Question 1

Why use ApexApply instead of ChatGPT, a manual search, or a university portal?

Accepted Answer

Each alternative leaves a gap. A general AI chatbot works from frozen training data, so the faculty it names are often outdated or invented and you have to verify every one. A manual search can find good matches but takes months and doesn't scale. University portals list a small set of open positions (mostly in Europe), not the right professors for you. ApexApply searches 3M+ active faculty worldwide, ranks them by fit, explains why each fits with grounding in their recent work, and drafts your outreach, in about ten minutes.

Question 2

Is this just a fancy Google search?

Accepted Answer

No. We read the research interests and recent work of faculty across universities worldwide and match against your specific interests, not keywords. A search engine returns every page that contains a word; we return the top professors for you, ranked by fit, with a match score and whether they're accepting students.

Question 3

Will the professors actually respond?

Accepted Answer

We can't promise that; no one can. But response rates jump dramatically when your email references the professor's specific recent work, which our drafts do automatically. Most cold emails fail because they're generic; ours aren't.

Question 4

How many professors should I email to get a response?

Accepted Answer

There's no guarantee; outreach never is. But based on our experience, emailing 50 to 100 professors usually gives you a high probability of landing several good responses. What matters is personalization: generic mass emails rarely work, while emails grounded in a professor's specific recent work (which ApexApply drafts for you) convert far better. We make sending that many genuinely personal emails fast instead of exhausting.

Question 5

I'm an undergrad, not a PhD student. Does this work for me?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Describe what you want to research and we surface professors whose current work fits, and flag the ones who explicitly mention they're accepting students (research assistant, MSc, PhD, or postdoc).

Question 6

What fields and institutions do you cover?

Accepted Answer

Every field (the sciences, engineering, humanities, and more) at universities worldwide. You can narrow your search by country and, if you like, focus on business, law, or medical schools.

Question 7

Is it really free to start?

Accepted Answer

Yes, no credit card needed. Sign up free and try the full product (full faculty details, contact emails, AI outreach drafts, exports, and your dashboard) on 10 free matches. When you need more, you just buy a batch of matches; they never expire and every feature stays unlocked. No subscription, no lock-in.

Question 8

Is it worth it? How does the price compare to what I already spend applying?

Accepted Answer

Applying to grad school is expensive before you even start; a single application fee is typically $75 to $120. A batch of matches costs a small fraction of that, and the more you buy, the less each one costs. For less than the cost of one application fee you can find and vet dozens of best-fit professors, each with the reasons they fit and a ready-to-edit outreach draft, then spend your application money only where it's a genuine fit.

Academic matching, solved.

You’ve been doing it the hard way.

Searching by hand

Sending cold emails

Guessing at fit

From one paragraph to a sent email.

Tell us about you

We match you to the best fit

Reach out, with help

See it work in 30 seconds

Frequently asked questions