Start with four limits: the degree level, the subject you will actually study, the intake you can join and the maximum your family can fund without relying on a scholarship.
Do this now
Write your degree level, subject and preferred start year on one page.
Build a first-year budget covering tuition, accommodation, food, insurance, travel and document costs.
Treat scholarships as possible funding, not as confirmed income.
Decide whether an English-taught, Chinese-taught or language-year route is acceptable.
Before you move on
You can fund the first year before any scholarship result arrives.
Your subject choice leads to a realistic degree and career plan.
You have a valid passport and know when it expires.
Avoid
Choosing a university only because it is famous.
Planning around guaranteed admission or guaranteed funding.
Ignoring programme-level costs that are not shown on the university homepage.
The one rule that applies to every step
Use the university’s current official programme page for the exact degree, campus, language, tuition, deadline and document rules. Do not treat a directory, social post or agency summary as the final authority.