The latest articles on DEV Community by AdmissionArena (@admissionarena). https://dev.to/admissionarena https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4236802%2F1d12b8b8-43d3-4988-acf1-a58f86f438f0.png https://dev.to/admissionarena en AdmissionArena Tue, 10 Nov 2026 10:55:07 +0000 https://dev.to/admissionarena/building-open-calculators-for-international-university-admissions-nextjs-typescript-3gof https://dev.to/admissionarena/building-open-calculators-for-international-university-admissions-nextjs-typescript-3gof <p>When navigating international university admissions, students often face two massive hurdles: opaque GPA conversions and scattered tuition and living cost data. Most commercial agencies hide these numbers behind aggressive lead walls or consultation sales pitches.</p> <p>We built <strong><a href="https://admissionarena.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">AdmissionArena</a></strong> as an open-access toolkit to solve this problem transparently.</p> <h3> What we focused on </h3> <ol> <li> <strong>GPA &amp; Grade Converters:</strong> Standardizing UK, US, Australian, Canadian, and German grading scales so students know exactly where they qualify before spending on application fees.</li> <li> <strong>True Cost of Attendance Calculators:</strong> Estimating realistic living costs alongside tuition fees for destinations like the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Germany.</li> <li> <strong>Eligibility Checkers:</strong> Simple, straightforward evaluation without unnecessary forms.</li> </ol> <h3> The Tech Stack </h3> <ul> <li> <strong>Next.js (App Router)</strong> with TypeScript for strict type-safety</li> <li> <strong>Tailwind CSS</strong> for responsive, mobile-first design</li> <li> <strong>Drizzle ORM</strong> with Supabase for data layer integrity</li> </ul> <p>Our mission is simple: provide honest, clean data first. If you are exploring studying abroad or building educational tools, we’d love your thoughts!</p> webdev typescript nextjs