How to Select the Final University When You Receive Multiple Admits?

If you are one of the lucky few who receive multiple offers from universities abroad, then congratulations, youve done something right! While it may seem easy to get into some of the colleges across different countries, a strict selection process and high competition will change your thought processes. However, since you have been successful in grabbing the attention of multiple universities, deciding between them can seem difficult, but not entirely so!

Choosing between different universities and even courses, in some cases, can be made easy, just by setting certain parameters that are more important to you. These parameters can include financial aids or scholarships or other opportunities, academic and research prospects, your interests and much more. However, the key here is deciding such parameters according to you and what should be more important to you and your family at the end of the day.

As top universities from countries like the USA, the UK, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Australia and other countries begin to focus their resources and time on internationalisation and attracting more and more students from countries across the globe, the opportunities and options available to such students have also increased. Thus, choosing between them, especially when you receive multiple admits from different universities can become difficult. However, we have compiled some of the factors and parameters that should influence your decision in choosing the right university.

In this article, we shall try and help your decision-making process in choosing between the different universities and colleges that have displayed interest in enrolling you in their programmes.

Steps to Help Choose Between Multiple Admission-Offers

There are several steps that you can take to find the university that offers you the best opportunities and options that money can offer. This is even more important when you receive multiple admission offers from different universities and colleges abroad.

While you can find the perfect university on your own, it will benefit you to seek guidance from study abroad counsellors who have helped thousands of students like you to find the perfect university. From searching for the right university to applying to the university and preparing you for tests and visa processes, our study abroad counsellors are equipped with the best possible information to help ease the beginning stages of your study abroad journey. Therefore, we suggest you register with us and talk to our study abroad counsellors now!

Listed below are some of the steps you should take to decide between different admission offers from universities abroad.

Also Read: Top MBA Colleges in the World with Fee Structure

Step 1:Rank the Courses/Degrees According to Your Academic and Career Goals

The first step in the decision-making process is to define your academic and career goals. To complete this task, you will need to conduct in-depth research about the university and the respective department where you wish to be enrolled. Your knowledge about the university graduate prospects in both academia and career will greatly help you decide the perfect university for you:

In other words, ask yourself the following questions:

• What do I intend to do with the degree/course after graduation? Do I wish to pursue research after graduation or Do I wish to get a job in the relevant field afterwards?

• If you wish to pursue research work in your field of study then: Does the university/department encourage you to undertake research projects and/or apply for a research assistantship? / What are the most recent research topics that have been undertaken by the department/university in your area of study?

• If you wish to pursue a job after graduation: What is the average salary of the departments graduates upon graduation? / What are the career prospects of the universitys departments graduates after graduation?

Research Each University Thoroughly

The key to completing this task successfully is to research in-depth everything the college/department or university has to offer its students. Your knowledge about each universitys offerings along with their curriculum and/or research output as well as the career opportunities will lead you right to the university that is the best fit for you.

Choose Degree/Programme You Wish to Study

When answering the questions above, be sure to find out any and all information about the university and its department. Firstly, define which degree you wish to study, i.e., do you wish to pursue a bachelors or masters abroad? While answering the second question in the list, it should be noted that most universities have department-wise websites, where you can find the answers to this question. Their latest research projects, research assistantship opportunities and all the latest information about the department and its academic accolades should be available on these websites.

Research GraduateSalary and Career Opportunities of Each University

When answering the third question in the above-mentioned list, students can visit authenticated websites, etc, to find relevant information on university graduates their salaries. Most university graduates will have an account on these websites and would have updated their salaries on such websites, which you can use as reference only. Here, it should be noted that some of the salaries may not be have been updated in some years while others may not have mentioned their salaries at all, therefore, use the information you get from such websites for reference purposes only.

If you still find it difficult to shortlist or rank the universities, we recommend that you register with us and talk to our study abroad experts who will help ease the entire process. Their vast knowledge of the different universities and resources can help you choose the perfect university for you.

Also Read: Common Mistakes to Avoid While Writing an SOP or Application Essay

Step 2: Define Your Financial Needs

One of the basic components that need to be met when choosing to study abroad is to settle your finances. While there are only a handful of people capable of completely paying out their tuition fees along with the additional costs of studying abroad by cash, many students opt for student loans. However, regardless of the type of financial support you choose, it is better to choose universities that offer some kind of financial aids or scholarship opportunities.

Here, shortlist and rank universities based on the financial aids available, especially for international students. Depending on the number of scholarship opportunities and the scholarship coverage for the students, the universities should be ranked from the highest offerings to the lowest offerings.

Since you have received multiple admission offers from different universities abroad, then ask yourselves the following questions to narrow down your options.

• What is the tuition cost of studying at each of the universities that have sent you an admission offer?

• How many scholarships have been provided for international students? Also, find out how many scholarships you are eligible for. List down the different types of scholarships you are eligible for, their coverage, i.e., partial or full coverage of the tuition costs, etc, the duration as well as renewal of the scholarships, and other crucial factors.

• If you do not qualify for a scholarship, does the university offer financial aids to help reduce the cost of studying at a particular university?

In most cases, your financial situation will dictate your options, however, in case you still find it difficult to choose between universities, here are some tips you can use to help ease the process.

Cost of the University

When answering the first question in this list, list down the universities in ascending or descending order, where either the lowest or highest costing university should be listed first and further universities are listed accordingly. This is will help you distinguish between the least expensive admission offer you have received and the most expensive admission offer you have received.

Choosing an inexpensive option is in no way a compromise as most international universities are some of the highly renowned educational institutions, and thus, your higher education experience will not differ as much.

Cost of Living where the University is Located

While university costs are usually confined to tuition and administrative costs, there are additional costs that all international students face, i.e. accommodation costs, day-to-day living costs and other miscellaneous costs associated with living near the university. Inevitable, each location will bring in new costs and different costs, thus changing the overall minimum budget required to live in a particular place. Therefore, when deciding between the universities, see which university and location offer the best bang for your buck.

While it will be difficult to calculate exactly how much it would cost to live in a particular place, calculating estimates is the best possible solution. One of the best ways to do so is to reach out to other internationalstudents, preferablyIndian students who travelled from India to study at the university. Otherwise, you can also reach out to the International Student office of the respective university to get an estimate of how much you would have to spend if you select a particular university.

Scholarships You Can Apply to Each University

Every university abroad offers many scholarship opportunities, where some offer limited and others numerous. In fact, there are some top scholarships dedicated for Indian students planning to study abroad. Once you have listed down each university, underneath each university, list down the scholarships that are available to you as an international student, as well as what the scholarship covers and how much of the entire cost of studying the scholarship is able to reduce. While listing down the scholarships, also study about eligibility criteria for the scholarships and whether you qualify for it or not.

Also Read: Most Affordable Places to Study Abroad for Indian Students

Financial Aid Options for You

However, in case you do not qualify for any of the scholarships offered by the universities, then check what financial aids are available for international students. Financial aids are usually reductions in the overall tuition costs or administration costs or offering amenities at a reduced cost. List the information you receive for this under each specific university.

It should be noted that both scholarships and financial aids can be general or department-specific. Therefore, when searching for the appropriate scholarship or financial aid, be sure to check both general and department-wise scholarships and financial aids.

Once you have listed the different financial aids and scholarships available to you, you can read through each of the available options and see which makes more sense and which university offers you the most opportunities in terms of reducing your costs of studying abroad.

OR you can skip the entire hassle of researching, jotting down which universities offer what, or even what the best options for you are, by registering with us and talking to our expert study abroad counsellors. You can choose from our varied study abroad packagesand connect with highly trained and experienced study abroad experts who have helped thousands of students enrol in their dream universities abroad.

Step 3: Make the Final Decision Based on Your Initial Evaluation Before Applying

As is common with any kind of purchase of item or service, we tend to shortlist the one that we think is the best for us. Similar to this, when selecting the university, each university will offer something unique and different that will grab our attention, and usually, universities will flaunt their services, options, opportunities and availabilities even before the application process for an academic year begins. Therefore, you will have all the information you will need to make an informed decision.

Additionally, we will have favourites, interesting courses and degrees, particular locations, favourable financial options, etc, that will make at least one university stand out from the rest. Therefore, while the name suggests that the action should be the final decision, this decision of which university you wish to enrol in the most can be made even before you apply to any of the universities,thus making it the first decision.

Also Read: How to Choose the Best Universities to Study Master's Degree Abroad

Therefore, with the methods listed above, which include ranking the courses and degrees according to your interest in pursuing them, along with ranking the universities where you wish to pursue your higher education degree while keeping in mind your financial restrictions, make your decision accordingly.

However, if you find yourself at an impasse and are unable to decide which university is the best for you, we highly recommend that you connect with our study abroad experts who will guide you through the entire process. Through our comprehensive search tool, the latest information about studying at some of the top universities in the world as well as the top locations in the world, we can help you find the best university for your higher studies.

If you wish to learn more about studying at any one of the top study abroad destinations around the world or at any one of the universities abroad, please feel free to reach out to us at abroad@collegedekho.com.