apply for和 apply to都有“申请”的意思，那么二者之间有什么区别呢？
1.apply for
（通常以书面形式）后面跟的是希望获得的事物,就是你想要什么东西就申请的那东西，即目标。
例如工作（job, work）
职务（post, position）
奖金（reward）
签证(visa)
国籍(citizenship)等
apply for a job/passport/grant
申请工作 / 护照 / 拨款
例句：
I am applying for a job as a clerk.
我正在申请一个做职员的工作。
I am continuing to apply for jobs.
我正在继续找工作。
What's the form when you apply for a research grant?
申请科研补助金按常规应该怎么办？
You can apply for citizenship after five years' residency.
居住五年后可申请公民资格。
The country applied for full membership of the European Union.
这个国家申请成为欧洲联盟的正式成员。
They had entered the country and had applied for permanent residence.
他们已经入境该国，并申请了永久居留权。
He applied for British residency.
他申请了在英国的居住权。
I applied for the post more in hope than expectation.
我申请这个职位是希望多于期待。
On their advice I applied for the job.
我听从他们的建议申请了这份工作。
If I had seen the advertisement in time I would have applied for the job.
我要是及时看到了这则广告，我就应聘那份工作了。
Despite applying for hundreds of jobs, he is still out of work.
尽管他申请了数百个工作，但仍然在失业中。
He confided to me that he had applied for another job.
他向我透露他已申请另一份工作。
Was any check made on Mr Morris when he applied for the post?
莫里斯先生申请这个职位时对他进行调查了吗？
Even worse, Meucci never applied for a patenton his invention.
更糟糕的是，穆奇从未为他的发明申请过专利。
They applied for a home improvement loan.
他们申请了房屋修缮贷款。
A large number of people have applied for the job.
许多人申请了这工作。
Applying for jobs can be a long and painful process.
求职可能是一个漫长而又艰难的历程。
She'd applied for 30 jobs at the last count.
根据有关的最新消息她申请过30个职位。
She had applied for deferred admission to college.
她已申请延期入学。
She applied for associate membership last year.
她去年申请成为准会员。
He applied for asylum in 1987 after fleeing the police back home.
1987年他在本国逃脱警察追捕后，就申请了政治庇护。
A research fellowship came up at Girton and I applied for it and got it.
格顿学院设立了一项研究奖学金，我提出申请并且成功获得。
About 100 persons have applied for the appointment.
约有100人申请这一职务。
2.apply to
apply to后面跟的是要申请的机构组织等
例如大学（university, college）
apply to a company/university
向公司 / 大学申请
例句：
How many universities have you applied to?
你向几所大学提出了申请?
The college he applied to has accepted him.
他申请的那所学院录取了他。
She only applied to one university and was accepted.
她只向一所大学提出申请并被录取了。
They applied to the government for financial help.
他们请求政府资助。
They applied to other medical institutions for assistance.
他们向其他医疗机构求援。
Typically, parents apply to several schools and settle, if need be, for their fourth or fifth choice
通常父母会申请几个学校，而且如果必要的话会将就接受第四或第五个选择。
If you wish to join the club, you should apply to the Secretary in the first instance.
如果你希望加入俱乐部，首先应向秘书提出申请。
He has applied to join the army.（不定式）
他已报名参军。
apply oneself to sth 使（自己）全神贯注于；使（注意力等）集中于
Faulks has applied himself to this task with considerable energy...
福克斯为这项任务倾注了大量精力。
She applied herself to her new duties with great enthusiasm.
她满腔热情地投入她的新任务中。
真题解析
【真题1】We have ________ to the government for a home improvement loan.
A. arranged
B. approached
C. applied
D. appointed
『正确答案』C
『答案解析』句意：我们必须向政府申请一笔家装贷款。
【真题2】After 15 years in the United States, he has finally decided to_____ American citizenship.
A. concentrate on
B. apply for
C. look out for
D. appeal on
『正确答案』B
『答案解析』句意：在美国居住15年后，他决定申请美国公民身份。