Free University Shortlist Builder 2026 — 14 Countries, 140+ Universities

Answer four quick questions about your IGCSE / A Level / IB grades, subject of interest and budget. We'll return a personalised shortlist of up to 10 universities across the 14 destinations international students most commonly apply to — tagged reach, target and safety, sorted by QS World 2026 ranking, so you can build a balanced application list.

🇬🇧 30 UK (Oxbridge, Russell Group) · 🇺🇸 35 US (Ivy League, MIT, Stanford) · 🇨🇦 12 Canadian (U15) · 🇦🇺 18 Australian (Group of Eight) · 🇳🇿 5 NZ (Auckland, Otago) · 🇸🇬 12 Singapore (NUS, NTU) · 🇲🇾 7 Malaysian (UM, Monash MY) · 🇭🇰 5 HK (HKU, HKUST) · 🇯🇵 5 Japanese (UTokyo, Kyoto) · 🇦🇪 5 UAE (NYU AD, Khalifa) · 🇳🇱 14 Dutch · 🇩🇪 14 German (TU9, LMU) · 🇨🇭 5 Swiss (ETH, EPFL) · 🇮🇪 6 Irish (Trinity, UCD). Built for international IGCSE / IB students — most tools are UK-only.

Which countries are you considering?

Pick the destinations you'd realistically apply to — we'll show your top 10 matches across them. Most international students apply to 2–3 countries.

No countries selected yet

Select at least one country to continue.

Step 1 of 4

Or jump to a specific country

🇬🇧

UK Universities

Oxbridge, Russell Group, and 30 of the UK's most-applied-to universities for international students.

Open UK shortlist →

🇦🇺

Australia Universities

Group of Eight (Melbourne, Sydney, ANU, UNSW, Monash, UQ, UWA, Adelaide) plus 10 tier-2 universities.

Open Australia shortlist →

🇸🇬

Singapore Universities

NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD, SIT, SUSS plus private universities (SIM, MDIS, PSB) and branch campuses (Curtin, JCU, ESSEC).

Open Singapore shortlist →

🇩🇪

Germany Universities

TU9 leading technical universities + LMU Munich + Heidelberg + Berlin's three top universities. Most public German unis charge minimal tuition — top international value.

Open Germany shortlist →

🇳🇱

Netherlands Universities

All 13 Dutch research universities including TU Delft, Amsterdam, Leiden, Utrecht, Erasmus Rotterdam, Maastricht — plus Hanze University of Applied Sciences.

Open Netherlands shortlist →

🇺🇸

US Universities

Ivy League (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, UPenn, Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth) + MIT, Stanford, Caltech + top public universities (Berkeley, Michigan, UCLA, UVA).

Open US shortlist →

🇨🇦

Canada Universities

U15 research universities including Toronto, McGill, UBC, McMaster, Waterloo, Western, Queen's, Alberta. Lower tuition than the US plus strong post-study work rights.

Open Canada shortlist →

🇮🇪

Ireland Universities

Trinity College Dublin, UCD, UCC, NUI Galway, DCU, University of Limerick — Ireland's main research universities. English-taught, lower fees than the UK in many subjects.

Open Ireland shortlist →

🇭🇰

Hong Kong Universities

HKU, CUHK, HKUST, PolyU and CityU — all world-top-100, all English-taught. Hong Kong is a leading Asian hub for international IGCSE and IB students.

Open Hong Kong shortlist →

🇦🇪

UAE Universities

NYU Abu Dhabi, Khalifa, American University of Sharjah, Zayed and UAEU. English-taught, with strong scholarship pipelines for Gulf IGCSE and IB students.

Open UAE shortlist →

🇲🇾

Malaysia Universities

UM, USM, UKM, UPM, UTM (the public Big 5) plus Monash Malaysia and Nottingham Malaysia branch campuses. English-taught, lower international fees than the UK / AU.

Open Malaysia shortlist →

🇨🇭

Switzerland Universities

ETH Zurich + EPFL (world top-30 STEM) plus University of Zurich, University of Geneva and St. Gallen (top European business school). Surprisingly low fees for public Swiss research universities.

Open Switzerland shortlist →

🇳🇿

New Zealand Universities

Auckland, Otago, Canterbury, Victoria Wellington and Massey — New Zealand's five major research universities. Lower fees than Australia plus generous post-study work rights.

Open New Zealand shortlist →

🇯🇵

Japan Universities

University of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Tohoku and Waseda — Japan's most internationally-applied-to research universities. Most now have fully English-taught undergraduate streams.

Open Japan shortlist →

Why we built this

The UK's Complete University Guide Uniselect is a great tool — but it's UK-only. International IGCSE and IB students rarely apply to just one country. The Tutopiya University Shortlist Builder covers all 13 destinations international students most commonly apply to alongside the UK — US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, UAE, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Ireland. It also speaks IGCSE / IB grades natively, so you don't need to manually convert to UCAS points or SAT scores.

For deeper background, see Tutopiya's complete IGCSE-to-university pathway guide.

🎓

Are you a university? Get listed on the shortlist builder

Universities across the UK, US, Canada, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, UAE, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Ireland can request a new listing or update an existing profile (entry grades, courses, QS rank, fees, scholarships). Free for any institution international IGCSE / A Level / IB students would want to see here.

University Shortlist Builder FAQ

How the shortlist works, which countries we cover, and how to use it as an IGCSE / IB student.

Which countries does the shortlist cover?

The Tutopiya University Shortlist Builder covers the 14 destinations international IGCSE and IB students most commonly apply to: United Kingdom, United States (Ivy League + MIT, Stanford, Caltech, top publics), Canada (U15), Australia (Group of Eight + tier-2), New Zealand (Auckland, Otago, Canterbury, VUW, Massey), Singapore (NUS, NTU, SMU, branch campuses), Malaysia (UM, USM, UKM, UPM, UTM + Monash/Nottingham branch campuses), Hong Kong (HKU, CUHK, HKUST, PolyU, CityU), Japan (UTokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Tohoku, Waseda — English-taught streams), UAE (NYU Abu Dhabi, Khalifa, AUS, Zayed, UAEU), Netherlands (all 13 research universities), Germany (TU9, LMU, Heidelberg), Switzerland (ETH, EPFL, UZH, UniGE, St. Gallen) and Ireland (Trinity, UCD, UCC). 140+ universities total, all hand-curated for international IGCSE / IB applicants.

Is this tool free?

Yes — the wizard, the personalised shortlist and the country-specific FAQs are all free. A free Tutopiya account is required to see your shortlist and to download it as CSV or PDF. The same account unlocks every Tutopiya tool (GPA Calculator, Grade Predictor, Revision Checklists, the full Learning Portal). No payment is required at any step.

Do you charge for university applications?

Tutopiya is a tutoring company, not a paid admissions consultancy. The shortlist tool is free; subsequent tutoring sessions with a Tutopiya tutor — for the personal statement, BMAT / UCAT / LNAT prep, interview practice — are paid. Your school's careers counsellor remains your first port of call for the application paperwork.

I'm still doing IGCSE — can I use this tool?

Yes. Pick the IGCSE option in the curriculum step and select your predicted band (high / good / average). The shortlist will show you a realistic university range based on the A Level / IB grades you'd likely achieve at that IGCSE profile. As you progress to A Level / IB and your predictions firm up, come back and re-run the tool with the actual grade band.

How accurate is the shortlist?

It's a guide, not an oracle. The matching uses each university's typical international entry threshold for flagship courses — individual courses at the same university may demand higher or lower. Always cross-check the specific course page on the university's own admissions site (linked in every result card). The reach / target / safety tiers are designed to help you build a balanced shortlist, not to predict admissions outcomes.

Can I share my shortlist with my parents or school?

Yes — after the shortlist appears, click Download CSV or Print View / Save as PDF to export it. Both options are gated by a free Tutopiya account so the team can route follow-up support; once you sign up (same account works across every Tutopiya tool), the export runs immediately and you can share the file via email, print or upload to your school's admissions portal.

Need help building your university shortlist? Book a free 30-min admissions consult.