Studying abroad in USA

Reasons to study in the USA

Higher Education in the US

• Community colleges are the ones that have non-competitive college admissions with comparatively lower education fees. On completion of the two-year course, students are awarded an associate degree.

• Colleges provide a bachelor’s degree to undergraduates and have a wider range of choices of subjects as compared to community colleges.

• Technical schools that impart technical expertise to students mostly provide four-year courses with a degree at the end.

• Liberal arts college offer residential programs and are known to have higher teacher-student ratios. Most courses offered here are for four years.

• Universities are mostly research institutes that facilitate undergraduate and graduate courses.

Scholarships in the US for international students

State-sponsored scholarships where many state governments offer scholarship programs to students, take a look at some of them:

• HOPE Scholarship in Georgia:

This scholarship was established in the year 1993 and is applicable at public and private colleges in Georgia.

• Bright Futures by the state of Florida:

           This scholarship started in the year 1997and is funded by the Florida Lottery.Non-government scholarships are               sponsored by the private sector on need-related and academic base. These are mostly industry-specific, such                 as:

             1. The Avvo Scholars Circle was started this year for law students

             2. The CG Trader Scholarship is for students from the technology field.

Accommodation in the USA for international students

• On-campus accommodation:

On-campus accommodation facilities are a convenient option for foreign students. It also proves to be economical and helps enhance social bonding with other students. There are different types of accommodation offered by American institutes and colleges — shared apartments, dormitory-style suites, studios, one-bedroom units and even family units.

• Off-campus accommodation:

Off-campus accommodation for foreign students is expensive but there are pros like facilities of gender-neutral sharing, offsite laundry facilities, quiet hours etc. Students can choose to either share the accommodation or lease out the apartments on a single sharing basis. Most universities offer subsidized rates to international students for off-campus rentals.

Cost of studying in the USA for international students

As per the College Board, for 2017-2018, the average cost for an international student in the USA was about:

• Tuition Fees at colleges was about $25,620 and at community colleges was about $3,570. However, one needs to keep in mind that there is a significant variation in the education fees from institute to institute.

• Boarding and room rent at college worked out be about $10,800 and at a community college, it was about %8,400.

• The transportation fees, books and other living expenses worked out to be about $17,580 in a community college whereas in a public college it was about $25,290.

Requirements for studying in the USA for international students

• Proof of completion of secondary school;

• TOEFL Score to test the English proficiency of students whose native language is not English; 

• Some colleges ask for the SAT I or ACT Assessment scores too;

• Proof of financial resources that need to be filled up in Form I-20.

Applying for programs in the USA

• Step 1: Shortlist the institutes as per your interest and contact them;

• Step 2: Fill up the application form of your chosen universities;

• Step 3: Appear for SAT, ACT, GMAT, and TOEFL examinations for testing your English proficiency;

• Step 4: The colleges start to send out the acceptance letter;

• Step 5: You will then be required to pay an advance within a certain time to confirm your enrollment.