3. Universal list of documents for submission

Required documents:

International passport (first page, so that the expiration date is no earlier than September of the year of study, and preferably later)
Certificate of secondary education (for bachelor’s degree) / Bachelor’s degree diploma (for master’s degree) – translated and certified, if the original does not include English.
Diploma Supplement / Transcript with grades (original and with notarized translation) – sometimes an extended appendix with a description of subjects is also required, most often only for master’s programs.
Language proficiency certificate (TOEFL, IELTS, etc.) – there are often requirements for the assessment, or minimum of a certain part. You can find this on the program website in the requirements section.
Motivation letter (Statement of Purpose / Personal Statement) – a short template is at the end of the document.
Recommendation letters — 2–3, from professors or employers; often you need to create a recommender account and pass the assessment of the future student, upload the letter. The template is also at the end of the document.
Resume / CV — required for almost all applications for master’s programs, as well as for undergraduate programs in the USA (especially if there are extracurricular achievements, internships, etc.).

Where and how to create:

For Europe: Use the official Europass CV template
https://europa.eu/europass
The service allows you to create a structured CV online in any language, including English. It is especially popular in universities in Germany, France, Austria, the Czech Republic and other EU countries.
For the USA and Canada: Follow the Harvard CV academic template.
Unlike Europass, the American academic CV may be less formal in structure, but more detailed in content (includes: goals, experience, projects, publications, skills, etc.)

Students may have 2 versions of CV — one in Europass style, second in American style, depending on where the application is submitted. Also, sometimes the requirements for documents may describe what kind of CV is required, examples, what they want to see.

Results of additional exams, if required (see below)
Portfolio — for creative and IT fields (rare, mainly for Master’s degree)
Proof of vaccinations or medical certificate (upon request, rare)

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