Articles
Guides for applying to university abroad, and the best advice from admissions teams.
59 articles
For Central Asian students
- SAT for international students: register, find a seat and send scoresA practical SAT plan for Central Asian applicants covering digital registration, test-centre search, fees and score reporting.
- Stipendium Hungaricum for Central Asian applicantsHow applicants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan should check eligibility, nomination and application requirements for Hungary’s scholarship.
Choosing universities
- For Juniors: Beginning Your College Search
- Applying to College: The Jumbo in the Room
- Choosing Harvard
- How to choose a career
- Choosing the right UK course for youUCAS guidance for international students on picking a UK course: decide on subject, length and format first, then compare career outcomes, structure, assessment, teaching staff and rankings.
- How to Search for Your Undergraduate CollegeEducationUSA explains how international students can find and narrow down U.S. colleges using advisers, fairs, webinars, college websites and official search tools such as College Navigator and BigFuture.
- The College Search Process: Finding the Right FitTufts admissions encourages students to choose colleges on personal fit, weighing location, campus culture and academics rather than reputation, family tradition or where friends are going.
- How to Stay Organized in the College SearchPractical strategies for managing a college search: keeping a balanced list of around eight to ten schools, tracking each school's details in one place and using admissions counselors as a resource.
- FAQs from International FamiliesA USC international admission officer answers common questions from families abroad about requirements, English tests, fairness of review, scholarships and why the U.S. system suits students exploring several interests.
- The Right UniversityExplains the main types of German higher education institutions, including universities, universities of applied sciences and art and music colleges, how they are funded, and what to consider when choosing a city.
- Bachelor'sThe official Dutch study portal explains the difference between bachelor's degrees at research universities (three years, academic) and universities of applied sciences (four years, career-focused).
- Understanding Australian qualificationsThe Australian Government's study portal outlines each level of Australian qualification, from vocational training to doctoral degrees, and how students can move between them.
Applications
- Common App 2026–27: a step-by-step guide for international applicantsA practical sequence for creating a 2026–27 Common App account, adding colleges, entering school records, requesting recommendations and submitting each application.
- Applying Sideways
- What to expect at your Cambridge interviewExplains why Cambridge interviews applicants, when interviews take place, and what the subject-focused academic conversation typically looks like, so shortlisted students know what to prepare for.
- Oxford Interviews: What are they really like?A first-year Oxford chemistry student describes the interview experience and shares practical tips: thinking aloud, asking for help when stuck and preparing for online interviews.
- Guest Blog: Tips for Requesting Teacher Letter of Recommendations from a High School CounselorA high school college counselor gives six tips for asking teachers for recommendation letters, from choosing the right recommender to following school procedures and saying thank you.
- Application TipsHarvard admissions walks through each section of the Common Application and the Harvard supplement, with advice on essays, activities, fee waivers and other details applicants often get wrong.
Tests and English
- Don't overdo it: How to ace your IELTS Speaking testSix tips from the official IELTS site for the Speaking test, including why real experiences beat memorised answers and why faking an accent does not help.
- 10 steps to writing high-scoring IELTS essaysA step-by-step method for planning, drafting and proofreading the IELTS Writing Task 2 essay, tied to the four criteria examiners use to mark it.
- The Ultimate 3-Month Study Plan for the TOEFL iBT® (2026)A week-by-week TOEFL iBT preparation plan from the test maker, moving from a baseline test and core skills to timed practice, targeting weak areas and tapering before test day.
- Common TOEFL iBT Mistakes You Should Avoid (Before and During the Test)Lists eight common preparation and test-day errors on the TOEFL iBT, such as studying general English instead of the test format, and how to avoid each one.
- How to prepare for the Duolingo English Test: A step-by-step guideThe official Duolingo English Test blog explains how to get ready for its adaptive online test: learn the format, practise English regularly, use the free practice test and set up a suitable testing space.
- Top 10 Test Taking Tips for the Digital SATCollege Board's own advice on pacing, using the built-in Bluebook tools, practice tests and test-day preparation for the digital SAT.
- To Submit or Not to Submit (Your Test Scores)?A USC admissions associate director explains how a test-optional university reads applications with and without SAT/ACT scores and how to decide whether to send yours.
- We are reinstating our SAT/ACT requirement for future admissions cyclesMIT's dean of admissions explains why the institute brought back required SAT/ACT scores, giving insight into how selective universities actually use test results.
Essays
- Writing a strong Common App essay: a practical structureA stepwise way to choose a focused story, build reflection and revise a Common App essay without turning it into a résumé or a generic success story.
- How To Write A College Essay
- 5 Essay Writing Tips to Get You Through December
- What if Your College Essay is All About YOU?Georgia Tech's admissions director argues against chasing formulas and encourages applicants to write essays that show their own voice, values and convictions.
- Advice For Crafting Your Supplemental EssayHopkins admissions staff unpack the 2026-27 supplemental essay prompt and explain how to choose an experience and focus on personal growth rather than outcomes.
- How to write a personal statement that works for multiple coursesShows how to write one UCAS personal statement when applying to different courses, by focusing on overlapping subjects and transferable skills and checking with universities when choices differ widely.
- Tips from students: Your personal profileCurrent UBC students share how they brainstormed, told their stories and stayed authentic when writing the personal profile that most UBC applicants must complete.
Scholarships and money
- South Korea: GKS undergraduate scholarship and direct admissionCompare the Korean government’s GKS-U route with applying directly to a university, and build a document and timing plan from the official annual guide.
- How to Budget at University
- The Gold Scholarship Programme (GSP) and Me
- Tips for applying for a Chevening Scholarship from a Chevening assessorA Durham University academic who assesses Chevening applications explains what makes a strong one: authenticity, a clear career vision, leadership, networking and careful proofreading.
- Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (students)The official Erasmus+ guide to Erasmus Mundus joint master's programmes, explaining who can apply, how the full scholarships work and why you apply directly to each programme's consortium.
- Costs of education and livingThe German Academic Exchange Service breaks down what studying in Germany really costs: proof of funds for the visa, tuition and semester fees, typical monthly expenses and funding options.
- UndergraduateThe U.S. State Department's EducationUSA network explains how international undergraduates should budget for U.S. study, reduce costs and find institutional aid and scholarships.
- Scholarships for international applicantsThe Government of Canada's directory of scholarship programmes open to international students who want to study or do research in Canada, with a link to its scholarship search.
- Foreign Fulbright Program - Foreign Student ProgramExplains how the Fulbright Foreign Student Program funds graduate study and research in the U.S. for students, young professionals and artists from abroad, and why you apply through your home-country Fulbright office.
- My Experience Applying for Financial Aid at HarvardA Harvard student describes completing the CSS Profile and IDOC paperwork after his aid application was flagged as incomplete, with tips on organising documents and starting early.
- How to make living in London on a student budget possibleAn LSE student shares practical ways to keep London living costs under control, from planning fixed expenses and choosing where to rent to travel discounts and student deals.
Visas and moving
- My ultimate guide for an international student moving to the UK
- Apply For Your U.S. Student VisaEducationUSA's step-by-step overview of the F, J and M student visa process for the United States, with links to the official forms, fees and embassy resources.
- Tips from students: How to make sure your study permit application goes smoothlyUBC students share what helped their Canadian study permit applications: applying early, relying only on official government sources, checking passport expiry and staying organised.
- Opening a bank accountThe UK Council for International Student Affairs explains which bank accounts international students can open in the UK and the identity and immigration checks banks will carry out.
- Where to live during your stayFrance's official agency for international students compares housing options, from subsidised CROUS residences to shared flats and host families, and explains guarantors, documents and moving in.
- Five rental housing application tips for international studentsPractical advice from the Australian Government's study portal on finding housemates, budgeting for rent, gathering references and making a good impression at property inspections.
Student life
- Entering Senior Year: What I Wish I Knew as a First-Year
- Don't Worry, You're Going to Be Just Fine
- applying sideways, beyond admissions
- How Studying Abroad Influenced My Career Goals
- Your Guide to Life at College from an International Student PerspectiveAn international student at a Melbourne residential college shares advice on getting involved, packing, using support services, making your room feel like home and looking after your wellbeing.
- Dear homesick international student at Harvard CollegeA Kenyan student offers practical ways to cope with homesickness in a new country, from following news from home to joining international and affinity groups and getting to know professors.
- My First-Year Journey to Finding CommunityAn international student describes how a pre-orientation programme for international students and friendships with other students from abroad helped her feel at home in her first year.