Meaning & use
applying for or to
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Used when asking which preposition follows 'apply': 'for' introduces the thing you want, 'to' introduces the place or person you ask.
Grammar: It names a choice between two patterns, so it is used in questions and explanations rather than as a sentence part itself.
Patterns
- apply for something
- apply to someone
- apply to something
A common learner question is whether to say 'applying for' or 'applying to' a university.
People often search 'applying for or to' when they are unsure which preposition to write.
The answer depends on what comes next: a thing you want, or the place you send your request.
phrasefixed phrase
Use 'apply for' when you formally ask to get something such as a job, a place, a visa, or permission.
Grammar: The preposition 'for' is followed by the thing you hope to receive, not by the organization.
Patterns
- apply for a job
- apply for a visa
- apply for a scholarship
- apply for permission
She is applying for a job at the hospital.
You must apply for a student visa before you travel.
He applied for a scholarship and got it.
phrasefixed phrase
Use 'apply to' when you send your request to a person, school, company, or organization.
Grammar: The preposition 'to' is followed by the person or institution that receives your request.
Patterns
- apply to a university
- apply to a company
- apply to someone for something
I applied to three universities last fall.
Please apply to the manager in writing.
She applied to the company for a transfer.
phrasefixed phrase
Use 'apply to' when a rule, fact, or statement concerns a particular person or situation.
Grammar: Here 'to' means 'in relation to' and is not about sending a request.
Patterns
- apply to someone
- apply to a situation
- apply to all students
This discount applies to children under twelve.
The new rule applies to everyone in the department.
Does the same advice apply to me?
Common combinations
- apply for a job
- He applied for a job as a waiter.
- apply for a visa
- We applied for a visa two months ago.
- apply to a university
- She applied to a university in Boston.
- apply to a company
- You should apply to the company directly.
- apply to someone for something
- They applied to the bank for a loan.
- the rule applies to
- The rule applies to all new employees.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- apply verb
- to make a formal request, or to put something to use.
- application noun
- the official form or request you send.
- applicant noun
- the person who applies.
- applicable adjective
- relevant or able to be applied to a situation.
Commonly confused: applying for or to or apply on? applying for or to or apply at?
applying for or to vs apply on
'Apply on' is not used for requests; it appears in phrases like 'apply on the form' meaning write on the form, or 'apply on the skin' meaning rub a cream there.
applying for or to vs apply at
'Apply at' can name a physical place ('apply at the front desk'), but 'apply to' names the organization you write to.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
'Apply for' comes before the thing you want, so 'applied for a job' is right. 'Applied to' would need an organization or person after it, as in 'applied to the bank'. 'Applied for the bank' wrongly makes the bank the thing you want, and 'applied on' does not fit this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “applying for or to”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.