What you get, concretely
| Counseling job | What Astra does |
|---|---|
| School list | Builds a balanced reach/match/likely list around your profile, budget, and goals — and explains the why behind each pick |
| Essays | Pressure-tests topics, gives draft feedback, keeps your voice — it will not ghostwrite (admissions offices detect that, and it loses) |
| Strategy & timeline | ED/EA/RD tradeoffs, deadline planning, activity positioning |
| Money | Points you at need-based aid, merit routes, and country-specific scholarships — with the sourced guides to verify everything |
| International layer | Credential mapping, English tests, I-20 and F-1 basics for students applying from abroad |
Why "free" isn't a gimmick here
Astra is free to start because the mission is access: the students who need counseling most are exactly the ones priced out of it. You can have a full counseling conversation — school list, essay feedback, plan — without paying. Optional paid plans exist for deeper, ongoing coaching, and they're clearly marked inside the app. No card required to begin, nothing to install.
Free, but grounded — not a toy
Advice is only as good as what it stands on. Astra is built by RightWay AI on top of an open admissions knowledge hub — 350+ guides across 17 languages, each citing primary sources (university financial-aid pages, Common App, US State Department for visas). Ask Astra a question, then read the underlying guide yourself:
- F-1 student visa: the complete guide
- Can international students get financial aid?
- Common App essay prompts, decoded
- Fully funded scholarships, by country
Who uses a free AI counselor?
- Students with no counselor at all — first-generation applicants, big public schools, small towns.
- International applicants — where local "agents" charge heavily and advise toward commissions, not your interest.
- Families comparing consultants — use Astra as the honest second opinion before (or instead of) writing a $5,000 check.
- Strong students who just want speed — instant, informed answers at 1am before the deadline.
Start with your hardest question
School list, essay topic, aid strategy — see what a counselor answers like.
Open Astra — free