khadka Student's Forename: Avishek

Unit Leader's Name: Supervisor:

Ajaya Sharma Tara GC

Assignment Details:

Assessment 2: Final

Report
Instructions to Student:

Please note: Work presented in an assessment must be the student's own. Plagiarism is where a
student copies work from another source, published or unpublished (including the work of a fellow
student) and fails to acknowledge the influence of another's work or to attribute quotes to the author.
Plagiarism is an academic offence.

Work presented in an assessment must be your own. Plagiarism is where a student copies work
from another source, published or unpublished (including the work of another student) and fails to
acknowledge the influence of another’s work or to attribute quotes to the author. Plagiarism is an
academic offence and the penalty can be serious. The University’s policies relating to Plagiarism
can be found in the regulations at http://www.beds.ac.uk/aboutus/quality/regulations. To detect
possible plagiarism we may submit your work to the national plagiarism detection facility. This
searches the Internet and an extensive database of reference material including other students’
work to identify. Once your work has been submitted to the detection service it will be stored
electronically in a database and compared against work submitted from this and other universities.
It will therefore be necessary to take electronic copies of your materials for transmission, storage
and comparison purposes and for the operational back-up process. This material will be stored in
this manner indefinitely.

I have read the above information and I confirm that this work is my own and that it may be
processed and stored in the manner described.

Signature (Print Name): Avishek Khadka Date: 11th April 2025

Extension deadline
CAAS agrees that the assignment may be submitted days after the deadline and should be
marked without penalty.

CAAS confirmation...................................................................................................................

Please leave sufficient time to meet this deadline and do not leave the handing-in of assignments
to the last minute. You need to allow time for any system problems or other
issues.
Student Id: 2212361
UniSelect

Abstract

UniSelect is a web-based university application management system which is developed to assist

students in their university application process to various universities. The overall purpose of this
system is to simplify the university application process by offering a solution that can help students
find, apply for, and follow up on universities they are interested in. This project solves the
problems of traditional consultancy services by using automation, real time application status and
secure data management.

The system has been developed using Laravel for both the front end and back end development to
ensure that the framework of the application is well structured and can easily be scaled up. MySQL
is used as the database management system that helps in the storage and retrieval of students’
information, universities’ information and application statuses respectively. The platform is
developed to improve the user’s satisfaction by designing the following features; an easy to use
interface, document submission, and clear communication between students and consultancy
firms.

This project is based on a thorough market analysis of the current trends in the education
consultancy industry. When reviewing other platforms, I realized there was room for improvement
in terms of security, the application process, and communication between the parties involved.
These features are incorporated in UniSelect therefore making it a complete solution for students
as well as education consultancies. How the Implementation of UniSelect Enhances the Digital
Transformation of Consultancy Firms. The implementation of UniSelect helps in the digital
transformation of consultancy firms by reducing the workload and increasing the efficiency. With
the help of the modern web technologies this system offers a smooth and efficient experience for
students who are in search of higher education in foreign countries.

Keywords: OCR (Optical Character Recognition), Web Socket, Pusher, Agile, Ajax

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Acknowledgement

I would like to take this opportunity to appreciate my supervisor, [Supervisor’s Name], for the
valuable guidance and support that he has given to me in the course of this project. They were
helpful in giving me feedback, and they helped shaped UniSelect into a real, working and efficient
consultancy management system. I am also thankful to my professors and peers at the University
of Bedfordshire for their encouragement and constructive discussions which assisted me in the
process of fine-tuning my strategy for developing this web application. Besides, I would like to
thank my family and friends for their perpetual encouragement and interest in my work. They
believed in me and encouraged me to work hard in order to finish this project successfully.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the open source community and their contributions to the
development of Laravel and MySQL which were very useful in this project. Their experience was
a great asset in the development of UniSelect.

With sincere thanks,

Student Name: Avishek Khadka
Student ID: 2212361

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Table of Contents

Abstract................................................................................................................... i
Acknowledgement ...................................................................................................ii
Table of Figures ........................................................................................................5
1. Introduction ......................................................................................................1
1.1 Project Overview ................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Background ........................................................................................................ 2
1.3 Problem Statement ............................................................................................. 4
1.4 Proposed Solution............................................................................................... 5
1.5 Aims................................................................................................................... 7
1.6 Objectives .......................................................................................................... 7
1.7 Scope Of The Project ........................................................................................... 9
1.8 Intellectual Challenge ....................................................................................... 10
1.9 Target Users ..................................................................................................... 11
1.9.1 Primary Users .................................................................................................................... 11
1.9.2 Secondary Users ................................................................................................................ 11
1.9.3 Tertiary Users..................................................................................................................... 11

2. Feasibility Study .............................................................................................. 12

2.1 Technical Feasibility.......................................................................................... 12
2.2 Financial Feasibility .......................................................................................... 13
2.3 Operational Feasibility ...................................................................................... 13
3. Project Plan .................................................................................................... 14
3.1 Gantt Chart ....................................................................................................... 15
3.2 Workbreakdown Structure ................................................................................. 16
4. Requirement Engineering................................................................................. 17
4.1 Stakeholder Analysis ......................................................................................... 17
4.2 Functional Requirements .................................................................................. 18
4.3 Non-Functional Requirements ........................................................................... 19
4.4 User Requirements ........................................................................................... 21
5. Literature Review ............................................................................................ 22
5.1 Existing Systems And Their Limitations ............................................................... 23
 5.2 Educational Consultancy System Technology Trends .......................................... 24
5.3 Role Of Ocr And Real-Time Communication ........................................................ 24
6. Artefact Planning ............................................................................................. 26
6.1 System Requirements ....................................................................................... 26
6.1.1 Hardware Requirements ..................................................................................................... 26
6.1.1 Software Requirements ...................................................................................................... 26
6.2 System Architecture Design .............................................................................. 27
6.2.1 System Architecture Overview ............................................................................................ 27
6.3 UML Diagram .................................................................................................... 30
6.4 Use Case Diagram ............................................................................................. 31
6.5 ER Diagram ....................................................................................................... 32
6.6 Database Schema ............................................................................................. 34
6.7 UI (User Interface) ............................................................................................. 40
7. Market Research ............................................................................................. 50
7.1 Secondary Market Research .............................................................................. 50
7.2 Primary Market Research................................................................................... 51
7.2.1 Survey Questions ............................................................................................................... 52
7.2.2 Data Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 53

8. Development Methodology .............................................................................. 57

9. Unit Testing ..................................................................................................... 59
10. Evaluation Plan ............................................................................................ 64
11. Evaluation ................................................................................................... 65
11.1 User Evaluation................................................................................................. 65
11.2 Performance Evaluation .................................................................................... 65
12. Critical Analysis ........................................................................................... 66
13. Limitations and Future Scope ....................................................................... 67
14. Conclusion .................................................................................................. 68
15. References .................................................................................................. 69
16. Appendix ..................................................................................................... 70
Appendix-1 .................................................................................................................. 70
Appendix-2 .................................................................................................................. 75
Appendix-3 .................................................................................................................. 77
Appendix-4 .................................................................................................................. 78
Table of Figures

Figure 1: Gantt chart ..................................................................................................................... 15

Figure 2: Work breakdone structure ............................................................................................. 16
Figure 3: Literature Review .......................................................................................................... 22
Figure 4: Use Case Diagram ......................................................................................................... 31
Figure 5: ER Diagram ................................................................................................................... 32
Figure 6: Student login UI ............................................................................................................ 40
Figure 7: Student signup UI .......................................................................................................... 41
Figure 8: Admin login UI ............................................................................................................. 41
Figure 9: Admin dashboard UI ..................................................................................................... 42
Figure 10: Student UI.................................................................................................................... 42
Figure 11: Student application list UI ........................................................................................... 43
Figure 12: View application UI .................................................................................................... 43
Figure 13: Admin university list UI .............................................................................................. 44
Figure 14: Admin create uiniversity UI ........................................................................................ 44
Figure 15: All courses list UI ........................................................................................................ 45
Figure 16: Create course UI .......................................................................................................... 45
Figure 17: Profile setting UI ......................................................................................................... 46
Figure 18: Company setting UI..................................................................................................... 46
Figure 19: Service chat UI ............................................................................................................ 47
Figure 20: Student Home Dashboard UI ...................................................................................... 47
Figure 21: Student University List UI .......................................................................................... 48
Figure 22: Student Course List UI ................................................................................................ 48
Figure 23: Student Profile UI ........................................................................................................ 49
Figure 24: Student Test Score UI.................................................................................................. 49
Figure 25: Survey 1 ....................................................................................................................... 53
Figure 26: Survey 2 ....................................................................................................................... 53
Figure 27: Survey 3 ....................................................................................................................... 54
Figure 28: Survey 4 ....................................................................................................................... 54
Figure 29: Survey 5 ....................................................................................................................... 54
Figure 30: Survey 6 ....................................................................................................................... 55
Figure 31: Survey 7 ....................................................................................................................... 55
Figure 32: Survey 8 ....................................................................................................................... 55
Figure 33: Survey 9 ....................................................................................................................... 56
Figure 34: Survey 10 ..................................................................................................................... 56
Figure 35: Agile Methodology...................................................................................................... 57
Figure 36: Performance Evaluation .............................................................................................. 65
Student Id: 2212361
UniSelect

1. Introduction

Many students want to go to college abroad because of how international the world has become.
However, going to universities in other countries can be hard, take a lot of time, and be very
complicated. As a student myself, I've seen how hard it is for my peers to get through the
complicated steps of applying to college, like gathering the necessary papers, meeting deadlines,
and knowing what each school wants. This is what made me create UniSelect, a web-based
consultancy management system that makes the process of applying to college easier and faster
for kids.

Students can easily apply to universities in many countries through UniSelect, which is a complete
platform. For both the front end and the back end, the system is built with Laravel, a strong PHP
platform. I used MySQL, a stable and widely used relational database management system, to store
and organize my data. As a student at the University of Bedfordshire, I worked on this project. It
shows how committed I am to using technology to solve problems in the real world.

UniSelect's main goal is to give students a central place to look at colleges, send in applications,
and keep track of their progress as they try to get in. The system also has tools for consulting agents
to handle student applications, talk to colleges, and keep things running smoothly. By automating
many of the jobs that used to be done by hand during the application process, UniSelect hopes to
cut down on mistakes, save time, and make the whole process better for both students and
consultants.

This report will give a thorough account of how UniSelect was made, including the technologies
used, the problems that were met, and the ways that they were fixed. I'll also talk about the system's
features, what they mean in the current world of education consulting, and how they could be
improved in the future. I hope that this project will show how I can use what I've learned in the
classroom and make a contribution to the field of educational technology.

1.1 Project Overview

In this project, I developed UniSelect, a web-based consultant management solution which is

meant to assist in processes for college applicants and decrease the time that the consulting
manager has to work. I have been a student at one time and I know how tough it might be for
friends who are applying to colleges abroad. They grind, for instance, to meet the deadline, get
all the required documents and find out what courses they should take. These problems made
me to develop a single platform that automates and simplifies the application process. This way,
students are able to apply with less stress and in a shorter time, which also reduces the workload
on consultants.

This is because UniSelect uses MySQL for the database and a solid PHP framework for the front-
end and back-end development. Some of the top features of the system include the language
proficiency matching feature which ensures that students can only apply for classes that they are

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fit for based on their IELTS, PTE or SAT scores. I also applied optical character recognition
technology to quickly analyze documents thus eliminating mistakes and the need for a lot of hand
made work. In order to develop a real time chat system whereby officers and students are able
to send and receive messages and responses to questions I implemented WebSocket and Pusher.

The two main components of the platform are the management system and the student system.
The Student System enables students to access their results, make applications for universities,
and gain more information about the courses and universities. The Admin System gives the
advisers the capability to assess applications, manage the courses and universities offered, and
communicate with the colleges and the students. UniSelect is on a mission to eliminate mistakes,
save time and enhance the overall application process for both the managers and the students by
doing many of the tasks that were previously done manually.

This project was developed while studying at the University of Bedfordshire and it shows my
willingness to use technology to solve real life problems. UniSelect aims to contribute to the
field of educational technology through the development of a system that allows more people to
get to college and emerges as a standard for how quickly and transparently institutions should be
able tointake students.

1.2 Background

It's always been tough to get into college, especially if you want to go to a school outside of the
Nepal. Students need to do a lot of things in order to get into college. For example, they need to
study colleges, make sure they understand the requirements for admission, gather all the necessary
documents, and meet strict deadlines. This process takes a lot of time and stress for many people,
because even small mistakes or oversights can lead to their applications being turned down. There
are a lot more people now than there were a few years ago who want to go to college abroad. These
things happen because schools are spreading around the world and kids want to learn about and
experience other cultures. The old way of going to college isn't very good, though, as this rise has
shown.

They are very important for students who need help and advice with their college applications
these days. These groups help students get into college by helping them pick schools, fill out
applications, check their paperwork, and get visas. Some consultancies still handle applications by
hand, which can slow things down, lead to confusion, and waste time. However, it is important for
consultancies to make the process easy. Technology can really help with this.

With the rise of web-based apps, many areas have changed. Education is one of them. With today's
web technologies, platforms can be made that can do repetitive tasks automatically, improve
communication, and give users information in real time. A digital tool that brings together all the
steps of the college application process can save applicants time, reduce mistakes, and make the
whole process clearer and easier to use. Not only can this make things run more easily for
businesses, but it can also make clients happier and gain more work.

The goal of UniSelect was to fix these issues by making a digital link between colleges, consulting

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companies, and students. The method is made to help consulting companies run their businesses
better and to meet the needs of students who want to study abroad. UniSelect makes sure that users
have a strong and smooth experience by using Laravel, a modern PHP framework that is known
for being safe and scalable, and MySQL, a reliable database management system.

UniSelect's progress fits in with the growing trend in schooling to go digital as well. Every year,
more and more schools and colleges around the world use technology to make their services better
and easier for students to get to. UniSelect supports this trend by giving people an application tool
that not only makes it easier, but also helps everyone talk to each other and work together better.

This project lets me put the web development, database management, and software engineering
skills I've learned at the PCPS College to use in the real world. Making things better for people in
the real world is also something I'm very interested in. Technology can speed up, make clear, and
open up the college entry process for kids all over the world. That's what I want to show with
UniSelect.

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1.3 Problem Statement

As an undergraduate at the University of Bedfordshire, I have seen personally the problems that
students who want to study abroad have to deal with. Applying to colleges and universities in other
countries can be hard, take a lot of time, and be very complicated. Students have to look into
colleges, make sure they understand what courses they need to take, prepare and turn in a lot of
paperwork, and meet strict deadlines. They also have to make sure they meet certain eligibility
requirements, like language test (IELTS, PTE, SAT) requirements. Even a small mistake or
misunderstanding in the application process can cause people to be turned down, which can be
very stressful and disappointing.

When I talked to my peers and educational consultants, I learned that a lot of students have trouble
finding classes that fit their academic background and language skills. Also, consultants often
manage applications by hand, which can be inefficient, cause misunderstandings, and cause delays.
This not only makes things harder for the students, but it also makes things harder for the people
who run the consultancy because they have to check papers by hand, keep track of applications,
and talk to universities.

Because of these problems, I created UniSelect, a web-based business management system that
makes the process of applying to college easier and faster. But while I was making this method, I
noticed a few major issues that needed to be fixed:

• Lack of Centralized Information: It can be hard for students to find correct and up-to-
date information about schools and classes. They have a hard time finding choices that
meet their academic and language requirements because of this.
• Manual Application Management: Consultancies handle student applications by hand,
which can lead to mistakes, delays, and wasted time. In the application process, this slows
things down and raises the risk of missing dates or sending in incomplete applications.
• Language Proficiency Mismatch: A lot of students apply to programs they can't get into
because they don't know what language standards the programs have. This wastes their
time and adds to the work of consultancies, who have to look over and reject applications
that aren't qualified.
• Inefficient Document Management: It's not always easy to gather, check, and send in
papers. This causes delays and mistakes in the application process.

I want to solve these issues with UniSelect by creating a centralized, automated, and easy-to-use
tool that makes applying to college easier for both students and consulting company. With the help
of current web technologies like Laravel and MySQL, I hope to make a system that not only works
better but also makes the process more open, communicative, and easy for everyone to access.
This project shows that I want to solve problems in the real world and make a positive difference
in the area of educational technology.

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1.4 Proposed Solution

In response to the problems described in the problem statement, I suggest UniSelect, a complete
web-based consultancy management system that will make the application process for university
easier for both students and consultancy managers. A strong, scalable, and safe platform is created
for UniSelect using Laravel for both front-end and back-end development. For efficient handling
of big amounts of data, the system uses MySQL as its database management system. Furthermore,
UniSelect includes advanced features like Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for processing
documents and a real-time chat system using WebSocket and Pusher to make it easier for students
and managers to talk to each other. The solution being considered is made up of two key parts: the
Student System and the Admin System. Each is designed to meet the needs of its own specific
users. (Communicating and Displaying Real-Time Data with WebSocket, 2012)

Key Features of UniSelect:

• Centralized University and Course Listings: Through UniSelect, students can easily
search and filter courses based on their preferences, such as country, field of study, and
language requirements. Each course listing includes detailed information, such as
eligibility requirements, application deadlines, and required documents, making sure that
students have all the information they need in one place.
• Language Proficiency Matching: UniSelect has a special feature that matches students'
language test scores (like IELTS, PTE, or SAT) with the language needs of their classes.
The system instantly suggests courses that are a good fit for the student's language skills,
so they don't have to worry about applying to programs that they can't do. This feature
makes sure that students only apply for classes that they are qualified for. This saves time
and keeps consultancies from having to do work that isn't necessary.
• Automated Application Management: Students can use the platform to directly send
their applications, upload any necessary documents, and check on the status of their
applications at any time. The system walks you through the application process step by
step, making mistakes and missing steps less likely.
• Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for Document Processing: OCR technology is
built into UniSelect so that text can be extracted and checked from uploaded documents
like passports, transcripts, and language test results. This feature makes the process of
verifying documents automatic, which cuts down on mistakes and work that needs to be
done by hand. OCR makes sure that the data it pulls from papers is correct and consistent,
which speeds up the application process as a whole.
• Real-Time Chatting System Using WebSocket and Pusher: Like famous messaging
apps, UniSelect has a real-time chat feature that lets students and administrators talk to
each other easily. WebSocket and Pusher were used to build the system. Instant messages
and notifications can be sent without having to reload the page. This feature makes it easier
for students and consultancy staff to talk to each other, which speeds up the process of
answering questions and makes the experience more personal. (Performance evaluation of
Websocket protocol for implementation of full-duplex web streams, 2014)
• Personalized Course Recommendations: UniSelect gives each student personalized
course suggestions based on their academic background, language skills, and personal
tastes.

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This feature helps students find good options fast and easily, so they don't have to spend as
much time and energy researching courses by hand.

UniSelect is a useful and creative way to solve the problems that students and university face
during the application process. I want to use current web technologies, OCR, and real-time
communication tools to make a platform that not only makes the application process easier but
also makes it more open, communicative, and efficient for everyone. This project shows how much
I want to solve problems in the real world and improve the area of educational technology.

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1.5 Aims

The main aims of building UniSelect is to provide a web-based platform that streamlines
operations for consulting administrators and simplifies the university application process for
students. The platform should be comprehensive and easy to use. With my proposed system,
students will be able to research university and classes, apply, and monitor their status in real-time.
Students will only be able to apply to classes for which they are qualified according to their SAT,
IELTS, or PTE results because the system incorporates aspects like language proficiency
matching. In addition, I intend to use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to
automate manual processes in order to decrease human error and increase productivity. One
example is document verification. My plan is to set up a real-time chat system utilizing WebSocket
and Pusher so that students and consultancy staff can communicate better. This will allow for
instant messaging and the rapid answering of questions. On top of that, I want to create an open
and user-friendly platform that lets students see their own course recommendations and choose the
best ones for them according to their interests and previous work. My aims is to develop
technologies that streamline university and course management, application review, and report
preparation for consultancy administrators. This will increase their total productivity. I intend to
construct a strong, scalable, and secure system that solves the problems encountered by students
and consultancies throughout the application process for universities by making use of
contemporary web technologies like MySQL and Laravel. By creating a system that improves
accessibility, efficiency, and transparency for all parties involved, my ultimate goal is to make a
contribution to educational technology.

1.6 Objectives

Throughout the development of UniSelect, I have established clear goals to guarantee that the
system accomplishes its objectives and successfully tackles the difficulties encountered by both
students and consultancy administrators when applying to universities. The development process
will be guided by these aims, which aim to make the platform effective, user-friendly, and
influential. My primary goals for this project are outlined below:

• To Design and Develop a Centralized Platform: My objective is to develop a centralized

web platform that would allow students to get extensive information about universities and
courses, submit applications, and monitor their progress in real time.
• To Implement Language Proficiency Matching: In order to ensure that students only
apply for programs for which they are qualified, I intend to design a tool that will match
the language proficiency scores of students (for example, IELTS, PTE, and SAT) with the
language requirements of the courses.
• To Automate Document Verification Using OCR: My objective is to implement Optical
Character Recognition (OCR) technology in order to automate the process of extracting
and verifying text from documents that have been submitted. This will reduce the amount
of manual labor required and the number of errors that occur.
• To Build a Real-Time Chatting System: In order to encourage smooth contact between
students and administrators of the consultancy, I intend to create a real-time chatting

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system that makes use of WebSocket and Pusher. This will allow for instant messaging and
the instant resolution of any questions that may arise.
• To Provide Personalized Course Recommendations: In order to assist students in
locating appropriate options in a timely and effective manner, I intend to design a tool that
provides individualized course suggestions based on the students' academic background,
language proficiency, and preferences.
• To Create an Admin System for Consultancy Management: I intend to build an
administrative system that will enable administrators of consultant company to handle
university and course listings, evaluate student applications, and generate reports, thereby
enhancing their efficiency and productivity.
• To Leverage Modern Web Technologies: For the purpose of ensuring that the platform
is strong, scalable, and safe, I intend to use Laravel for development, MySQL for database
management, and hostinger cloud server for deployment.
• To Contribute to Educational Technology: My objective is to develop a solution that not
only streamlines the process of applying to universities but also makes a contribution to
the field of educational technology by illustrating how digital tools have the ability to
revolutionize conventional procedures.

I hope that by accomplishing these objectives, I will be able to provide a platform that streamlines
the application process for universities, improves communication and transparency, and makes the
process more efficient for both students and administrators of consultancy companies. This project
exemplifies my dedication to putting my technological expertise and knowledge to use in order to
find solutions to problems that are encountered in the real world and to have a constructive effect
on the field of education.

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1.7 Scope Of The Project

UniSelect is developing a consulting management system based on web that is expected to improve
the performance of consultants and at the same time assist kids to get into college. The developer
here is and the focus was to create a solution that addresses the greatest challenges that students
have including the application process, language requirements and document management. I also
provided consultants with the necessary tools to enhance their efficiency at work. The project is
divided into two major parts namely the Student System and the Admin System. The student
system enables students select the colleges and courses of interest, apply and track the application
process in real time. It has features like language proficiency matching which helps in excluding
the classes that a student is not eligible to apply for based on the IELTS, PTE or SAT score.
Students can also upload other documents like transcripts and language test scores and the OCR
will process them immediately. On the other hand, the Admin System assists consultants in
managing courses and universities, reviewing student applications and engaging with universities.
This enables them to generate reports to analyze trends and enhance services.

In order to enhance the usability of the platform, state-of-the-art technologies such as the OCR
document processing, real-time chat system developed using WebSocket and Pusher to enable
managers and students to communicate without interruption. For the front-end and back-end
development, Laravel provides the necessary platform to develop a solid and scalable platform.
For database management, MySQL handles the structured information such as student profiles,
university listings and application information. Hostinger cloud service is the only way through
which the platform can be scaled up and made reliable. Priority number two: Creating a user
interface that is easy to use for all tech savvies and includes clear instructions, time management,
and recommendations to enhance the user experience.

However, there are some rules that the plan does not encompass. It is exclusive to the process of
applying to college, and does not encompass other services for instance housing arrangements or
visa assistance. The OCR function is good with the regular document formats but may require
some touch when it comes to low quality photos or handwriting. As the system is also designed
for the small to medium sized consulting firms, it may require some more work to make it suitable
for use with larger businesses. Through the explanation of the size of the project, I ensured that
UniSelect was able to maintain its vision and offered consultants and student representatives a
complete solution to the problems they faced. The scope of the project was used to guide the
development process and I was able to create a product that met the needs of the users.

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1.8 Intellectual Challenge

Creating UniSelect threw me a lot of intellectual challenges that forced me to use my technical
skills, think critically, and come up with new ways to solve hard problems. As an undergraduate
at the University of Bedfordshire, this project pushed me to learn about new tools, add more
advanced features, and make sure the system worked the way people wanted it to. Here are the
most important intellectual problems I had to deal with and how I did so:

• Integrating OCR Technology for Document Verification: Using Optical Character

Recognition (OCR) to automatically extract and check text from uploaded document image
was one of the hardest things to do. I had to learn about OCR, choose the right OCR
packages, and make sure it worked well with the rest of the system. I had to test the OCR
feature to make sure it could correctly read different types of documents and deal with
mistakes like bad scans or scribbled text.
• Developing a Real-Time Chatting System Using WebSocket and Pusher: Another big
problem was making a system for real-time chat. To let students and consultancy staffs use
instant messaging, I had to learn about WebSocket and Pusher. This meant knowing how
real-time communication works, overseeing how the server and clients talk to each other,
and making sure the system could grow and work well. I also had to make the chat feature's
layout easy for people to understand and use.
• Matching Language Proficiency with Course Requirements: It took a lot of planning
and logic to make a feature that matches students' language test scores (like IELTS, PTE,
and SAT) with course needs. I had to come up with programs that could compare student
scores to course requirements and make good suggestions. This meant knowing the ins and
outs of language tests and making sure the system could work with a range of scoring
systems and limits.
• Meeting Academic and Project Deadlines: As a bachelor, it was hard to balance working
on UniSelect with my college work. Aside from staying organized and managing my time
well, I had to make sure the project was finished on time and to a high standard.

These problems needed to be solved with my technical understanding, problem-solving skills, and
determination. A lot of study, advice from mentors, and constant testing and tweaking of the
system to make sure it met its goals. In addition to improving my technical skills, this project
taught me important lessons in how to handle projects, think critically, and come up with new
ideas. Overcoming these intellectual challenges helped me make a platform that makes applying
to college easier and has a good effect on the field of educational technology.

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1.9 Target Users

Three main user groups—primary users, secondary users, and tertiary users—have come to light
in designing UniSelect as ones who will gain from the system. Every category is absolutely
necessary for the application to be successful and effective.

1.9.1 Primary Users

UniSelect is mostly used by students wishing to apply to foreign universities. Students can
investigate several colleges, review admission criteria, and quickly apply since the platform is
meant to be a consulting management tool. The solution gives them a simple interface where they
may monitor their application development, get updates, and contact with consultants. Working as
a developer, I have concentrated on making sure students have a flawless experience by including
a user-friendly navigation and methodical application procedure.

1.9.2 Secondary Users

The second type of people who use UniSelect are consulting agents and educational advisers who
assist students with the application process. These users play the role of go-betweens and assist
people in selecting universities, securing visas, and checking documents. I built the system so
that consultants could manage student profiles, monitor application progress, and communicate
with applicants directly. Their work is very crucial in the sense that they help in maintaining order
and ensuring that students get accurate information about entering college.

1.9.3 Tertiary Users

UniSelect's tertiary users include administrative workers, university representatives, and

regulatory organizations monitoring student applications. Though they may not engage with the
system as often as main and secondary users, these users are crucial for verifying applications,
allowing admissions, and keeping university policy compliance. To make sure tertiary users may
effectively use programs and preserve the integrity of the consulting process, I have included
organized workflows, data security, and document verifying tools.

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2. Feasibility Study

Before I started working on UniSelect, I carried out a feasibility study to determine whether or not
the project would be feasible and potentially successful. The viability of this study was analyzed
from a variety of perspectives, including the technical feasibility, financial feasibility, operational
feasibility, and scheduling feasibility analysis. The purpose of this activity was to ascertain
whether or not the project could be successfully finished within the restrictions that were provided,
as well as whether or not it would be of use to the people who were supposed to use it.

2.1 Technical Feasibility

From a technical point of view, I checked to see if it was possible to make UniSelect by looking
at the tools that would be needed and how well they would work together. Due to its scalability,
security, and ease of use, Laravel was my first choice for both front-end and back-end
programming. Laravel's MVC (Model-View-Controller) design helped me organize the codebase
well, keeping different parts of the system separate and making it easier to maintain and add to. I
chose MySQL to handle the databases because it is a reliable and widely used relational database
management system that works well with structured data like student profiles, course details, and
document records that are needed for university applications.

It was hard to get advanced features like Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for processing
documents and WebSocket for real-time contact to work together. I looked at different tools and
chose to use Tesseract OCR, an open-source OCR engine, to get text from posted files and make
sure it was correct. To do this, I had to learn how to add third-party tools to the Laravel framework
and make sure the OCR feature could work with different types of documents and their quality.
For real-time chat, I built a messaging system with Pusher, a service that makes setting up
WebSockets easier, so that students and managers can talk right away. To do this, they had to learn
how WebSocket works and manage how the server and client talk to each other so that contact
goes smoothly. (Badla, no date)

I also thought about how the system would work and how it could be expanded. It is possible for
the platform to handle more users and apps without slowing down because both Laravel and
MySQL are very scalable. To make the system work better, I added caching, made database
searches faster, and tested it thoroughly to find and fix any problems that might be slowing it down.
Overall, I came to the conclusion that the project is technically possible because the technologies
needed are well-known, widely backed, and able to meet the needs of the system. I was able to
make a strong and useful platform that makes the college application process easier by using these
tools and fixing the technology issues.

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2.2 Financial Feasibility

Examining project costs and making sure UniSelect could be finished within the limits of a project
budget, I evaluated whether it was financially realistic. UniSelect is an intellectual endeavor; so,
my main expenditure was time and effort; I did not have to pay much money. Since Laravel and
MySQL are open-source, free to use tools, there are no licencing fees. I used Tesseract OCR, an
open-source program, for advanced features including optical character recognition (OCR), which
comes free. I used Pusher for real-time texting as well. Small apps would fit their free tier, hence
adding this capability would not be costly.

Looking at hosting and deployment costs also exposed cloud services including AWS,
DigitalOcean, and Hostinger with fairly priced hosting choices for web projects. These sites offer
options one can expand without first incurring significant upfront expenses. Furthermore realistic
and under control depending on system use and demand are ongoing maintenance costs including
server hosting and upgrades. Through careful choice of low-cost tools and platforms, I made sure
the project could stay within its budget while also providing a good solution. With the budget of
an academic project, UniSelect can be sustained without requiring a lot of money to set up, so
generally it has a great financial possibilities.

2.3 Operational Feasibility

From an operational standpoint, I determined whether UniSelect could satisfy consumers'

expectations and fit into their current procedures, therefore determining its viability. UniSelect's
main objectives are to expedite operations for consultants and streamline the university admission
procedure for candidates. From looking for courses to submitting documentation and following
their application status, I concentrated on building an easy-to-use interface that walks students
through each stage of the application process, therefore guaranteeing the system's userfulness. I
developed systems for managers of university and course listings, applicant reviews, and effective
student and university correspondence.

I also thought about how easily administrators and students might adopt it. Users with different
degrees of technical knowledge should be able to access the platform; hence, little training is
needed to use it successfully. Designed to solve particular problems, features like language
competency matching and real-time chats guarantee the system offers actual value to its customers.
To further confirm the usability and functionality of the system, I also held unofficial feedback
sessions with possible users—including consultants and students—in order Their opinions enabled
me to improve the design and guarantee the platform fits actual requirements. Since UniSelect is
meant to fit perfectly into the routines of its target users and hence solves the problems experienced
by them, I came to the general conclusion that it is operational.

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3. Project Plan

The UniSelect platform project plan identifies the major phases, activities and time scales that are
required to create and implement the platform effectively. The plan is divided into several stages,
which have certain objectives and deliverables, so that the development process is systematic. See
the overview of the project plan below:

Project Phases and Timelines:

Project Phase Description Duration

Project Initiation • Conduct stakeholder analysis to 1-2 Week

(Week 1-2) identify user needs and expectations.
• Define functional, non-functional,
and user requirements.
• Create a project timeline and allocate
resources.

Research and • Analyze existing systems and 3-4 Weeks

Planning (Week 3-4) identify gaps.
• Research technologies and tools
(e.g., Laravel, MySQL, OCR,
WebSocket).
• Develop a system architecture and
database design.

Design Phase (Week • Design wireframes and prototypes 5-6 Weeks

5-6) for the user interface.

• Define workflows for students and

administrators.

• Plan the integration of advanced

features (e.g., OCR, real-time
communication).
Development Phase • Set up the development environment 7-14 Weeks
(Week 7-14) and version control system (e.g.,
Git).

• Develop the front-end using Laravel

Blade and JavaScript.

• Implement the back-end using

Laravel for business logic and
MySQL for database management.

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• Integrate OCR (Tesseract) for

document verification and
WebSocket (Pusher) for real-time
communication.

• Implement features such as language

proficiency matching and
personalized recommendations.

3.1 Gantt Chart

In the course of the project management process, I used a Gantt Chart to track all the tasks, goals
and due dates of the Uniselect consultancy management project. The Gantt Chart was a helpful
tool in monitoring and scheduling of project activities during the project process. At the beginning,
I listed out the different objectives of the project and identified the tasks and subtasks that were
needed to achieve each objective. The task or deliverable described a particular action or output
that had to be accomplished for the project to be considered complete. These duties involved a
number of different tasks, including data collection, modeling, testing, documentation,
deployment, and maintenance.

Figure 1: Gantt chart

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3.2 Workbreakdown Structure

The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is analogous to a blueprint in that it assists in the
organization and ranking of the activities and tasks that are associated with a project being
undertaken. Streamlining the process of comprehending, organizing, and monitoring the outcomes
of the project can be accomplished by breaking down the project objectives into tasks that are more
achievable.

Figure 2: Work breakdone structure

UniSelect Consultancy Management System

│
├── 1. Planning & Research
│ ├── 1.1 Requirement Analysis
│ ├── 1.2 Market Research
│ ├── 1.3 Competitor Analysis
│ ├── 1.4 Feasibility Study
│
├── 2. System Design
│ ├── 2.1 Database Design (MySQL)
│ ├── 2.2 System Architecture (Laravel)
│ ├── 2.3 UI/UX Wireframing
│ ├── 2.4 API Design
│
├── 3. Development
│ ├── 3.1 Frontend Development (Laravel Blade, HTML, CSS)
│ ├── 3.2 Backend Development (Laravel, PHP)
│ ├── 3.3 Database Integration (MySQL)
│ ├── 3.4 Authentication & Authorization
│ ├── 3.5 Application Process Workflow
│ ├── 3.6 Document Upload & Management
│
├── 4. Testing & Debugging
│ ├── 4.1 Unit Testing
│ ├── 4.2 Performance Optimization
│
├── 5. Deployment
│ ├── 5.1 Server Setup & Configuration
│ ├── 5.2 Domain & Hosting
│ ├── 5.3 Database Migration
│ ├── 5.4 Production Deployment
│
├── 6. Maintenance & Updates
│ ├── 6.1 Bug Fixes
│ ├── 6.2 Feature Enhancements
│ ├── 6.3 User Feedback Implementation
│ ├── 6.4 Security Patches
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4. Requirement Engineering

4.1 Stakeholder Analysis

In order to develop UniSelect I performed a stakeholder analysis in order to determine who would
be most affected or interested in the system. This is important to ensure that the platform is able
to achieve its objectives and deliver benefits to the users for whom it is intended. I identified the
major stakeholders in the project and their roles in the project.

Student: The primary users of UniSelect are students who use the platform to navigate the
university application process. Their principal desireres are for an easy to use interface,
straightforward guidance on how to apply, and ways to compare their language skills with course
requirements. I focused on characteristics such as language proficiency matching, document
upload and check, application status tracking in real time to solve their problems and improve their
experience.
Consultancy Administrators: Consultancy administrators are involved in the management of
student applications and communication with universities and in the overall workflow
management. They require tools for effective management of universities and courses, application
reviews and verification and reporting and analysis. I developed the Admin System to perform
these functions in order to assist administrators in improving their work efficiency.

Universities: Although universities are not direct use of the system, they are important
stakeholders because they receive applications through the platform. Their main concern is to get
correct and complete applications from students. In this way, UniSelect relieves universities from
the time and labor consumption of checking documents and screening students for eligibility.

Developers (Myself): In the role of the developer, I was involved in the development,
implementation and maintenance of the system. I was more concerned with the development of a
strong, flexible and easy to use system that would be useful to all the users. I also made sure that
the system was developed following the best practices in the development of software including
security, performance and maintainability.

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4.2 Functional Requirements

The functional requirements for UniSelect have been gathered here in a table. These requirements
describe the particular characteristics and capabilities the system has to offer to satisfy its users'
needs.

Table 1

Requirement ID Functional Requirement Description

1. User Registration and The system should allow
Authentication students and administrators to
register and log in securely
using email and password.
2. University and Course University and course listings
Listings should be able to be added,
changed, and deleted by
administrators including
eligibility criteria, language
requirements, and deadlines.
3. Language Proficiency The system should match
Matching students' language proficiency
scores (e.g., IELTS, PTE,
SAT) with course
requirements and recommend
eligible courses.
4. Document Upload and Students should be able to
Verification upload required documents
(e.g., transcripts, passports,
language test scores), and the
system should use OCR to
extract and verify text.
5. Real-Time Communication The system should include a
real-time chatting system
using WebSocket and Pusher
to facilitate communication
between students and
administrators.
6. Personalized Course The system should provide
Recommendations personalized course
recommendations based on
the student's academic
background, language
proficiency, and preferences.

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4.3 Non-Functional Requirements

The non-functional requirements for UniSelect are compiled here in a table. These criteria specify
the performance standards of the system as well as the quality criteria it needs to provide a
dependable, safe, and easy-to-use interface.

Table 2

Requirement ID Non-Functional Description

Requirement
1. Performance For typical tasks, the system
should manage up to 1,000
concurrent users with a
response times less than 3
seconds.
2. Scalability If the number of people and
data grows in the future, the
system should be able to
handle it without slowing
down.
3. Security Secure authentication,
encryption, and role-based
access control must be used to
keep private user data safe.
4. Usability The system should have an
easy-to-understand interface
that can be used by people
with different levels of
technology knowledge.
5. Reliability At least 99.9% of the time, the
system should be up, making
sure that people can always
use it.
6. Response Time Response times should be less
than 2 seconds for important
tasks like uploading
documents, chatting in real
time, and getting personalized
course suggestions.
7. Error Handling If something goes wrong or an
incorrect input is entered, the
system should give users clear
and helpful error messages.
8. Third-Party Integration The system should seamlessly
integrate with third-party
services, such as OCR

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(Tesseract) and real-time
communication (Pusher).

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4.4 User Requirements

The table below represents the user requirements for UniSelect. These requirements state the
particular needs and expectations of the system's users, students, and consultancy administrators.

Table 3

Requirement ID User Requirement Description

1. Student Registration and Students should be able to
Login register and log in to the
system using their email and
password.
2. University and Course Search It should be possible for
students to look for
universities and courses based
on things like their desired
language, field of study, and
country.
3. Language Proficiency Students should be able to put
Matching in their language test scores
(like IELTS, PTE, or SAT)
and get course suggestions
that are right for them.
4. Document Upload and It should be possible for
Verification students to upload necessary
documents like transcripts,
passports, and language test
scores, and OCR should
instantly check them.
5. Application Submission Students should be able to
submit applications for
courses and track their status
in real-time.
6. Real-Time Communication Students should be able to
communicate with
administrators in real-time
using a chat feature to resolve
queries and receive guidance.
7. Personalized Students should receive
Recommendations personalized course
recommendations based on
their academic background,
language proficiency, and
preferences.

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5. Literature Review

During the process of establishing UniSelect, I thoroughly

reviewed the body of current solutions, noted areas of
need, and learned best practices for consulting
management system design. I looked into case studies on
university application procedures, educational consulting
systems, and the use of technology in education as well as
academic papers and industry reports. Although there are
various websites for applications to universities, many
lack aspects essential for simplifying the process—
language proficiency matching, real-time communication,
and automatic document checking. Many times depending
mostly on hand-operated processes, existing methods
cause inefficiency and mistakes.
Figure 3: Literature Review
I also looked at using cutting-edge technologies as
WebSocket and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in
related uses. While WebSocket has been shown to improve user engagement and satisfaction,
studies underlined the efficiency of OCR in automating document processing and lowering manual
effort. I also looked over research on user experience (UX) design ideas to make sure the platform
would be understandable to users with different degrees of technological knowledge.

This study helped me to pinpoint the main elements and tools required to solve problems
confronting consultants and students. Building on the knowledge acquired from the literature
helped me to create a system that not only satisfies user needs but also includes creative ideas to
increase efficiency and openness in the university application process.

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5.1 Existing Systems And Their Limitations

In the course of developing UniSelect, I made a comprehensive analysis of the current systems
and platforms that are supposed to help students with university applications. Although these
systems provide useful functions, I noticed several drawbacks that motivated me to develop a
better and easier solution. The following is a description of the existing systems and their
weaknesses that I identified:

Lack of Centralization:
However, there are currently existing systems that make students navigate through different
platforms in order to perform different tasks like finding out more info about universities, applying
for them and even checking on the progress they are making. Such a system is inconvenient and
ambiguous due to the absence of integration. I thought it could be useful to develop one platform
where all the above mentioned functions can be easily performed.

Manual Document Verification:

Most systems rely on a simple method of document verification, which is unreliable and time-
consuming. This may result in wrong or missing information in the application forms which will
be a source of frustration to the students as well as administrators. To overcome this limitation, I
have incorporated OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to streamline the document
processing and reduce the need for manual intervention.

Limited Language Proficiency Matching:

Almost no systems provide tools to compare students' language proficiency scores (e.g. IELTS,
PTE, SAT) with course requirements. As a result, students sometimes apply for courses they are
not eligible for, thus wasting time and money. I built in a language proficiency matching feature
into UniSelect so that students can only apply for suitable courses.

Poor Communication Tools:

A lot of sites don't have real-time chat features, which makes it hard for students to get help from
administrators when they need it. This can make it take longer to answer questions and send in
applications. To fix this, I set up a real-time chat system using WebSocket and Pusher so that
students and managers could talk to each other right away.

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5.2 Educational Consultancy System Technology Trends

In the development of UniSelect, I made sure that the platform is in sync with the latest technology
trends in educational consultancy systems. The following are the key trends I identified and
incorporated into the design and development of UniSelect: During my research for UniSelect, I
ensured that the platform is up to date with the latest technology trends in educational consultancy
systems to make it a state-of-the-art solution. The following are the key trends I identified and
incorporated into the design and development of UniSelect:

Automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI): Thus, automation and AI are changing the way
educational consultancy systems work. The document verification was also made more efficient
with the help of OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology which I implemented to work
automatically and with less effort and mistake. Furthermore, I employed AI driven algorithms for
language proficiency matching and personalized course recommendations which based on
student's profile gives them suggested recommendations.

Real-Time Communication: Real-time communication tools are turning to be indispensable in

increasing the rate of user interaction and giving instant assistance. I developed a real-time
chatting system using WebSocket and Pusher to enable instant communication between students
and administrators. It also reduces the time of resolving queries and enhances the overall user
experience.

Cloud-Based Solutions: Cloud computing is getting popular for its effectiveness, adaptability,
and economy. I ensured that UniSelect is developed to be compatible with cloud hosting platforms
such as Hostinger, Nexo Server to ensure that the system is capable of supporting many users and
data without a decline in performance. Cloud hosting also provides for regular updates and
maintenance without disrupting business operations.

5.3 Role Of Ocr And Real-Time Communication

In developing UniSelect, I understood the importance of OCR (Optical Character Recognition)

and real-time communication in increasing the effectiveness and usability of the platform. It is
important to mention that OCR technology is used in the automation of the document verification
process which is an important part of the university application process. I have incorporated
Tesseract OCR to the system that enables the system to recognize and verify text in documents
that are uploaded in the database, such transcripts, passports, and language test scores. This
automation reduces the human effort, avoids mistakes and speeds up the application process to
enable students upload their documents easily and accurately. Moreover, OCR guarantees that the
data picked from documents is accurate and precise to the extent that is required by the
universities.

Real time communication however is very vital in the process of making it easy for students to
communicate with consultancy administrators. Real-time chatting was also incorporated to enable
instant messaging between users using WebSocket and Pusher. This feature enables the student
to get information, get assistance or get clarifications of certain queries within the platform, thus

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eliminating the time lost in long processes. Real-time communication is crucial to administrators
as they are able to offer instant support to students, process applications efficiently and
communicate effectively with universities. Thus, OCR and real-time communication assist in the
simplification of the application process and lead to a more clear, effective and convenient
platform for all the users.

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6. Artefact Planning

The creation of UniSelect needed thorough planning and organized execution to make sure that all
of its features worked well. As part of planning my artifact, I had to come up with important
milestones, define the project's scope, and set due dates for each development process.

6.1 System Requirements

6.1.1 Hardware Requirements
• Processor: Intel Core i5 or higher
• RAM: Minimum 8GB (Recommended: 16GB)
• Storage: Minimum 100GB free space (SSD preferred)
• Internet Connection: Stable broadband for cloud hosting & communication
• Server Requirements: VPS (Hostinger)

6.1.1 Software Requirements

• Operating System: Windows, macOS, or Linux (Ubuntu preferred for server)
• Backend Framework: Laravel (PHP 8.2)
• Database: MySQL 8.x
• Web Server: Apache
• Frontend Technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Livewire (Blade Templates)
• Version Control: Git/GitHub
• Development Tools: Visual Studio Code
• Other Dependencies: Composer

These hardware and software requirements ensure smooth development and deployment of
UniSelect.

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6.2 System Architecture Design

6.2.1 System Architecture Overview

The architecture of UniSelect is designed to be modular, scalable and efficient to guarantee that
the system is able to meet the needs of its users and at the same time exhibits high performance
and reliability. The system architecture is divided into three main layers: Presentation Layer,
Application Layer and Data Layer, as outlined below. Overall, the selected architecture meets the
project's requirements for a flexible and future-proof system that can efficiently handle the diverse
needs of a university's online store. Additionally, the separation of concerns between the layers
ensures the long-term sustainability and extendibility of the system.

Presentation Layer (Front-End)

This layer is in charge of the front end i.e User Interface and User Experience of the system.
Developed using Laravel Blade for the server-side rendering and JavaScript for the dynamic
content. To make sure the platform is available for use on different devices including desktop,
tablets and smartphones. Developed with the help of WebSocket and Pusher to enable instant
messaging between students and administrators.

Application Layer (Back-End)

This layer receives and processes user requests and controls the flow of information between the
client and data layers. Laravel Framework: For routing, middleware, controllers, and business
logic. Uses Tesseract OCR to extract and validate text from documents that are uploaded.
Developed with the help of Pusher and WebSocket for instant messaging. To match students’
language scores with course requirements, algorithms are designed. Reasoning to build student
profiles and suggest courses accordingly. Processes user inputs like application submissions and
document uploads. It also manages communication between students and administrators. Controls
data validation, authentication, and authorization.

Data Layer (Database And Storage)

This layer is in charge of all system data and its storage and management. Stores structured data
including user profiles, university and courses available, applications made and the chats
conducted. It also stores uploaded documents like transcripts, passports securely. Securely stores
uploaded documents (e.g., transcripts, passports). Uses caching mechanisms (e.g., Redis) to
improve performance of data that is often requested. Makes sure that all system operations have
data persistence and data retrieval. Protects data integrity and security through encryption and
backup. (Han, Liu and Wang, 2023)

The architecture of UniSelect is designed to be modular, scalable and user centric, so that the
system is able to meet the needs of its users and at the same time exhibit high performance and
reliability. In order to divide the system into different layers and then integrate technologies like
advanced technologies such as OCR, real time communication, I have tried to build a platform

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that can simplify the university application process and make it easy and smooth for students and
administrators.

Front-End Design

UniSelect's front-end design focuses on developing an intuitive interface that provides responsive
user interaction while creating a user-friendly experience which ensures smooth operations for
students and administrators alike. The design places emphasis on straightforwardness and
uniformity through its uncluttered minimalistic layout. The professional color scheme featuring
blue and white tones establishes an environment of trust and approachability while the use of clear
fonts improves text readability. The interface includes minimal icons and graphics to create visual
appeal without distracting users. The platform functions perfectly across desktops, tablets and
smartphones thanks to its fully responsive design.

The design incorporates adaptive layouts and touch-responsive components including buttons and
links to provide effortless navigation across different devices. The home page, registration and
login pages, university and course search page, and application submission page provide users
with step-by-step directions and instant feedback throughout the process. The real-time chat
interface built with WebSocket and Pusher enables students and administrators to engage instantly
while offering message history and notification features.

The platform prioritizes accessibility through keyboard navigation features and screen reader
compatibility along with sufficient color contrast to ensure usability for users with disabilities.
User engagement and immediate feedback improve through interactive features including hover
effects, loading indicators, and form validation. UniSelect's front-end design streamlines the
university application experience while offering a visually pleasing and efficient interface for
everyone.

Back-End Design

The back end of UniSelect is designed to guarantee performance, scalability, and security and to
support the main functions of the platform. The system is developed using Laravel, a PHP
framework, which gives a clear and modular way of handling business logic, routing, and
middleware. It is divided into several key components, including user authentication, application
processing, document verification, and real-time communication. Role based access control
system provides secure authentication to prevent unauthorized access for students and
administrators to certain features. The application processing module performs functions like
university and course management, application submissions and status, while the document
verification module has the capability to incorporate OCR technology for the extraction and
validation of text from the uploaded documents. WebSocket and Pusher are used for real-time
communication to enable students and administrators to chat with one another. Language
proficiency matching and personalized course recommendations are also provided by the
algorithms to provide students’ suggestions according to their profiles. MySQL is used for data
storage and management because it is a robust and popular relational database management system
that offers data storage and management. Security measures include data encryption, secure
authentication, and compliance with data protection standards like GDPR. The back end is built

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to grow to accommodate more users and data without impacting performance. In general, the back
end of UniSelect is designed to provide a secure, efficient, and scalable foundation for all the front
end features and the university application process.

Database Design

The database design of UniSelect ensures that data is stored, retrieved, and managed efficiently,
while also supporting the platform's main functions. The system is centered on MySQL, a reliable
relational database management system, to store and manage data that is structured in a way that
allows it to be found quickly when needed.

The design of the UniSelect database is careful and precise, a necessity because it must serve—
not just adequately but well—the platform's core functions. These functions, as you might imagine,
revolve around data access, retrieval, and manipulation. Ensuring efficient and speedy means of
access to all that data is the central design aim of not just the database but also the larger database
management system (DBMS) that houses the database and provides tools for database
administrators. Speedier access means at least two things: one, that the data in the database is
organized for easy access, and two, that any relevant access queries that are run against the data
are themselves organized and optimized for easy processing.

Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD)

Upon scrutiny of ERD on UniSelect, it allows the relationships between key entities to be seen
hence giving a data management structure of such reasonable and logical order. Main entities that
characterize the diagram include Users, Universities, Courses, Applications, Documents,
Messages, and Reports. Being an abstraction of real-life concepts in the system for which it is
designed participation should be drawn to portray interaction among them. The University might
take several courses offering thus creating one-to-many relationships. Another example is such
that one user can make many applications; hence, making a report for one user- many applications.
Here comes Documents joined to Users, whereas Messages joined Users deliver communication
with related information regarding who the sender and recipient are.

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6.3 UML Diagram

Multiple UML diagrams including Use Case Diagram, Class Diagram, Sequence Diagram and
Activity Diagram were developed to achieve a well-structured design for UniSelect. The diagrams
provide a visual representation of the system structure and functionality which makes it easier to
understand user interactions and system behavior. (What is a UML Diagram? | Different Types
and Benefits | Miro, no date)

The Use Case Diagram shows the system’s interactions with different users. The application
defines two main actors: students and consultants who perform different roles in the application.
Students who use the application can register and submit applications and upload required
documents but consultants review applications and offer guidance to students. The diagram
presents the main system functionalities and user interactions in an easy-to-understand format.

The Class Diagram shows the system’s structural components which include classes attributes
and relationships. The diagram contains essential entities which include User, Student, Consultant,
University, Application and Document. The organized system of data classification helps future
development by making it simpler to handle and organize information.

The Sequence Diagram shows the sequential interactions between users and the system. Students
can apply to universities through the system while consultants review applications and the system
handles the information processing. I implemented this sequence to maintain proper logical
connections between application process steps which execute in the correct order.

The Activity Diagram illustrates the application processing workflow which starts with student
registration and ends with university approval. The diagram shows the sequence of operations and
decision-making points that occur within the system. The diagram functions as a vital tool to
achieve efficient application handling and smooth process execution.

The UML diagrams establish a solid foundation for UniSelect because they create a well-
organized system that grows easily and remains simple to sustain. These diagrams function as
fundamental development plans and future system enhancement guidelines.

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6.4 Use Case Diagram

Figure 4: Use Case Diagram

I created a Use Case Diagram for UniSelect to improve knowledge about system-user system
interactions. The diagram shows users' available system functions and their connections to the
system components. The system contains two main actors who are students and consultants each
performing distinct roles within the system. (Nishadha, 2024)

Students can perform account registration and login functions and they can browse universities
and submit applications and upload documents and monitor their application status through the
system. The consultant's responsibilities include application review and document verification and
consultation services and application approval or rejection functions. The system operates all these
processes with high efficiency while protecting data security and maintaining data integrity.

The admin controls the platform through account management of students and consultants and
system performance monitoring and issue resolution. The Use Case Diagram illustrates system
user interactions by showing all necessary logical actions. The Use Case Diagram helps identify
both absent functionalities and required workflow improvements.

The diagram provided me with a clear definition of system boundaries which included all user
needs. The visual representation provides developers with system functionality understanding and
supports system growth and expansion plans. The Use Case Diagram functions as a critical system
design element because it clarifies user interactions to enhance UniSelect efficiency.

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6.5 ER Diagram

Figure 5: ER Diagram

I developed an Entity-Relationship (ER) Diagram to design a well-structured database for

UniSelect which illustrates data entities and their connections. The diagram enables efficient data
organization while minimizing data duplication and ensuring proper system data movement.
(Entity-relationship modeling, no date)

The ER Diagram contains essential entities including Student, Consultant, University,

Application, Document and Admin. A student can submit applications to various universities
because each Application connects to a University. Students must upload their required documents
to the Document entity which links to their specific applications.

The Consultant entity plays a crucial role in reviewing and verifying applications. The Admin
entity oversees the entire system, managing users and ensuring the platform operates smoothly.
The ER Diagram helped me establish precise relationships between system components during
the design process. The visual representation enabled efficient database organization which
preserved data accuracy and improved query speed. The diagram provides future scalability
benefits because it enables new feature implementations without damaging the current database
structure.

The ER Diagram functions as a vital part of UniSelect because it maintains organized data
accessibility. Through precise relationship and attribute mapping I developed a strong and

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expandable database system which enables the consultancy management system to operate
efficiently.

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6.6 Database Schema

I created a database schema for UniSelect to manage data efficiently and effectively. The schema
consists of multiple tables, each representing a key entity in the system, with well-defined
relationships to maintain data integrity and optimize performance.

users
Description: User Table
Field Name Dataty Lengt Inde Nu Defau Validati Description
pe h x ll lt on rule
id (Primary) int (10) 10 PK No Autoincremen
ted
unsigne Uniquely
d identifies
every user
name varchar 255 No Autoincremen
(255) ted
Uniquely
identifies
every user
email varchar 255 No email of user
(255)
email_verified varchar 255 Ye Email verified
_at (255) s at
password varchar 255 No password
(255)

Indexes
Keyname Type Unique Column Null
PRIMARY BTREE Yes id No

Table 4

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media
Description: Media Table
Field Name Datatyp Lengt Inde Nul Defaul Description
e h x l t
id (Primary) int (10) 10 PK No Autoincremented
Uniquely identifies
unsigne every user
d
model varchar 255 No model
(255)
collection_name varchar 255 No collection_name
(255)
name varchar 255 Yes name
(255)
file_name varchar 255 No file_name
(255)
mime_type varchar 255 No mime_type
(255)
disk varchar 255 No disk
(255)
conversions_disk varchar 255 No conversions_disk
(255)
size varchar 255 No size
(255)
manipulations varchar 255 No manipulations
(255)
custom_properties varchar 255 No custom_properties
(255)
generated_conversio varchar 255 No generated_conversio
ns (255) ns
responsive_images varchar 255 No esponsive_images
(255)
order_column varchar 255 No order_column
(255)

Indexes
Keyname Type Unique Column Null
PRIMARY BTREE Yes id No

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universities
Description: University Table
Field Name Datatype Length Index Null Default Description
id (Primary) int (10) 10 PK No Autoincremented
Uniquely identifies
unsigned every user
country_id Int(10) 10 No Foreign key
name (unique) varchar 255 No name
(255)
slug varchar 255 No slug
(255)
address varchar 255 No address
(255)
city varchar 255 No city
(255)
website varchar 255 No website
(255)
email varchar 255 No email
(255)
phone varchar 255 No phone
(255)
description text Yes description

Indexes
Keyname Type Unique Column Null
PRIMARY BTREE Yes id No
FOREIGN KEY BTREE Yes Country_id No
Table 5

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site_settings
Description: Site Settings Table
Field Name Datatype Length Index Null Default Description

id (Primary) int (10) 10 PK No Autoincremented

Uniquely
unsigned identifies every
id

settingable_type varchar 255 Yes settingable_type

(255)
settingable_id varchar 255 Yes settingable_id
(255)
key varchar 255 Yes key
(255)
value varchar 255 Yes value
(255)
type varchar 255 Yes type
(255)
created_at varchar 255 No created_at
(255)
updated_at varchar 255 No updated_at
(255)

Indexes
Keyname Type Unique Column Null
PRIMARY BTREE Yes id No
Table 6

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courses
Description: Courses Table
Field Name Datatype Length Index Null Default Description
id (Primary) int (10) 10 PK No Autoincremented
Uniquely identifies
unsigned every id
university_id varchar 255 No University_id
(255)
name (unique) varchar 255 No name
(255)
slug varchar 255 Yes slug
(255)
program_level varchar 255 No Program_level
(255)
course_duration Int (10) 10 No Course_duration
tuition_fees varchar 255 No Tuition_fees
(255)
application_fees varchar 255 No Application_fees
(255)
description text No description
min_ielts_reading int (10) 10 No min_ielts_reading
min_ielts_writing int (10) 10 No min_ielts_writing
min_ielts_listening int (10) 10 No min_ielts_listening
min_ielts_speaking int (10) 10 No min_ielts_speaking
min_ielts_overall int (10) 10 No min_ielts_overall

Indexes
Keyname Type Unique Column Null
PRIMARY BTREE Yes id No
FOREIGN KEY BTREE Yes university_id No

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applications
Description: Site Settings Table
Field Name Datatype Length Index Null Default Description
id (Primary) int (10) 10 PK No Autoincremented
Uniquely
unsigned identifies every id
student_id int (10) 10 FK No Student ID
unsigned
university_id int (10) 10 FK No University ID
unsigned
course_id int (10) 10 FK No Course ID
unsigned
document_status varchar 255 No Document Status
(255)
application_status varchar 255 No Application Status
(255)
created_at timestamp No created_at
updated_at timestamp No updated_at

Indexes
Keyname Type Unique Column Null
PRIMARY BTREE Yes id No
FOREIGN KEY BTREE Yes Student_id No
FOREIGN KEY BTREE Yes university_id No
FOREIGN KEY BTREE Yes course_id No

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6.7 UI (User Interface)

The construction of UniSelect's user interface (UI) was achieved through simplicity, usability and
responsiveness in mind. To guarantee that the UI is as straightforward as possible for managers,
consultants and students to enable the application process to run as seamless and quick as it should
be,

To guarantee a dynamic and ordered layout, I front-end using Laravel Blade templates. The design
is current and clean with a well-organized navigation system that lets users quickly access the
several features. The students can register, log in, search colleges, apply and upload paperwork
through a user-friendly dashboard. Consultants can evaluate student applications, check
documentation, and provide comments using their unique portal. The administrative panel serves
for system performance monitoring, application monitoring, and user control. I used Bootstrap and
custom CSS to make the user experience responsive to many devices, therefore improving it.

Figure 6: Student login UI

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Figure 7: Student signup UI

Figure 8: Admin login UI

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Figure 9: Admin dashboard UI

Figure 10: Student UI

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Figure 11: Student application list UI

Figure 12: View application UI

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Figure 13: Admin university list UI

Figure 14: Admin create uiniversity UI

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Figure 15: All courses list UI

Figure 16: Create course UI

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Figure 17: Profile setting UI

Figure 18: Company setting UI

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Figure 19: Service chat UI

Figure 20: Student Home Dashboard UI

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Figure 21: Student University List UI

Figure 22: Student Course List UI

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Figure 23: Student Profile UI

Figure 24: Student Test Score UI

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7. Market Research

I performed a thorough market analysis before coming up with the idea of UniSelect to determine
the current situation in the education consultancy industry. There is a high demand for higher
education overseas, with students trying to get better education in countries like the United
Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and the United States among others. University selection, visa
processing and scholarship application are some of the services that education consultancies
provide to students but yet many consultancy firms still use conventional, paper based systems
which are slow and cumbersome.

In my research, I reviewed several online consultancy sites and observed some gaps that I will
describe below. Some systems were not integrated to enable students to search for universities,
apply and even follow up on their applications in one place. Furthermore, the issue of data security
was a big issue because student’s data was being handled manually. To this end, I paid much
attention to the development of UniSelect with increased level of security, simple and easy to use
navigation and an application process that is fully automated.

The research also showed that digital solutions are increasingly being used in the education sector.
As a result of the increasing numbers of technology-based consultancies, there is a need for web-
based platforms that can help students in a variety of ways. I have used Laravel and MySQL to
develop UniSelect to ensure that the platform is consistent with current web application
technologies for a smooth user experience. Also, the system has been developed to be scalable to
enable consultancy firms to offer more services to their clients without having to incur the costs
of developing new technologies.

My secondary data analysis was also based on understanding students’ preferences and behaviors.
I discovered that students want consultancy websites that provide clear information on the
application process, quick contact with consultants, and accurate details about the universities.
These features are incorporated in UniSelect, which makes it useful for both students and
education consultancies. By identifying the weaknesses of the current systems and incorporating
new features, I am confident that UniSelect is capable of changing the way consultancy is done
for international students.

7.1 Secondary Market Research

For UniSelect, I have carried out a thorough secondary research in order to identify the current
state of the education consultancy sector, its strengths and weaknesses and the generally prevailing
tendencies. To this end, I collected data from various online consultancy websites, students’
preferences, and industry reports to make sure that the system I am developing is in sync with the
present market trends.

One key aspect I looked at was the global student mobility trend. According to statistics from
international education associations, the number of students who want to study in foreign countries
is on the rise especially in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. This trend has increased the need
for consultancy services and thus the need to transform the sector through digitalization. Most of

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the consultancy firms still use conventional and rigid systems which are more time consuming and
error prone, thus creating a opportunity that UniSelect intends to address.

I also conducted a research on the current online consultancy platforms and their pros and cons.
Some of the systems are able to list universities but fail to incorporate a clear application tracking
system which results in the students’ confusion and time loss. Furthermore, the issue of data
security was of great concern to me since students have to provide their personal and academic
information. In light of this, I paid much attention to the security features of UniSelect which
include authentication, encrypted data storage, and secure document handling.

Also, my research showed that the use of AI and automation in student consultancy is on the rise.
Many students expect to get clear and fast information, quick response from the consultants and
this is something that most traditional firms cannot offer. In order to meet this challenge, I have
developed UniSelect with a student-friendly dashboard through which students can be able to
know the progress of their applications, get notifications and even communicate with the
consultants in real time.

In this light, I compared different studies, other platforms, and industry trends to make sure that
UniSelect combines the new technologies with the main requirements of students and consultancy
companies. Thus, the research proved that a effective, automatic and safe consultancy
management system like UniSelect is capable of changing the manner in which students apply for
international universities.

7.2 Primary Market Research

In order to get direct data from the customers who are potential students and education consultants
I carried out primary market research. This involved direct contact with the potential consumers
through surveys, interviews and even conversations with students who want to study abroad and
the consultancy firms that assist in the application process.

First, I created a systematic questionnaire to distribute to students who have applied or are
applying for universities abroad. The survey was aimed at finding out the challenges that are most
common to them, how they prefer to communicate with consultants, and what features they would
like to see in a digital consultancy system. Based on the results of the survey, it was revealed that
the majority of students required a clear application process, updates in real time, and a simple
platform that would enable them to upload documents, monitor application progress, and get
feedback from consultants regularly.

Beside students, I also made interviews with the representatives of education consultancy firms
in order to understand their process and their problems. Many of the consultants mentioned
problems with handling many applications at once, document verification, and deadline tracking.
They showed interest in the system that would automate these processes and at the same time
would help in a smooth interaction with students.

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7.2.1 Survey Questions

As part of my market research on primary market for UniSelect, I carried out a survey in order to
gain insights from students and education consultants. The survey was conducted in order to gain
an understanding of the difficulties that are encountered during the university application process
and the elements that could enhance the experience of the consultancy. The following are the key
questions that were included in the survey:

For Students:

1. Have you applied to study abroad before? (Yes/No)

2. Which country are you most interested in for higher education?
3. What challenges did you face while applying to universities?
4. How do you prefer to communicate with education consultants? (Email, Phone, WhatsApp,
Online Portal, Other)
5. Would you prefer a digital platform to track your application progress? (Yes/No)
6. How important is real-time application status tracking for you? (Not important / Slightly
important / Very important)
7. What features would you like to see in an online consultancy management system?
8. How do you currently upload and submit documents for university applications?
9. Have you ever faced difficulties in keeping track of application deadlines? (Yes/No)
10. Would you be interested in automated reminders for important deadlines? (Yes/No)

For Education Consultants:

1. What are the biggest challenges you face in managing student applications?
2. How do you currently track and manage applications?
3. Do you use any digital system to process student applications? (Yes/No)
4. What features would make the application management process easier for you?
5. How do you communicate with students regarding their application status?
6. Do you find document collection and verification time-consuming? (Yes/No)
7. Would you benefit from an automated system for tracking student applications? (Yes/No)
8. What security features do you expect in an online consultancy management system?
9. How frequently do you update students about their application progress?
10. Would you be interested in a platform that automates communication and notifications?
(Yes/No)

These survey questions helped me figure out what both students and education experts were having
trouble with, which helped me make UniSelect work better for both groups.

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7.2.2 Data Analysis

After getting survey answers from students and education consultants, I carefully analyzed the data
to find useful information that helped me make UniSelect. The data was put into main themes that
showed typical problems and what users expected.

Figure 25: Survey 1

Figure 26: Survey 2

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Figure 27: Survey 3

Figure 28: Survey 4

Figure 29: Survey 5

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Figure 30: Survey 6

Figure 31: Survey 7

Figure 32: Survey 8

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Figure 33: Survey 9

Figure 34: Survey 10

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8. Development Methodology

Using the Agile technique helped me to guarantee a flexible, iterative, user-centric approach to
create UniSelect, therefore ensuring development of the system. Because it let me divide the
development process into smaller, doable tasks, include feedback constantly, and change with the
times, agile methodology was especially appropriate for this project. The following is how I used
the Agile approach to UniSelect's development:

Project Planning and Requirement Gathering: To better grasp their demands and problems, I
started by compiling needs from possible users—including consultants and students and
administrative staff. To identify the main characteristics of the system—language proficiency
matching, OCR-based document verification, and real-time communication—this included
interviewing, surveying, and brainstorming sessions. Drawing on the criteria, I constructed a
product backlog comprising all the jobs and features to be produced. These chores were ranked in
relevance and difficulty, hence I gave them different priority. (Agile database techniques, no date)
Figure 35: Agile Methodology
Sprint Planning: The development process was broken down into two-week sprints. Every sprint
started with me choosing a set of chores from the product backlog to focus on, so ensuring that
high-priority features developed first. I developed a sprint backlog for every sprint, comprising
comprehensive chores including user interface design, OCR integration, or real-time chat feature
creation.

Iterative Development: Every sprint I focused on designing and testing the selected features.
Working iteratively, I developed a basic version of every feature, tested it, and then refined it
depending on comments and testing results. For example, I started with a basic OCR feature
implementation and over numerous runs incrementally improved its performance and accuracy.
Building from basic messaging capability, I progressively included notifications and message
history to the real-time chat platform in next sprints.

Continuous Testing: Every sprint included testing in some form. To make sure every feature
fulfilled user needs and operated as expected, I tested usability, integration, and unit. Constant
testing helped me to find and resolve problems early in the development process, therefore
lowering the likelihood of more significant problems down road.

User Feedback and Adaptation: I let possible users and stakeholders know about the
development at the end of every sprint to get comments. The features were honed and jobs were
prioritized using this input for the following sprint. For instance, I changed the UI to make it
simpler and included more precise user instructions following comments on the usability of the
application submission system.
Daily Stand-ups and Progress Tracking: Working alone on this project, I maintained a rigorous
approach by planning daily stand-ups with myself to review development, identify areas of
difficulty, and generate daily assignments. Using Trello, I tracked tasks and advancement across
each sprint. This helped me to stay neat and guaranteed that I was moving toward my goals.

Final Deployment and Post-Deployment Support: Once all the sprints were finished and the
system satisfied criteria, I put UniSelect live. I made sure the system was scalable and safe while

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hosting using cloud platforms such as Heroku. I kept observing the system's performance and
getting user comments post-deployment to make constant enhancements. This covered bug repairs,
speed optimization, and feature additions depending on user need.

Using the Agile process helped me to create UniSelect in a methodical yet adaptable way. The
iterative method let me constantly incorporate comments, change with the times, and produce a
top-notch product fit for its consumers. This approach guaranteed that the system was user-centric,
dependable, and ready for actual use in addition to helping me control the complexity of the
project.

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9. Unit Testing

Table 7: Unit Testing

I performed extensive testing on UniSelect to guarantee its reliability and functionality through
unit testing. The system components received verification for correct operation through unit
testing. The application partitioning allowed me to detect problems during the early stages of
development. I implemented PHPUnit as the testing framework while utilizing Laravel's built-in
testing framework to create and run unit tests. The tests evaluated essential application features
which included user authentication and application submission and document uploads and
consultant approval processes. The system underwent various user simulation tests to validate its
functions operated correctly across different scenarios.

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Table 8: Unit Test Case 1

Table 9

Test Case Descript Input Data Expected Actual Stat

ion Output Output us
it_attempts_login_with_correct_ Tests if Email: Login Login
credentials <user_em
login should be successfu Pass
ail>
succeed successfu l, user
s with Password: l, and authentic
password
correct 123 user ated
credenti should be
als authentic
ated

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Table 10: Unit Test Case 2

Test Case Descri Input Data Expected Actual Output Stat

ption Output us
it_throws_exception_whe Ensure Email: A ValidationEx
n_rate_limited test@examp ValidationEx ception
s login Pas
le.com ception thrown as
throws s
an Password: should be expected
password thrown due to
excepti
on excessive
when login attempts
rate
limit is
exceed
ed
Table 11

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Table 12: Unit Test Case 3

Test Case Description Input Expected Actual Status

Data Output Output
it_checks_user_role_correctly Ensures User Returns true for
user role is assigned true for Admin,
correctly role: Admin false
checked Admin role, for
false for Student Pass
Student
role

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Table 13: Unit Test 4

Test Case Description Input Expected Actual Status

Data Output Output
it_performs_logout_correctly Ensures Logged- User should be User
user is in User logged out and logged
logged out unauthenticated out,
successfully now a Pass
guest
Table 14

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10. Evaluation Plan

I created a thorough evaluation plan to guarantee UniSelect's performance, usability, and general
influence so that the system would be successful and effective. Multiple phases of testing and
feedback gathering under this approach help to pinpoint areas of strength, solve problems, and
guarantee that the platform satisfies consumer needs. The salient features of the evaluation plan
are listed below:

1. Functional Testing

Objective: To verify that all features of the system work as intended.

Approach: To guarantee smooth interaction between several modules, I performed integration
testing and unit testing for specific components—e.g., language proficiency matching, OCR
integration. Testing edge cases and error handling helped to guarantee the system operates as it
should under several conditions.
Outcome: Every problem found during testing was recorded and fixed to guarantee consistent
system operation.

2. User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

Objective: To validate that the system meets the requirements and expectations of its users.
Approach: To evaluate the system in a real-world setting, I assembled a group of end users
comprising consultants and students as well as administrative officials. They were requested to
spend a certain amount of time on the site and offer comments on its general efficacy, usability,
and functionality.
Outcome: Final changes and guarantees the system is ready for usage derived from the comments
gathered during UAT.

3. Usability Testing

Objective: To assess the platform's user-friendliness and guarantee it satisfies officials' and
students' requirements.
Approach: Along with consulting staff and students, I tested usability with a set of possible users.
Participants were instructed to finish particular assignments including applying, looking for
courses, and using the real-time chat tool. Surveys and interviews let them provide comments on
the navigation, usability, and general experience.
Outcome: The comments let me see areas that needed work, including streamlining the application
process and including more clear first-time user instructions.

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11. Evaluation

The review of UniSelect was mostly about how well it worked, how useful it was, and how
satisfied users were with it. Several types of testing were used on the system, such as functional
testing, user feedback, and performance research.

11.1 User Evaluation

User evaluation was performed by collecting data from students and consultants who used the
system. A survey was sent out to find out about the usability, the ease of navigation and the general
satisfaction with the product. According to the survey, most of the users found the interface easy
to use and the application process simple. However, some of them suggested some small changes,
for example, more search filters for the universities and better document upload notification.
Hence, the necessary changes were made according to the feedback received to improve the user
experience and the workflow.

11.2 Performance Evaluation

The efficiency, speed and scalability of the system were

tested through performance evaluation. Stress testing was
performed on the system with concurrent users to
determine its traffic capacity. To improve response times,
database queries were optimized and caching mechanisms
were put in place. The system stability and responsiveness
was maintained and sustained, so that students and
consultants could use the platform without delay. Security
features were also tested to establish data security and to
avoid unauthorized access to the data. Hence, the
evaluation was successful in proving that UniSelect has
achieved its target of offering a competent and effective
consultancy management system for students and Figure 36: Performance Evaluation
consultants.

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12. Critical Analysis

Developing UniSelect, I examined closely the architecture, operation, and general efficiency of
the system in tackling issues confronting consultants and students. The system's capacity to
centralize and automate several facets of the university application process—including document
verification using OCR and real-time communication using WebSocket—is one of its main assets.
For administrators as well as students, these tools greatly cut manual labor, lower mistakes, and
increase efficiency. Furthermore, the language proficiency matching function guarantees that
students only apply for courses for which they qualify, therefore saving time and minimizing
pointless consultancy effort.

I did, however, also point up places where the system might use improvement. For instance, the
OCR function might struggle with low-quality scans or handwritten text, which would cause errors
even if it is good for handling conventional papers. I intend to add more validation processes and
give people explicit instructions for uploading papers to handle this. The reliance on outside
services like Pusher for real-time communication adds another restriction: depending too much on
third-party providers could cause dependability problems or extra expenses should the system
grow greatly. I am looking at other options to help to reduce this, such creating a customized
WebSocket implementation.

Moreover, even if the system is meant to be user-friendly, I understand that some users—especially
those with low technological knowledge—may need more help or training. More thorough lessons,
tool tips, and a help area inside the platform will help to improve use of the platform.
Notwithstanding these difficulties, I think UniSelect offers a great basis for next developments and
shows a major progress over conventional manual procedures. By overcoming these constraints
and always improving the system depending on user comments, I hope to build a platform that
offers best value to its users and establishes a new benchmark for efficiency and openness in the
university application process.

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13. Limitations and Future Scope

While developing UniSelect, I identified key limitations that will be addressed in the development
of the product in future. At present, the OCR-based document verification is accurate for digital
and scanned documents but fails on handwritten content or low-quality images which may need
further human interaction. The real time chat system facilitates text communication but does not
have features like file sharing or video calls that could improve the student-consultant
collaboration. (Francois et al., Text detection and post-OCR correction in engineering documents
1970)

The recommendation system uses rule based language proficiency matching instead of the
predictive analytics based on artificial intelligence which is currently limited in the
personalization. Furthermore, the platform is for small to medium consultancies and thus requires
some changes in order to be suitable for use by larger institutions, which would involve improving
cloud infrastructure and load balancing.

To build up on the future development, I propose to incorporate AI document processing to

enhance the OCR reliability and enable the recognition of handwritten text. The availability of the
platform in different languages will make it easier for international students to use it. The use of
predictive analytics based on machine learning could enhance the course recommendations to
reflect the current admission patterns. (Tafti et al., 2016) A dedicated mobile application with the
offline mode will enhance the usability, and the integration with the blockchain will provide the
ability to verify academic records and make them immune to alteration.

Further, I would like to incorporate video consultation and document collaboration features to the
chat system for more extensive communication. This would help in avoiding entry of wrong data
by integrating directly with testing agencies like IELTS and TOEFL.

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14. Conclusion

In conclusion, creating UniSelect has been a difficult but worthwhile process that let me put
technical knowledge and abilities to use addressing a practical issue. By use of a centralized,
automated, and user-friendly platform, this initiative sought to ease the university application
process for students and streamline operations for consulting administrators. I was able to solve
many of the issues users had by include cutting-edge technologies including language proficiency
matching, OCR-based document verification, and real-time communication, thereby increasing
the general efficiency of the application process.

Although the system has many advantages, like its creative features and easy design, I also saw
areas for development including the necessity of improved handling of low-quality documentation
and less reliance on other services. These difficulties have given me excellent chances for learning
and inspired me to investigate more system improvements. By giving both administrators and
students a clear, quick, and easily available platform, UniSelect has overall great potential to
influence the field of educational consulting.

Along with sharpening my technical knowledge, this project has helped me to appreciate user-
centric design, problem-solving, and ongoing development. With UniSelect, I am happy of what I
have achieved; now, I am eager to improve the system to satisfy changing needs of its consumers.
By means of this project, I wish to add to the expanding field of educational technology and show
the possibilities of digital tools to change established procedures.

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15. References

Francois, M., Eglin, V. and Biou, M. (1970) Text detection and post-OCR correction in
engineering documents, SpringerLink. Available at:
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-06555-2_49 (Accessed: 29 March 2025).

Tafti, A.P. et al. (2016) 'OCR as a service: An experimental evaluation of Google Docs OCR,
Tesseract, ABBYY FineReader, and Transym,' in Lecture notes in computer science, pp. 735–746.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50835-1_66.

Badla, S. (no date) IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF TESSERACT OCR ENGINE.

https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_projects/420/.

Communicating and Displaying Real-Time Data with WebSocket (2012).

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6197172.

Performance evaluation of Websocket protocol for implementation of full-duplex web streams

(2014). https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6859715.

Agile database techniques (no date).

https://books.google.com.np/books?hl=en&lr=&id=HtkKKEzrqb0C&oi=fnd&pg=PR3&dq=Usi
ng+the+Agile+technique+&ots=f2J032WJSA&sig=mJPZyX0QvwedCI4kZCdZUdaE3u8&redir
_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Using%20the%20Agile%20technique&f=false.

Han, Y., Liu, C. and Wang, P. (2023) A comprehensive survey on Vector Database: storage and
retrieval Technique, challenge. https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.11703.

Entity-relationship modeling (no date). https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/464652.

Nishadha (2024) Use Case Diagram Relationships Explained with Examples.

https://creately.com/blog/diagrams/use-case-diagram-relationships/.

What is a UML Diagram? | Different Types and Benefits | Miro (no date).
https://miro.com/diagramming/what-is-a-uml-diagram/.

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16. Appendix
Appendix-1

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Appendix-2

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Appendix-3

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3LYkkIuH4vngeH8yHHZIPN5r8sMj2-r-
7wz03qMZLiX21sw/viewform?usp=sf_link

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Appendix-4

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