Application Process  

The application process for studying abroad is time consuming and requires applicants to start preparing well in advance of their anticipated start date. It is very important to begin the admission process early because in many cases application deadlines are far in advance of the start of the semester (sometimes as many as ten months). You also need to allow time for scheduling any standardized tests needed for admission and then having the results of these tests sent to schools. There is no uniform world-wide application system. Each college or university establishes its own unique policies.

The 6 basic steps for applying abroad are:

    * Identifying country, universities and the course of your interest
    * Request universities for Application forms
    * Taking various required tests
    * Arranging and preparing Essays and recommendation letters
    * Completing and Sending Application forms along with required documents
    * Reporting various test scores to the universities


For a detailed and printer friendly format calendar and checklist of applying abroad process to help you with your college admissions planning,

Selecting Universities  

Selecting universities is a very time consuming and important process not only from the admission point of view but also because applying to universities is very expensive by Indian standards. Hence it has to be restricted to around 6 or 8 universities which are best matched for your requirements.

The best university for you may not be the famous ones, but those that offer you your field of study as well as meet the other criteria important to you. The range of academic options as well as available universities are so wide that it is not possible to select the best in one go and it may take some time.

For more details, check out Selecting Universities


This is the first stage of your application process. At this stage, you can write to the selected 25-30 universities. You can directly request application materials from the universities.

There are two ways to get application forms:

1.   Requesting Application Forms via email :  You can request application forms from the universities website. Most universities have a form on their website which can be completed online to request application material.

2.   Downloading from the university website : Many universities have a downloadable and ready to print versions of their application forms on the net. These can be used for applying just as regular forms.

Application Requirements  

Once you start receiving application forms and material, go through the material in detail and check the application deadline, minimum scores required in the standardized tests, recommendation letters needed and other such information.

Tabulate all these requirements and compare them with your objectives and group the universities under three categories :

   1. Schools that seem to match your requirements
   2. Schools that are not suited to your needs
   3. Schools that do not completely fit in any of the above two categories

Eliminate schools in Group 2 and check out in detail again the universities in Group 3. You can try and focus on departments that you would most like to attend and the school rankings in that field. And any special facilities that the school may offer you in that field.  Try and make a list of schools on basis of fresh and more specific criteria like :

• Objectives of the program and kind of methodology as well as approach

• Admission / Entrance requirements

• Availability of assistantships and funds in the field of your choice

• Research facilities

• Location Profile of students enrolled

Narrow down your list to about 6-8 universities to whom you intend to apply.

Infozee can help you select universities that are best suited for your requirements.

Once you have decided on the universities to apply to, you have to start filling up the application forms. The forms will ask for your personal details, academic record, official transcripts, various essays, personal achievements, extra curricular activities and recommendation letters. We discuss here the three most important criteria for admissions - Essays, Academic School Records / Transcripts and Recommendation Letters

Recommendation Letters  

Letter of reference or recommendation letter plays a very important role in the admission process especially for Master's and Doctoral courses. A recommendation letter is a signed statement from a person who knows you well professionally or has taught you in a subject that is related to the course you are applying to. It should list your positive and negative qualities, strengths and weaknesses, your character and integrity and other such information.

The author or teacher must indicate his position, how long he/she has known the applicant and in what capacity. He/she should briefly discuss the need, importance and usefulness of the study the applicant proposes to undertake. Authors are usually asked to rank applicants in their letters of recommendation, which helps admission officers to interpret the academic credentials of foreign students. Students should obtain letters of recommendation (often on the prescribed forms sent by the institutions) from teachers who know them as a person as well as a student. You may like to request your author to give concrete examples that may show your qualities and help your case.

Many universities have their own format and questions that have to be answered by the person who is giving the letter of recommendation on your behalf. Letters, which do not give enough information, can jeopardize a candidate’s chances of selection.