New edition · 20 September 2026 · IMS Hub Editorial
A study search often begins with a sentence that is too broad to act on: “I want to study abroad,” or “I want a better course in my subject.” Academic's Study goals section helps you turn that sentence into a set of choices you can examine.
The aim is a coherent starting point. Choose a level, a subject direction, a teaching language, a destination and a starting period that belong to the same plan. You can revise the plan as you learn more from the programs available to you.
Choose the level you want to enter
Study level describes the course you are looking for next. The available choices include Bachelor, Masters, PhD, Language Program and Foundation. Your existing qualifications belong in Academic background, where Academic can relate them to this goal.
This distinction is especially useful when you are moving between stages. A final-year undergraduate exploring master's programs should keep the master's goal here and record the ongoing undergraduate qualification, its result status and expected graduation separately.
If your immediate goal is a language course, select Language Program. The editor then presents the language as the one you want to learn and offers a language-course duration preference. That lets you describe the immediate learning step accurately.
Put your main subject interest first
The editor has Primary program, Second-choice program and Third-choice program fields. Use the first for the subject you most want to investigate. Add alternatives that you would seriously consider, rather than filling all three for the sake of completeness.
Program suggestions come from the current university catalog and respond to the study level, country and teaching language you have selected. You can also enter another study interest. A suggestion helps you use recognizable program wording; it does not establish that every suggested title will be a suitable match for your background.
For example, a student interested in a technical career might want to distinguish computer science from information systems before comparing universities. Naming that preference clearly makes it easier to read the program on each result card and decide whether to investigate further.
Separate language, country and city
Teaching language, Preferred country and Preferred city answer different questions. The teaching language describes the classroom experience you are seeking. The country directs the destination search. The city records a more specific location preference.
A selected country filters the Academic results to that destination. Keep it aligned with the search you intend to make now. If you decide to explore another country, save that changed preference before evaluating the new feed.
For a degree course, choosing a teaching language expresses a preference; the evidence of your proficiency belongs in Application readiness. Keeping those two entries consistent helps you distinguish “I want this course” from “I have this language result.”
Set an intake you can plan around
The intake control asks for a year and a month. An exact enrolment day is not required. Choose the period when you want to begin, then read each program's Application dates section to understand its available timing.
Your preferred start month and an application closing date serve different purposes. A course starting in a particular month can require preparation much earlier. Use the result's published application information to identify the next action, rather than treating the intake preference as a deadline.
Save Study goals and read its summary before returning to Academic. If the results raise a new question, change the preference that answers it: perhaps a different subject interest or a later start. Keeping each revision deliberate makes it easier to understand why a new set of options is useful.
Explore Academic with a specific next course in mind, then let the details help you refine that choice.
