The United States is home to more than 4,000 universities, including eight of the top 10 universities in the 2022 Times Higher Education World University Rankings. It is aimed at international students, with the largest number of students coming from China, India, Saudi Arabia and Canada. The most popular courses for international students in the United States are business and management, engineering, mathematics, computer science, and social sciences. The college application process is challenging, and many international students may feel overwhelmed by the idea of applying to study in the United States.
If this sounds like you, use this guide to help demystify the application process to universities in America.
Which universities are there in the United States?
Since there are so many different types of colleges in the United States, there is something to suit every student’s interests. Before we get started, there’s something to remember about the United States: the words “college” and “university” are often used interchangeably.
Top universities – including Ivy League, Harvard University, Brown University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Columbia University, Yale University, Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania. These eight schools received more than 300,000 applications, with an average acceptance rate of 6.1% for the Class of 2021.
American universities may be free or publicly funded. Many of the top colleges and universities in the United States, such as Harvard, Stanford, and Yale, are private, not-for-profit institutions with higher tuition fees, but they often come with increased costs and more financial support.
Another type of school is a liberal arts college. Examples include Pomona College in California and Amherst College in Massachusetts. These institutions offer a wide range of academic and technical courses and are designed to provide students with a high level of education and depth.
There are historically black colleges and universities or HBCUs with a majority of black and minority students, such as Howard University and Spelman College. These institutions were originally established to provide higher education to the African American community who had previously been denied access to higher education.
Every state has at least one public university that receives government funding, and these universities often have lower tuition fees for students living in the state. Community colleges, also known as junior colleges, technical colleges or city colleges, are similar to community colleges but often offer shorter courses leading to qualifications such as diplomas and associate degrees. Community colleges often have good partnerships with four-year institutions and can be a good starting point for prestigious four-year programs.
Additionally, each state in the US has one or two public schools governed by a system-wide governing body, but there are also many affiliated schools. Each of these different locations is considered an independent school. One example is the University of California, which includes UC Berkeley and UCLA.
The United States has many good universities with different prices, objectives, tuition and fees, as well as the best and most famous schools. You can use the 2022 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education University Rankings to compare various universities, including attendance, faculty engagement, and overall student satisfaction.
Most graduate programs in the United States are four years in length and often include extensive pre-specialization in the second part of the degree. The subjects you study with your major are called minors, and your major is your major or specialization.
These activities, which include groups such as socials and fraternities, clubs, and some of the world’s best sports teams, are an important part of American college life. It’s a great way for students to make friends with interests.
The United States is the strictest country in the world when it comes to college application standards. When applying, colleges in America consider your academic performance over the past four years, school attendance, leadership and personal character.
There are three types of applications you can make to American universities: Early Application, Regular Application and Regular Application. Some Early Decision applications are also included in the Legal Application Form.
The Early Decision Application Deadline is usually approximately 10 months before the start of the course. Applying through the Early Decision process may increase your chances of getting into some colleges. However, it is important to note that some universities have a policy that if you win a place through an Early Decision application, you must attend university and withdraw or drop all other university applications. In some cases, US colleges may ask you to withdraw applications to non-US colleges if they accept you early; so be sure to check the details with your institution before applying via this method.
Admission varies by university. However, your application will almost always require an application fee (average of $43), a completed application, a personal letter, letters of recommendation and transcripts, as well as academic achievements, achievement results, and financial statements.
Depending on the type of university and the courses you are looking for, you should declare your major when you apply, meaning you should know the courses you want to take by focusing on the last two years of your degree. Generally speaking, you can change your major if you’re interested in a course at university, but it’s helpful to keep some ideas of which path you’re most likely to take depending on when you apply.