Guide for Completing our
Postgraduate Profile Form

Section 1 - Personal Details

‘Family Name’ - your family name is your surname or your last name.

‘Given Name’ - your given name is your first name.

Section 2 - Education Details

‘Completion Date’ - this may be in the past or in the future, depending on where you are with your studies currently.

‘English Language Level’ - this is to give the institution an at-a-glance indication of your level. Most universities will want more verifiable proof of your level in the form of a recognised English exam.

‘TOEFL, IELTS, GRE, GMAT, and CAMBRIDGE’ - these are some of the most recognised English exams accepted by universities or colleges. If you check any of them then you must give your score.

‘Any Other Qualifications Gained’ - this section should include any other exam you have taken and should include things like music exams, other English certificates you may have taken, etc.

‘Any Qualifications Studying For Now’ - it is very important that you say what you are studying currently; if you are still at university you may be studying your degree or an MA, MSc etc.

‘Work Experience’ - please include any work experience you have had even if it is not in your study field. It might include holiday work, work in your faculty, teaching work or working in a private company or government department. Give as much detail as possible, including the length of time worked, the duties you undertook etc.

Section 3 - Study Preferences

‘Date to Start Study’ - if you are not sure of the exact date, don’t worry, just put in one possible date that you may be starting. It can always be changed at a later date if your plans change.

‘Choose Country of Study’ - you can choose one or more country; many students are not sure where they want to go and want information about several to help them make up their mind and to be able to make comparisons.

‘Type of Institution’ - if you aren’t sure what these various different types of higher education institutions are, then take a look at our website country pages and profile pages to help you. Briefly, TAFE colleges are in Australia, Colleges of Higher Education in the UK, and Community Colleges in the USA and Canada. You may need an English refresher course before you start your postgrad and many universities have an English Language academy where you can do this. The majority of postgrad courses are studied in universities and colleges although some are offered in the other institutions.

‘Location Setting’ - some students are only interested in a big city environment although most don’t have a preference. Obviously, if you only want a big city, then you will limit your response to a certain extent. Remember, Oxford and Cambridge are both quite small cities!

Section 4 - Choose Study Subjects

You can choose as many of these as you want and it often happens that students haven’t yet made up their minds about the subject area that they want to study. In this case they will choose a number of subjects relating to two or three different disciplines, which is fine. However, if your choices are too wide-ranging, then your profile might appear to lack direction or may seem less serious, so try to pick subjects that compliment each other as far as possible.

If you can’t find anything relating to the area of study you wish to pursue, or if you wish to indicate something very specific that you can’t find on the list (which is often the case for students looking at postgraduate level), then there is a section at the bottom (‘Other, not listed above’) in which you can write your own choices.

Section 5 - Additional Information

‘How are you Funded?’ - There are four choices in this section: three indicating that you are funded in some way, and one that shows you need a full (100%) scholarship.

‘Do you require information on’ - this gives four areas that students often need information about - select one or more or them for information relevant to the country choices you made in the Study Preferences section.

Additional Information - this is the last section on the form and although you are not obliged to complete it, it is an opportunity to add some colour to the profile, making it more individual and personal to you. You should include any other languages you speak (at whatever level), work you have had published, any special sporting interests and achievements, if you play any musical instruments etc. Some students choose to attach their CV. All such information improves the look of your profile and is of great interest to prospective universities or colleges, so it is worth spending the time to complete this section.