Trusted by 200k+ International Students

The easiest way to find, prepare, and apply for colleges abroad

Chasing Dreams: How I Found My Way to the London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Chasing Dreams: How I Found My Way to the London School of Economics

by Khudadad

from Pakistan 🇵🇰

NYU

Bridging Divides Together

yesterday 19:12

HeartHeartEssays Page

Powerful tools for every step of your application journey

Personalized college & scholarship recommendations

Personalized college & scholarship recommendations

No more unbalanced college lists or universities that don’t match your budget. Tell us your preferences and watch the magic happen

Get Started - it's free!

Borderless students are making their dreams come true. Are you next?

university-of-colorado-boulder
barnard-college
university-of-missouri-columbia
bentley-university
bryn-mawr-college
duke-kunshan-university
arizona-state-university
upenn
stanford
nyuad
harvard
columbia
minerva
nyu-shanghai
the-university-of-arizona
connecticut-college
drexel
university-of-illinois-at-chicago-uic
boston-university
university-of-notre-dame
university-of-colorado-boulder
barnard-college
university-of-missouri-columbia
bentley-university
bryn-mawr-college
duke-kunshan-university
arizona-state-university
upenn
stanford
nyuad
harvard
columbia
minerva
nyu-shanghai
the-university-of-arizona
connecticut-college
drexel
university-of-illinois-at-chicago-uic
boston-university
university-of-notre-dame
How My "tripod" of family, faith, and voice Led Me to the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame

How My "tripod" of family, faith, and voice Led Me to the University of Notre Dame

by Vicente

from Chile 🇨🇱

Vicente discovered his dream school, University of Notre Dame, through our AI powered college list

My application journey from Ethiopia to the Ivy League with a full scholarship
Brown University
Brown University

My application journey from Ethiopia to the Ivy League with a full scholarship

by Fenan

from Ethiopia 🇪🇹

Fenan used Borderless to refine his EC descriptions and Common App essay, which got him into Brown!

My journey from Romania to NYUAD Class of 2029 with a full scholarship
NYU Abu Dhabi
NYU Abu Dhabi

My journey from Romania to NYUAD Class of 2029 with a full scholarship

by Diana

from Romania 🇷🇴

Diana followed Borderless’s Guidebook and used EC + essay review to get into NYUAD!

Developed by expert counsellors & engineers from top universities

Veronica Lee
🇺🇿 Veronica Lee

The driving force behind Borderless, creating admissions content for 8 years and helping hundreds of internationals get into their dream schools.

NYUAD
NYU Abu Dhabi
Shunsuke Kasahara
🇯🇵 Shunsuke Kasahara

Mechanical engineer who built autonomous wheelchairs in Japan and later taught himself software engineering.

NYUAD
NYU Abu Dhabi
Ali Krema
🇪🇬 Ali Krema

Computer Science grad and former college admissions mentor who mixes a love for education with building cool things.

UPenn
University of Pennsylvania
Ruchi Shukla
🇮🇳 Ruchi Shukla

Experienced college counselor who’s guided students into the Ivy Leagues as well as top schools in Canada, the UK, and Europe.

Georgetown
Georgetown University
Gulkhan Bilgen
🇰🇿 Gulkhan Bilgen

Social media queen with a Film degree from New York and the creative mind behind our viral memes.

Digital Film Academy
Digital Film Academy
Nayera Elsaady
🇪🇬 Nayera Elsaady

Designer with a sharp eye for detail who brings ideas to life through visuals people remember.

Politecnico di Milano
Politecnico di Milano

Not ready to apply yet? Explore our free resources

Guidebook

Application deadlines

You'll usually apply to U.S. universities during your final year of high school—typically between November and mid-January. Already graduated? No worries. You can still apply as a gap-year student.

Applying happens in your senior year, but the real work starts way earlier—think 2-3 years ahead of deadlines. Building solid extracurriculars, prepping for tests, and researching universities takes time. This isn't something you can cram into a few months.

Types of Application Deadlines

Early Decision (ED)

ED is perfect if you're absolutely sure about your top-choice school. You'll apply by November and get your answer by December. But here's the catch: ED is binding, meaning you must attend if accepted. You can choose only one school for ED.

Early Action (EA)

EA is similar to ED, but without the commitment. You'll apply around November, hear back by December or January, and still be free to compare other offers. You can apply EA to multiple schools.

Restrictive Early Action (REA)

REA (also called Single-Choice Early Action) is non-binding but comes with rules. You'll apply by November, get your decision around December, and won't be obligated to attend. But there's a twist: if you choose REA, you can't apply ED or EA to other private schools, though public universities are usually okay. Check each school's rules carefully.

Regular Decision (RD)

This is the most common (and commitment-free) way to apply. Deadlines are usually in January, with decisions announced by March or April. You'll have until May 1st to decide. You can apply RD to multiple schools. Miss this deadline, though, and you're stuck waiting another full year.

Rolling Admissions

A handful of colleges don't set strict deadlines—they review applications as they come in. But watch out: some have priority dates, meaning you'll get an advantage by applying early.

Gap year students

If you miss the RD application deadline or decide to postpone your application to a year later after you have already finished high school, you will be considered a gap year student. Being a gap year student is very common and does not put you at a disadvantage. In fact, it is a great opportunity to explore your interests, pursue amazing internships, or just study more for your standardized tests. Some students take 2 or even 3 gap years.

Here are a few successful international students who took one or more gap years:

Even though taking a gap year will not hurt your chances of admission, it's important to spend it wisely. On the Common App, you will be asked to write a Gap Year Statement, explaining how you spent it, what you learned, and how it prepared you for success in college.

Grade 9-10 timeline

Like we mentioned earlier, your college prep starts waaay before application deadlines. Here's your step-by-step roadmap from grades 9 and 10 onward (yes, that early!).

  • Choose challenging but realistic classes—think Pre-IB, Pre-AP, or accelerated tracks if they're available. And yes, every grade counts—even those freshman year grades you wish you could forget.
  • Get involved with clubs, extracurriculars, and summer programs—but only pick ones you actually like! Admissions officers can smell a "doing-this-just-for-college" activity a mile away.
  • Start exploring personal projects—not because you need something fancy for your applications, but because figuring out what genuinely excites you matters.
  • Research colleges early, connect with other international students who've been through it, and definitely use Borderless.

Grade 11 timeline

By 11th grade, things get serious—but you've got this:

  • Push yourself academically—universities love seeing strong grades this year especially. No slacking!
  • Aim for leadership roles in your clubs, sports teams, or volunteer groups. Keep pursuing activities that genuinely excite you and make an impact.
  • Thinking of launching or leading your passion project? Now's the perfect time.
  • Prepare for and take standardized tests: SAT or ACT. If English isn't your first language, add TOEFL or IELTS to your list.
  • Explore universities virtually or visit them in person during open-house events.
  • If your school has one, schedule a one-on-one meeting with your college adviser for personalized advice, or consider mentorship from Borderless.
  • Continue researching universities and scholarships. Your future self will seriously thank you.
  • Towards the end of 11th grade, request your letters of recommendation—your teachers will appreciate the early notice.
  • Begin brainstorming ideas for your Common App Personal Statement. Yes, already!

Grade 12 timeline

Grade 12—it's go-time:

  • Applications typically open around August—don't procrastinate, start early!
  • If possible, take more challenging courses in the fall semester. Remember, universities make decisions before seeing your final Grade 12 grades.
  • Secure your letters of recommendation, transcripts, and all other necessary documents.
  • Spend quality time refining your personal statement and supplemental essays. Rushing this part is a huge no-no.
  • Complete all applications through Common App or other relevant platforms.
  • Applying Early Decision or Early Action? Deadlines usually fall between October 15 and November 15. Regular Decision is typically due in January.
  • Don't forget your Financial Aid application form—seriously, don't.
  • Prepare thoroughly and confidently for your college interviews.
  • Late March or early April means acceptance letters! Choose carefully—the right fit matters for your goals and your budget.
Read Guidebook

Trusted by International Students worldwide

Your advice helped me get accepted to many prestigious universities all around the world! I was accepted to NYU, UConn, Kenyon College, and many European universities, including Bocconi, where I currently study!Hiii! I got admitted to NYUAD as an international student with almost a full ride, and I would love to share my story on Borderless! How can I do that? I have also used Borderless for around 5 months in my application process.Hello! I wanted to inform you that I got into Skidmore College with a 95% financial aid (85k per annum) award as an international student from Pakistan. I watched a lot of your videos and they genuinely helped me a lot, so I just wanted to drop by and say thanks a lot. I have been watching Veronica's videos since I was in grade 9, and they really motivated me to apply to the USA. Your platform is amazing, not gonna lie!Hi! Really excited to share that I've been accepted to NYU Abu Dhabi. It has been my top choice for a while now, and I couldn't be more grateful for the support that Borderless offered!Hi! I have also been admitted to NYUAD as an international student from E& with an almost full ride, and I would love to share my story! I have been using Borderless for a year now and would love to share how it's helped me in my application!Hello!

Your project with stories of admitted students really helped me to learn a lot about the application process during my senior year. Now, I am studying in Korea, and I would like to contribute to Borderless by sharing my story. Is it possible at this moment?Hey! I'm an international student from Argentina and I was just accepted on a full-ride to Washington and Lee (Johnson Scholar with 1% AR) and near full-ride to Bowdoin (Faculty Scholar with 1% AR) and NYU Abu Dhabi! I wanted to thank you for all your work and suggestions on this page that really helped me navigate the process from scratch! It's really nice work you are doing.
Hi, I wanted to share that I used Borderless as a resource and got into Dartmouth! Thank you for what you do!!I got into Northeastern University, and it was all thanks to Borderless! Borderless suggested NEU to me and also helped a lot with my activities and essay. Although I am paying a lot of tuition, I want to share my story on Borderless. Thank you a lot, Veronica!Thank you for all your videos. I was accepted to NYUAD '29, and Borderless was a great resource for me.Hello, Veronica!! How are you doing?

Soooo it was actually on December 15th when the results of my Early Action college applications arrived and… I'm so happy to announce that I've been admitted to Northwestern Qatar with a full merit scholarship!!

Borderless played an enormous role in my success; I already gave an interview to one of the journalists, Aruzhan.

Thank you so much for creating such a magnificent project; stories with people who got into Northwestern Qatar really helped me!!! And your advice and assistance in your videos provided great support as well!!!

I particularly would like to mention the Borderless Personal Statement checker. It corrected some of the mistakes, helped polish my essay really well, and I raised my score from 11 to 19 out of 21 in just one attempt!! Thank you so much!!Hi! My name is Mariana. I'm an international student from Brazil, and I'm going to study in the US on a full-ride scholarship this fall! I love your page and have been following and using your tips since the beginning of my application. Just wanted to thank you for all the work you do—it's truly amazing!