Step by Step Guide to Successful University Admission
Getting admitted into a university of your choice can be very exciting, the prospect of undertaking new challenges and making life choices that would shape your future. However, the long process before even being considered for admission can be a daunting process. It can be compared to applying for a visa, and if you do not meet the requirements or have missing documents you most certainly would not be admitted. If you want to study in Europe, you might wonder what the admission requirements is for the country and university you are interested in applying to and how might you be better prepared to improve your chances of getting in. In this article, I have outlined six main points to consider when applying into a university.
It is important to take note that every country in Europe has different requirements for admission and even further every university in a particular country has its individual requirements for the courses they offer. Therefore, it would be virtually impossible to provide information for all these institutions of higher education. However, there is a guideline you can follow that would be useful regardless of which country or university you intend applying to.
1. Choose a Course: The first thing you need to do when planning to apply to a university is to have chosen a degree course you want to study. You need to determine what course you are passionate about and read as much as you can about this course. You need to develop great passion for your field of study, knowing as much as you can about it and also being able to tell yourself and others the reason behind your choice. The reason behind the course you have chosen should not just be because it is easy to find a job, or the financial pay is high for this particular field. The reason why it is important to choose something you are passionate about is that during your course of study, you will face lots of challenges and hurdles and if you are not really interested in the course, you will suffer burnout and crash. At this point, it’s the passion for the field you have chosen that will drive you to succeed and not some material end game.
2. Know the basic entry requirements: The next step on the road to admission is to know the basic entry requirements. This is the requirement any student interested in applying into a university must meet regardless of the intended field of study. If you want to apply to a university in Europe, the basic entry requirements include:
Secondary/High School Leaving Certificate and Transcripts; this certificate indicates that you have completed high school and are qualified to apply for tertiary education.
Test of English Fluency*: You need to prove that you can read, write and study your course in the English language. TOEFL, IELTS or equivalent english exam is required
Letter(s) of recommendation: A written letter from an authority figure who knows you and can vouch for you e.g your school head, employer e.t.c
International Passport: important for visa application and travel
Medical Certificate: To prove you are medically certified to enter the country of study
Evidence of Financial Support: You need to prove that you are financially capable of supporting your education for at least the first year.
Application fee: You might be required to pay an application fee to process your application depending on the university.
* Some universities may not require a proof of English fluency especially if the course is taught in another language other than English.
These are just the basic requirements you need to have if you want to apply to study in Europe.
3. Further Entry requirements: Now that you have known the basic entry requirements to study in Europe, you need to find out the specific admission requirements for the particular course you have chosen and the university. To do this, you need to visit the official website of the university you want to apply to and search for the entry requirements for your course under the course page. You can easily navigate to this page by using the search field of the site.
4. Gather Your Documents: After finding the basic entry requirements and specific admission requirement, you need to start putting your documents together. To do this, it would be helpful to make a list of the documents that are required and adding a checkbox beside each item. You then check-off each document as you obtain them. This would help simplify your application process and reduce stress.
5. Check for Scholarships and Grants: If you know you are going to need some form of financial aid during your academic year, it’s important that you search for scholarships and loans early enough. This is because these financial aids are limited and lots of students are applying for them. Applying early would improve your chances of being considered and also avoiding the deadline. You can search for scholarships on the websites of universities you apply to or scholarship sites. You can also check for the latest scholarships in our scholarship forum where we constantly add new scholarships and application procedure.
6. Apply before the Deadline: This is a very important step in the application process. After making the effort to put together the necessary to documents required to apply to the university of your choice, it would be very disappointing if you miss the deadline date for admissions application. Therefore, it is important that you know the application deadline of the university you want to apply to and more importantly submit your application before this deadline. If you however miss the deadline, you may still be able to submit a late application. Some universities accept late applications under certain terms. You can find out if your desired university is accepting late applications.
These are the six steps that would guide your university application if you if you want to study in Europe. I hope you find them helpful and wish you the best with your application.
