How to Apply to Colleges Abroad: Step-by-Step Guide

Millions of students are travelling abroad to study higher education in the scope of quality education, international exposure and better career opportunities. Abroad education is literally like a dream come true for students. With a wide range of courses, plenty of university options and many popular student destinations, it would be a challenging task for students to study abroad.

How to apply to colleges abroad? Even if the whole process is tedious, planning it in a step-by-step process can make it simple and less overwhelming. Students who are willing to study in USA, UK, Canada, etc. or other abroad countries, should know that each country and university has a varied type of application process.

Having a good idea of these processes and applications can help you in placing yourself in your desired university. Read the article to know about “how to apply for colleges abroad from India. All the essential guidelines are mentioned below.

How to Apply to Colleges Abroad?

Here is the step-by-step guide which details all the stages involved in the process of admission into foreign universities. Check the details below.

1. Choose the Country

Have you decided which country to study abroad? Well, there are many popular student destinations that offer quality of education and hold some of the globally recognised universities. Choosing a country for study abroad is an essential step in the process of “how to apply for abroad colleges.”

Essential elements to be checked while choosing the country:

• Safest country or safest city for international students

• Student visa acceptance rate

• Cost of living in the country

• Part-time working hours for international students

• Scholarship availability

• The primary language of communication

• Post-study work visa

• Availability of employment opportunities

If you are looking for affordable countries to study abroad, then countries like Germany, France, Norway, Taiwan, etc. are some of the suitable options. After evaluating these details, if you find the country is the right fit for you then you can move forward for the next step of how to apply to university abroad.

2. Shortlist the Universities/Colleges & Courses

The university rankings are very helpful in choosing the best colleges for you to study abroad. To know the top 100 universities in the world, check out the article QS World University Rankings 2025. Other websites like Times Higher Education and US News & World Report rankings are some of the best sites to know the university and course rankings.

Studying at these top universities provides you with plenty of scholarships and employment opportunities. Select the university that is suitable for your course. It is not mandatory that all courses taught in the top universities rank high. Check the University admission requirements for your preferred course like academic requirements and background. Once you meet the course requirements, then you can definitely shortlist the university for applying to admission.

Essential things to be considered while shortlisting the university:

• University ranking

• Courses offered

• Course-wise university ranking

• Admission requirements

• Scholarship availability

• Tuition fees

• Accommodation facilities

3. Estimate the Budget

After making a decision on the universities, course and country you can now calculate the cost of the study abroad. Calculating the budget in advance will help you to check whether you require any scholarships, part-time jobs or the necessity to apply for education, etc. Planning the finances is the mandatory step in “how to apply to colleges abroad.”

4. Appear for the Exams

Universities, while shortlisting the students for admissions, require you to submit the exam scores of standardised exams to measure your college preparedness and academic merit. Depending on the course you study here are the common and popular standardised entrance exams for abroad study given in the table below.

Entrance exams for Abroad Education

English Language Tests

Universities located in English-speaking countries like USA, UK, and Canada require the students to be proficient in English, so that you can understand the teaching and be able to communicate in the academic environment. Each university has its own qualifying test score, so make sure you meet the minimum qualifying score to get admission into the university.

English Proficiency Tests to Study Abroad

Similarly, if you are planning to study in Germany, you will be required to appear for German language proficiency tests like Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang (DSH), TestDaf, etc. You can devote approximately 2 to 6 months of time (partially or full-time) to preparing and attempting these tests.

5. Check the Admission Intakes

The admission intake is the period when universities accept applications from students for admission purposes. Each country and University has different admission deadlines. Even the university you apply to can have different admission deadlines for its course. So check the admission deadline for your specific course.

Few universities accept admission throughout the year which is called as rolling admission. In these rolling intakes, the first submitted applicants are given first preference. The admission intake is one of the essential steps to know about how to apply to college internationally. Usually abroad universities open admissions 6 months to 1 year before the course academic year start date.

6. Arrange the Documents for Admission

Arranging the documents is the most time-consuming process. Here is the list of common documents for students to know in the process of how to apply to colleges abroad.

General Documents for Abroad University Admission

• Academic Transcripts: Academic Transcripts are academic records that can be collected from the college or university the candidate studied.

• Entrance Exam Test scores - Submit the scores of the exams like GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT.

• English Language Proficiency TestScores: Submit the scores of English language tests like IELTS, TOEFL, DET.

• Portfolio or samples for art-related courses.

• Letters of Recommendation: The Letters of Recommendation can be requested from your college professors or your previous employers to provide. Choose the professors wisely, so that they can detail your accomplishments, skills, personality and capability, etc.

• Essays or Statement of Purpose (SOP): The SOP explains the applicant's motive to apply for a specific course in a university. The SOP articulates the career goals and path of the candidate. Most of the time essays are asked for UG applicants, SOP for PG applicants

• Work Experience Letters (if any): If you have previous work experience, then include the experience letters like offer letters and relieving letters, etc.

• Other certificates: You can also include your certificates of extra-curricular activities, internships, publications, etc. based on the application requirement.

While applying to universities in English-speaking countries, make sure all the documents are in English language or else attach English-translated copies.

SOPs related reading:

• How to write best SOP for MBA

• How to write SOP for MS

• SOP Sample for Warwick University Admission

7. Online Application Process

The most essential step to know in the process of how to apply to study abroad is the application stage. The admission portal in the university official website is the place where you can submit the application. Once the admission intake opens, fill in the application form with your academic and personal details and upload the necessary documents.

Many universities will have an application fee of USD 50 to 200 for processing and evaluating the details in your application. Other than the university websites, there are other application interfaces like Common App, and UCAS, through which you send admission applications to multiple universities. The application processing can take up to 6 months.

8. Prepare for Admission interview

During the application process, a few universities ask the candidate to attend the admission interview. Questions related to candidates, interests, career goals, previous projects or work experience are frequently asked. This interview stage is not mandatory for all the applicants in the process of “how to apply for colleges abroad.”.

9. Accepting the Admission Offer

Once you get selected, you will receive the admission acceptance letter from the university in your email. Upon acceptance, you can pay the admission fee as per the requirement. As you get the admission offer letter you can start applying for student visa, scholarships, education loans, etc.

These are the steps to know about how to apply to colleges abroad. Candidates can start their preparation 1 to 2 years before applying to universities abroad.