When you start looking into schools and housing abroad, information is split by country and city, and it can be hard to know where to begin.
In short
On BLOOM ABROAD, you choose a city from the country page, then open a category on the city page: schools, housing, SIM, insurance, banks or events. Lists can be narrowed down by type and conditions, and anything that catches your eye can be collected in your favourites with the heart.
Start from the country page
When you open a country page, the number of listings currently on the site comes first. The Canada page, for example, showed 6 cities, 108 schools and 146 housing listings. The counts in this article are what each page showed on 24 October 2026.
Tap a city that interests you to go to its city page. If you have not decided where to go yet, try the city quiz, which asks about your budget, purpose, length of stay and how many Japanese people you would like around, to find cities that may suit you. The country page shows the following.
- Listings currently on the site (cities, schools, housing)
- Key points on costs, entry and permits, and working holidays
- Photos of each city with its number of schools and homes
- A city quiz that suggests cities from your budget and goals
Choose a category on the city page
The city page lists the categories you can search in that city, showing only those with listings, each with a count. Tapping a category takes you to that city’s list. The same page also covers cost guides such as the median rent, the climate and safety, and frequently asked questions.
The school list compares language schools and programmes, and the housing list compares share houses, homestays, student residences and apartments. SIM covers phone plans, insurance covers study abroad insurance plans, and banks cover account options. SIM and bank counts are for listings across Canada. The Vancouver page showed the following.
| Category | Listings |
|---|---|
| Schools | 58 schools |
| Housing | 146 listings |
| SIM | 47 plans |
| Insurance | 2 plans |
| Banks | 10 banks |
| Events | 71 events |
Filter and sort the lists
The school list can be filtered by city, school type and programme, and the order can be changed. Each card shows the school type, a tuition guide and programme features. Try it on the Vancouver school list.
The housing list is divided by type, and you can filter by conditions or search by location with the map view. Cards show the time to the nearest station and the minimum stay, and whether utilities and Wi-Fi are included in the rent. Filters include the following.
- School type: language school, public college, university, private high school, etc.
- Programme: general English, IELTS preparation, Co-op (with work), etc.
- Housing type: share house, homestay, student residence, apartment
Find events
On the events page, you can find chances to meet people and try new things in the city where you study. Choosing a city shows prices in the local currency, which also helps when you are looking for plans for your first week. When we looked, 506 events were listed with the soonest first.
Categories include language exchange, international exchange, culture and experiences, sports, workshops, students and careers, and volunteering. Languages can be chosen from Japanese, English, Korean, Spanish, French and Chinese. If you are organising an event yourself, you can list it from the host button. You can filter by the following.
- City and keyword
- Date (today, within 7 days, this weekend)
- Price (free and more)
- Category and language
Favourites, experiences and the partner list
Tap the heart on a school or housing card to add it to your favourites. Open favourites to see what you added by category, and search by name, city or note, or change the order. You can write down why something caught your eye in a note. When you log in, favourites added on that device can be moved to your account.
On the experiences page, you can read accounts written by people who studied abroad, together with the schools they attended and the agencies they used. When we looked there were none yet, and you can write your own after logging in. The partner list shows 9 partner companies (study abroad agencies, housing, SIM and eSIM, and insurance), which you can filter by type, country and city. The order is by type and then by number of listings, and it does not represent a ranking or rating.
Where to look next on ABROAD
If you have decided on a country, start from the country page; if you have decided on a city, start from the city page. Either way, you can look at schools, housing, SIM, insurance, banks and events in the same flow. When a quote arrives from an agency, try organising it with Study Abroad Quote Check.
