Becoming an international student offers you many exciting new opportunities and the chance for a world-class education. However, studying abroad isn’t an easy feat and comes with its own set of challenges. Your first challenge will be to find the right study abroad program. That’s where ApplyBoard’s Quick Search tool can help.
To find a study program, you’ll need to research and compare universities and colleges in different destination countries to find your best match. Relying on popular search engines like Google or Bing can be confusing, and leave you feeling more overwhelmed than when you started. These search engines will throw a lot of information at you, but it won’t be tailored to your needs and may not be easy to understand.
Does this sound like your situation? If so, don’t worry—ApplyBoard has you covered. Our AI-powered Quick Search platform is free, easy to use, and is designed to help you find the right study abroad program for your needs.
Keep reading for tips and tricks on how to use our free Quick Search tool.
Stuck on how long you want to study abroad for? Take our interactive quiz to find out which length of study best suits you!
Compare 140,000+ Programs
The ApplyBoard Platform is powerful, with 140,000+ global programs to choose from. Quick Search lets you browse, research, and learn about popular study abroad destinations around the world without registering for anything first.
There’s no commitment. It’s easy to use. And it’s 100% free for students.
To start, head over to ApplyBoard’s Quick Search page. This can be done on any device, but if possible, we recommend doing this on a desktop computer or laptop instead of a mobile phone or tablet. A wider screen will make it a bit easier to adjust your search filters and scroll through your results.
The page might look overwhelming at first, but don’t be alarmed. Start with the first search bar at the top of the screen, where it asks “What would you like to study?” You can type in any topic you might want to take classes in. For example, you could search for “design,” “health sciences,” or “advanced chemical engineering.” The more specific, the better!
Optionally (only if you already know exactly where you want to study), you can type in a location or even a college or university name in the “Where?” search bar.
Hit the “enter” key or click the blue “search” button. You’ll see a long list of programs appear. But don’t start scrolling yet—first, let’s narrow down our options further.
Customize Your Search
Now, turn your attention to the sidebar on the left side of the screen (if you’re using a computer). The custom filters here let you tweak the search results so they only show you exactly the programs you want to choose from.
There are plenty of these filters you can use, but some of the most important ones include:
- Country / City
- Field of Study
- Level of Study
- Program Start Date
- Tuition Cost Range
- Post-Graduation Work Eligibility
To get started, fill out as much of your eligibility information as possible for the best results. If you can, answer whether you have a valid study permit or student visa, fill in your nationality, and add information like your highest current level of education.
It’s OK if you don’t have all of this information. Just fill in what you can, and skip anything you’re not sure about!
Next, scroll down to the next part of the sidebar to fill out your school filters:
You can use this to only show programs in countries or regions you want to study in. If staying and working in that country after graduating is important to you, then make sure to check the “Post-Graduation Work Permit Available” checkbox. This will ensure you only see programs which let you qualify for post-graduation employment.
You can also choose whether to show only certain types of institutions, like colleges or universities. Later on, once you’ve narrowed down your options to a few, you can even use the “Schools” dropdown menu to only show programs from specific academic institutions.
Then move on to the last section: program filters.
This last set of filters lets you specify the level of study you want to pursue, and choose from specific program start dates (“intakes”). You can also choose from specific disciplines (like “Sciences” or “Arts”) and more granular sub-categories.
The sliders at the bottom are really important and helpful too. You probably have a set budget for studying abroad, based on what you can afford for tuition, living costs, and other fees. Use these sliders to only show programs that fit within your budget!
Click any of the blue “Apply Filters” buttons, and your search results will instantly update. It’s a bit like magic.
Choosing a program can be difficult. Our blog can help you make a more informed decision by asking questions about your goals, where you want to study, as well as your budget.
Narrowing It Down
Once you’ve found some exciting study abroad programs at universities and colleges you like, use the detailed information on each school page to make your decision. Clicking on the program or school from the Quick Search tool will open a dedicated page with plenty of specific information.
On each school page, you can explore the About, Features, Location, and Programs sections.
On the right-hand side of each school page, you can also find out more about that institution’s:
- Average Tuition Fees
- Estimated Cost of Living
- Application Fees
- Program Start Dates
Once you’ve found your perfect program, register for a free account and start applying. When you’re ready, we’re here to help!
