Study in USA - Consultants in Pune

Uniquely known as the ‘Land of Opportunities’, the United States of America is a global spearhead in higher-level education, attracting the world’s largest population of international students. Equipped with high-quality research, globally recognized universities and an unparalleled standard in education, the United States has an abundance of opportunities to offer, both academically as well as professionally. The country, moreover, is home to the top five universities of the world namely the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Standard University, Harvard University, California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of Chicago (QS Universities).

There are many factors contributing to the ‘US Higher Education appeal’ and a lot of it has to do with the quality of education, industry-based curriculum, exceptional employability and career prospects.

Some statistics about international students in the USA:

As per Migration Policy, there were only 26,000 international students in the 1949-50 school year, but the number of students increased to almost 1.1 million in the years 2019-20.

Regarding the share of all students enrolled in U.S. higher education, the International students increased by 1 percent in 1949–50 to nearly 6 percent in 2019-20.

In the school year of 2019-2020, India accounted for 18 per cent of the international students followed by South Korea (5 percent), and Saudi Arabia (3 percent).

It’s safe to say that the United States has some of the best undergraduate, graduate as well as doctoral and postdoctoral education. As for international study in the USA in 2021, the latest IIE, International Educational Exchange report (Preparing for the Future: The Path Forward for International Education Exchange) shows that most of the US universities plan to welcome students back to campus and look to eliminate complete online study.

Higher Education in USA

Understanding the American higher education system will enable you to get one step closer to planning your abroad study in the country. Firstly, high school students can pursue higher, post-secondary education at colleges and universities in the US. Within these institutes, there are colleges dedicated to a particular field of study such as College of Arts, College of Engineering, etc. The public colleges and universities are run by the government of the individual state whereas those that are private operate on their own with direct control from the government of the particular state.

There is a group of eight prestigious, collegiate athletic conference in the North Eastern United States which is the Ivy League. It comprises private research universities and are well-known for their academic brilliance and admission standard. These are namely;

Brown University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth University
Harvard University
Penn University
Princeton University
Yale University

Various tech colleges and institutes in the US offer technical or vocational courses for students. At the same time, it is also important to know the structure of higher education in the States.

Undergraduate level (Bachelors)

Graduate level (Masters)

Doctoral level (PhD)

Postdoctoral (postdoc)

Undergraduate study includes a four-year bachelor’s degree with a focused discipline as their major. These degrees consist of a core curriculum of minors which are focused on academic areas as well as concentrations which are specializations apart from the major. It intends to imbibe important life skills such as critical and logical thinking, communication skills, etc. Graduate studies consist of two-year masters programs wherein the student must complete a thesis or a project in their final semester. On the other hand, the doctorate or PhD programs are awarded to students with a successful completion of their dissertation and defence of the faculty members. They undergo their thesis with supervision from a faculty member advisor. The duration of study for doctoral programs in the USA are about 5-8 years.

USA Application Process

Even though the procedure to apply for American universities and colleges may vary, here is the gist of it;

You’ll have to fill the application form of that specific college/university along with supporting documents requested by them.
Generally considered as the major contribution to your application process, a SOP, Statement of Purpose is necessary unless specified otherwise by universities. This is an essay that describes your personality, your achievements, your academic and professional goals so that the institutions can clearly understand why you’re a perfect fit for the program.
If there are any entrance exams that are required for the course of study you are opting for, then the scorecard for the said exam is mandatory.
Once you completed and submitted your application, you will receive an offer confirming your admission in some time, depending upon that particular institute. If you aren’t awaiting offer letters from other universities, you can accept the letter of admittance of your preferred university and go forward with the next step, which is applying for the I-20 form.
The Form I-20 legally certifies that you are enrolled in a program in the United States. For this, you would need to pay the tuition fees for your program at the university along with showing documents to affirm adequate finances relating to the living costs for a year.
Once you receive your I-20 form, it makes way for applying for the student visa to complete your study abroad plan in the United States. Make a note that the type of student visa you’d need depends upon the kind of school you will attend.

Since many institutions require standardized tests depending the course you are applying for, given below are the entrance exams for American colleges/universities: