FIELD GUIDE · 2026–27 Start with the route

Find your way into university.

There is no universal application form. Pick a destination and this guide will show you the real route—from national and provincial systems to direct university portals.

Choose a country Build your application board

country and region guides
Reviewed against official sources · August 2026

Students crossing a green university campus — Photo: Austin on Unsplash

Country first. Applicant category second. Programme requirements third.

The portal only makes sense after those three decisions.

01 / CHOOSE YOUR ROUTE

Where are you applying?

Expand a country to see its application systems. Every country also has a complete guide, and every major system has its own subpage.

Tree-lined university building at Harvard Law School — USA · route notes

The United States has no single national undergraduate application. A student may use Common App for many private and public colleges, the University of California’s separate application for UC campuses, another shared platform, or a university’s own portal.

Main routesCommon App, UC Application, directChoice modelApply to each collegeWritingPersonal + college supplementsAfter submitSeparate applicant portals

More than 1,100 member collegesCommon App

One core profile with college-specific questions, writing, recommendations and submission requirements.

Open route

University of California campusesUC Application

One UC application for campuses such as Berkeley, UCLA, San Diego and Irvine; it is separate from Common App.

Open route

Institutions outside or alongside shared systemsCollege-specific route

MIT and some other institutions use their own application; always follow the admissions page of the exact college.

Read the complete USA guide

A student annotating an open book at a study desk — Photo: Maxim Tolchinskiy on Unsplash

02 / THE CONSTANTS

The systems change. The work underneath does not.

Every strong application still needs accurate academic records, a clear programme choice, complete supporting evidence and careful follow-through after submission.

A notebook and laptop arranged for a focused study session — Photo: Yen Vu on Unsplash

03 / USE THIS EVERYWHERE

Five decisions before any application.

01
Choose the destination
Country, qualification and applicant status determine the application route.
02
Name the exact portal
Write down the central, provincial or university-direct system for every programme.
03
Check programme entry
Subjects, grades, tests, language and selection tasks live at programme level.
04
Build the evidence
Prepare official records once, then follow each route’s document rules.
05
Submit—and keep watching
Activate institution portals, resolve missing items and track offers and conditions.

IMPORTANT

Application systems and dates change each cycle. These pages explain the route and link to official sources; the current university and programme page remains the final authority.

How Record Your Uni handles uncertainty

Find your way into university.

01North AmericaUnited StatesChoose the college first, then confirm its accepted application platform and its own supplements.

02North AmericaCanadaStart with province, then verify whether your applicant category uses the provincial service or a direct portal.

03EuropeUnited KingdomResearch the course first, then build one UCAS application around a coherent academic direction.

04OceaniaAustraliaMatch the university’s state and your applicant category to the correct admissions centre—or apply directly when instructed.

05EuropeNetherlandsStudielink usually starts the application; the university portal finishes it.

06EuropeGermanyAsk two questions: does the university use uni-assist, and is your qualification a direct university-entry qualification?

07EuropeFranceResidency and qualification decide whether you use Parcoursup, Études en France/DAP or a direct institution route.

08AsiaSingaporeApply separately to each university under the category matching your qualification—not merely your nationality.

09AsiaHong KongDetermine JUPAS eligibility first; applying through the wrong route can invalidate or duplicate an application.

10EuropeIrelandUse CAO for the central choice list, but check each course for restricted-entry and supporting-document rules.

11OceaniaNew ZealandApply directly to each university and match its entrance standard to your exact qualification.

The systems change. The work underneath does not.

Choose the destination

Name the exact portal

Check programme entry

Build the evidence

Submit—and keep watching