If I apply for both countries, do I have to apply for visa for only one country?

You do not automatically get to skip a visa just because you applied to two countries at the same time. Whether you need one visa or two depends entirely on whether those countries share a regional visa agreement, and if you are applying to universities, you can only hold one active student visa at a time.

When One Visa Covers Both Countries

When You Need Separate Visas

• Countries without a shared agreement, such as the UK and France, or the US and Canada, need two independent visa applications.
• Most consulates ask for your physical passport during processing, so applying to both at once is hard unless one offers an e-visa.
• If you have applied to universities in two countries, you cannot hold two active student visas together. You wait for both decisions, choose one, then apply for that visa while withdrawing the other application.

My Advice

Before you pay any visa fee, write down your primary destination, the one where you will study or spend the most nights, and start that application first. If your two applications are both universities, do not file two student visas at once; wait for your final offers, pick your country, and formally withdraw the other application so it does not complicate your record.