The main difficulty if you want to study in Asia is choosing which particular country. Are you going to go to Japan, India, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea (not North Korea), or Thailand? You can see the difficulty immediately as there is almost an impossible choice. However, you will be studying in a region dominated by emerging and dominant economies.

But, if you are fortunate you will have a specific destination in mind. And, with English being virtually the principle international language, many university courses are taught wholly in English, or at least language classes are provided if you need further support.

The place to start is the website of each country’s Ministry of Education, where you will find detailed information on their higher education system. On these websites there are also links to each of the universities in that country and also opportunities for scholarships.

Let us consider one example. Singapore is probably the lead provider in Asia for a university education, so you may decide to start your research there. To study in Singapore, you should apply directly to the university of your choice and then consider the fess, which will be expensive but maybe not as expensive as those in Australia or the UK. The admissions system is quite convoluted.

All international students will need a document known as a ‘student pass’. You must apply for this between two months at the earliest and one month at the latest before your programme starts. Yu can do this through the country’s ‘Student’s Pass Online Application & Registration’, commonly known as SOLAR.

As usual, you will need a visa, approval for which you will need to pass the normal conditions: you have been accepted on a university programme; you have submitted form 16 to SOLAR, which is done online; have an appointment with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, for which you will need your passport, form 16, and medical report, all of which allows you to collect your student pass. There will be fees to submit your application, to collect your pass and for your visa.

Your student pass is important because it also gives you permission to work for 16 hours a week during your programme of study. You can apply for a grant for tuition fees from the Ministry of Education.

Examples of where you can study in Singapore are the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and Singapore Management University, the new Singapore University of Technology and Design, and the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine.

To study in Asia, you need to overcome a somewhat daunting research task, a mountain of carefully completed paperwork, a detailed knowledge and appreciation of the cultural implications of your decision. It may be useful, on this latter point, to talk to someone who has been to the region so as to get firsthand knowledge of what it is like to live there for the three years or so you need to complete your degree.