What is Tune Preferences?
Tune Preferences allows students to refine the university and course recommendations shown on their Dashboard, Universities tab and Courses tab. By setting preferences such as destination country, subject interest, and budget, the platform tailors recommendations to each student's profile.
How to access Tune Preferences?
The Tune Preferences control (tune icon) appears on the Dashboard, Universities tab, and Courses tab. Clicking it opens a panel of preference questions. Complete as many fields as possible to improve the quality of your recommendations. Changes take effect within a few minutes and you will see a confirmation message: "Your preferences are updated. It will take a few minutes for the recommendations to reflect."
How Recommendations are displayed?
When the system is showing personalised recommendations, a banner appears at the top of the listing: "Showing top X recommended universities/courses based on your preferences. Search or filter to explore all." The Tune Preferences button is visible alongside this banner.
Courses Tab (Preference Question Sequence)
On the Courses tab, preference questions are shown in a fixed order to capture the most important inputs first:
Courses or majors of interest
Preferred study destinations
Budget (annual tuition fee)
Web vs Mobile Consistency
Recommendations and preferences are synchronised between the web platform and the Cialfo mobile app. If you notice differences between what is shown on web versus mobile, please allow a few minutes for the sync to complete. If the issue persists after 10 minutes, contact Cialfo support.
Troubleshooting steps
If the Tune Preferences button is not visible, check whether a search or filter has been applied — the button is intentionally hidden during active filtering. On the Courses tab, if the preference popup appears in unexpected places, it has been removed from all areas other than the dedicated Tune Preferences flow. If recommendations are not updating after preference changes, wait up to 5 minutes and refresh the page.
Note: Preference updates on the Dashboard and Universities tabs apply immediately; updates on the Courses tab may take slightly longer to reflect due to the additional course matching process.
What's New:
Tune Preferences Improvements
Tune Preferences Improvements
A new informational banner now appears on the University Search page to explain when recommendations are being influenced by preferences.
Additionally, the system now allows only one active Tune Preference at a time, ensuring more consistent and predictable results.
Preference Screen on Pre-Filtered Views and Course Default Ordering
Preference Screen on Pre-Filtered Views and Course Default Ordering
Previously, when a student landed on the Courses or Universities page with pre-filters already applied (e.g., from a link or prior session), the system did not display the Tune Preferences banner or prompt the student to review their preference settings. This meant students were unaware that their results were being shaped by outdated or mismatched preferences.
The platform now shows the preference adjustment banner when pre-filters are active. Students can review their preferences and make changes directly from the filtered view — ensuring the results always align with their current interests.
Improved Default Ordering of Courses on the Course Page
Improved Default Ordering of Courses on the Course Page
Previously, courses on the Courses tab were not ordered in a meaningful way on first load, making it harder for students to find relevant options quickly. The ordering logic has been improved as follows:
If the student has set destination preferences, courses from those countries are prioritised at the top.
If the student has set course/subject preferences, matching courses are ranked higher.
Students without any preferences set will see a general ranking based on popularity and quality signals.
This change ensures that the first courses a student sees are the most relevant to their profile and goals.
Common Issues and Fixes
Applied Filters Not Showing as Selected After Navigation
If you are experiencing an issue on the university listing page where filters such as Region, Kickstart Bundle, or Direct Apply continue filtering results correctly, but the selected filter options appeared deselected after navigating away and returning to the page. This will create confusion because the filters will remain active even though the UI does not reflect the selected state.
The filter state persistence has now been corrected. Applied filters will now remain visually selected after navigation, accurately showing which filters are currently active. This fix applies across the university search page.
Need More Help?
Our Client Support team is available via Live Chat 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday, so you can get help anytime during the work week through Chat with Cialfo.
If you're unable to find a solution in our help articles or need further assistance, you can contact the Cialfo Support team via Live Chat or email us at [email protected].