How to Secure Admission Abroad?
How to Secure Admission Abroad?
How to find the right university and not waste months going in circles.
Last week, we talked about understanding your own situation before making the move.
Do you know how much you can afford in fees? Will you need a part-time job to support your stay? Is your English test done — IELTS 7 or equivalent? Are your grades enough or do you need to work on them? Do you need lab experience to strengthen your application? Have you figured out your field of interest?
If yes — good. You've done the groundwork most people skip.
Now it's time to actually find where you're going.
Step 5: Country of preference or Country of affordability?
Be honest with yourself here. These are two different questions, and people often confuse them.
Dream destination is fine. But if your finances don't match, you'll spend the first two years stressed about money instead of focused on your degree. Pick the country where your budget, your field, and your visa pathway actually align.
Step 6: Build your university list — don't just Google "top universities."
Here's a framework that actually works:
Look at the top 20 and top 50 universities in your target country. Do they have an international program in your field? Most top 20s do. Beyond that — it depends.
(Targeting the USA? That's a different game entirely. You could be looking at top 100 colleges depending on your profile and field.)
Don't just pick by ranking. Pick 7–8 universities spread across the ranking range. Something like: rank 1, 4, 7, 10, 15, 20, 30, and 45.
Why? Because you need data points — not a wishlist.
Visit each university's department website — not the main university page, the actual department. Find the minimum admission requirements for international students.
Write it all down in a spreadsheet:
Minimum GPA or grade percentage
English test score requirement (IELTS/TOEFL)
Additional tests needed — GRE General, GRE Subject, SAT?
Required documents — transcripts, references, SOP, portfolio?
Application deadlines
You'll quickly realize — you might already qualify for rank 15, 30, and 45 but not for the top 10. Now you know your goal. Now you have clarity.
(Minimum requirement doesn't mean guaranteed admission. The higher the rank, the more competitive it is. But collecting this data tells you where you stand and what gaps to fill.)
Step 7: Go deeper on your shortlist — scholarships and deadlines.
Once you know which universities you qualify for, go back and dig into funding:
Does the university offer scholarships for international students?
What are the scholarship deadlines? (They are often different from admission deadlines — and earlier.)
Is the scholarship awarded at admission or separately applied for?
Important reality check: scholarships are usually offered only once a year, even if admissions are offered every semester. Missing the deadline by one day means waiting another full year.
Even if you're still 12 months away from applying — start observing now. Watch how the process flows. Familiarity with the timeline before you're in it changes everything.
Step 8: Research degree? You need a supervisor.
Here's where most students get confused, and it costs them months.
Some universities require you to get a supervisor's agreement before you can even apply. Others admit you first and let you find a supervisor after. There's no universal rule — it depends on how that specific department handles funding.
So how do you find out? Simple.
Write an email to the department coordinator and ask directly:
"Do I need a supervisor's confirmation before applying, or does the department assign supervisors after admission?"
One email. That's it. Most coordinators reply within a week, and this single answer saves you from applying the wrong way to the wrong place.
Step 9: Start conversations with potential supervisors — even before you apply.
This is my personal opinion, but I stand by it strongly.
Even if the department says admission comes first, it's almost always a good idea to start a conversation with a supervisor early. Not to ask for admission. Not to beg for a position. Just to introduce yourself, show genuine interest in their research, and open a door.
A supervisor who already knows your name when your application arrives is infinitely better than being a cold application in a pile of hundreds.
How to actually write that email — that's exactly what we'll cover next week.
Whether you're a student reading this at midnight or a parent trying to understand what your child is getting into — feel free to reach out. I'm happy to answer your questions, your dad's questions, your mum's questions — as honestly as I can.
This is Part 2 of a series I'm writing for students and parents navigating study abroad — the real version, not the brochure version. Part 3 next week: How to write an email to a professor that actually gets a reply — and what never to say.
Follow so you don't miss it.
📩 abhishakegoyal.com
I don't have all the answers, but if you have a question, I'll do my best. Drop it here."
👉 Leave a question: Contact Us