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When Should You Start Looking for a Course?

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So you have decided you want to study abroad, but you’re not sure where, or even possibly when. When should you start looking for courses and destinations?

You’d be forgiven for thinking there is one set date for study abroad deadlines, but in reality, there are many different intake dates, spread out across the year.

What you may find is that your favoured institution may have just closed applications for the year, or that you would be rushed to apply for the forthcoming intake. That’s fine though, and you shouldn’t panic and rush to apply to your favoured institution. Instead, take your time to conduct further research about studying abroad. We have lots of important information that you should read before applying, so having some extra time is useful!

See also: Advice and guidance for prospective international students

A study abroad experience can take two years to prepare for, that’s two years before you even arrive at the university! Start by choosing a course that you’re passionate about. Talk to your family and current teachers about what course may be best for you, but don’t let them pressure you into studying something you don’t want to.

Studying abroad is a very personal experience, that’s individual to you, so make sure you choose the course you want to study. Next, you’ll need to choose a country that you want to study in. This is the fun part, and as such can go on for a while. Finding out about all the options you have can start to make your head spin, but by reading through our destination guides, you’ll be able to make an informed decision.

Once you’ve decided on where you want to study, you’ll need to make sure you can afford it! Read our article How much does it really cost to study abroad to get a good idea about the costs involved in studying abroad.

Next up is student visas. To study abroad, it is likely that you will need a student visa, we have some great advice regarding student visas, so make sure to read up on them.

If you have an idea of what and where you want to study, it is never to early to start looking for courses to study abroad, just make sure you are prepared before making your application!

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