APPLICATION PROCESS | APPLICATION TIMELINE

* Selection of institutions
When deciding among universities, be sure to gather and go through as much information as possible. This information may be available on the Internet.  You can also ask your teachers or students coming back from abroad for advice, visit the international relations office at your home university, or visit an educational advising center (such as the Academic Information Centre in Brno) or the relevant embassy.

Do not underestimate the selection of universities that you want to apply for. Contact relevant faculties in order to find out whether the offered programs suit your demands and future plans. This is important particularly for those students applying for postgraduate studies**. Postgraduate students are eligible to apply for financial support from university (see the section on this web page on Financing Your Study). To be eligible for such support, students must be able to offer their skills, knowledge and abilities in relevant subject gained during their home-university studies.

Do not underestimate yourself. Search for a first-rate school. Be ambitious. Make it clear that your subject, not merely studying abroad, is your primary focus. Do not let the higher tuition discourage you - "more expensive" schools often have more funds to spend on studentships.

** In some countries postgraduate study equals post-bachelor study.

[top]

* Applying for application form

As the first step you should send a brief letter introducing yourself and asking for the application form. At the same time it is good to send a more comprehensive letter describing your studies or experience and your professional plans. In this letter you may also state why you have chosen that particular university, what contributions you see yourself making by studying at that university and what you can gain from it. The name of a person you would address your correspondence can be found in the faculty's prospectus or at its web page. Do not hesitate to correspond by e-mail.

** Application form
Find out what the deadlines for application forms are. For some schools you can apply through the Internet, others require sending the completed forms by air-mail. Be sure to enclose a cover letter when returning the application explaining why certain items have been left unanswered or which formalities are supposed to come later (for example, test results). Most schools require you to pay a non-refundable application fee.

** Academic records
Many institutions request official (properly certified) copies of applicant's transcripts from secondary school, as well as from any post-secondary programs they have attended or completed. If the applicant's education was completed in a non-English-speaking country, a certified translation of the documents will be required.

** Letters of recommendation
It is often necessary to enclose 2-3 sealed letters of recommendation from your teachers/supervisors/employers. The person writing the letter of recommendation should consider your academic records, attitude to study and ability to communicate in the relevant country's language.


information about recommendation letters:
http://www.hanover.edu/soc/letters.html
http://www-ctl.stanford.edu/teach/handbook/writing.html - writing the recommendation letters

[top]

** Essay/Statement of purpose

Unless more specific guidelines are provided, institutions are looking for information on student's academic interests, areas of study desired, future career objective, and also information on his/her personality and what makes him/her different from all the others.

guides, advice and examples of application essays:
http://www.myessay.com/advice.html
http://world.std.com/~edit
http://www.northfork.com/essaywiz
http://members.tripod.com/~spravka/WSJcollege.html
http://134.181.128.3/admissions/essay.html
http://www.petersons.com/ugrad/application.html

** Language proficiency exams and other tests
See the section on "Countries" for different types of language exams and other commonly required tests.

** Financial Statement
The question of financial arrangements must be cleared before the student receives a formal letter of admission. Students must prove that they have enough money for paying tuition and living expenses for the duration of their studies. Most applicants to study abroad cannot afford paying their studies from their own resources. They seek financial support either from the relevant university or from foundations or other institutions.   Check with individual universities as to when you will need to prove you have enough money for study.

* If you are officially accepted to one university and choose to enroll there, do not forget to inform other universities which have accepted you that you are not going to enroll with them.

[top]

HOW MUCH TIME YOU HAVE

12 - 18 months before entering the university

* go through the universities catalogues available at advising centers, visit the Internet pages, gather information materials, choose the universities on the basis of their programs, accreditation, degrees offered, level of selectivity, cost, location and size
* select 5 - 6 universities in order to apply for them later, consult the study-advisor about your choices
* find out the application deadlines and terms and look for possibilities of financial aid
* find out which admission tests are required

12 months before entering the university

* contact the universities to request more detailed information and application forms for admission
* register for necessary admission tests

[top]

9 - 12 months before entering the university

* prepare authorised translations of your diplomas and certificates
* ask your professors or employers for letters of recommendation
* complete and return the applications enclosing the non-refundable application fee
* ask universities and foundations for financial aid

4 - 5 months before entering the university

* as you get the decisions from universities, accept the offer of admission from your preferred one and decline offers of admission from other universities where you were also accepted
* complete and send all forms you receive
* contact the university housing-office to reserve university-owned housing
* find out conditions of health-insurance

3 months before entering the university

* apply for entry visas
* book the tickets
* provide your health-insurance

[top]