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USA has the Associate – Bachelors – Masters – Doctorate framework to define the years of education required to for students to earn a diploma, bachelor’s degree, masters degrees and doctorate respectively. In the American system, students can take upto 30 credits worth of courses in each semester. For bachelor’s degree, students must take courses worth at least 120 credits i.e. they must study for 4 years for Master’s students require 60 credits i.e. masters programs are 2 years in length.
Public Universities: These are also called state universities and are funded by state government. Most universities in USA are public. They are therefore funded by the government and are relatively in-expensive. Some examples are the University of Texas, the University of California and Arizona State University.
Private Universities: These are not funded by the state government but are funded by private trusts. For example, Rice University is not funded by the state of Texas, but is partially funded by endowments which are given by private donors. Every state in the USA has private universities or colleges. The Ivy League of Universities is one of the most well-known groups of private universities in the USA. It consists of a group of eight historic universities – all located in the northeast region of the US. The Ivy League was originally formed in the 1950s as an athletic association. The eight Ivy League Universities include: Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth University, Harvard University, Princeton University, The University of Pennsylvania, Yale University
The United States is known for Engineering, Business and Computer Science Programs. These programs are popular because most job opportunities in the USA are in these domains and international students who graduate in these domains are allowed to stay back in the USA for three years after their graduation before having to apply for a work visa. For other programs (i.e. non STEM programs), students are allowed to stay back for only one year after their graduation. The USA has the most number of fortune 500 companies in the world and business education was in fact invented in the USA. The five most popular areas to study in the United States based on the number of international students is below:
| Field of Study | Total International Students |
| Engineering | 2,32,710 |
| Business and Management | 1,96,054 |
| Math and Computer Science | 1,86,003 |
| Social Sciences | 83,708 |
| Physical and Life Sciences | 78,700 |
Five of the top ten, and more than twenty-five of the top hundred universities in the world are in the United States. These are the top five universities to study at in the United States:
| University | World Rank | Location |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1 | Boston |
| Stanford University | 3 | San Francisco |
| Harvard University | 5 | Boston |
| California Institute of Technology | 6 | Pasadena |
| University of Chicago | 10 | Chicago |
However, the top universities are expensive (average MS tuition fee of Rs 70 lakhs) and are very selective. On average, these universities select only 9% of the applicants.
The United States also has several cheaper, easier to get into but well-respected universities like:
USA has three intakes. The main intake is the fall intake and the secondary intake is the spring intake. Indian students usually prefer the winter intake as this enables them to complete their undergraduate degree by June / July and fly to USA in the subsequent months.
| Intake | Start Preparing By | Applications Close By | Apply For Visa By |
| Fall (September) | August/ September | Dec/ Jan | June |
| Spring (January) | Jan/ Feb | June/July | October |
| Summer (June) | May/ June | Feb/ March | April |
The USA is one of the most expensive countries to study in. In part – this is because of the high quality of education provided. Students can expect to pay the following annually:
| Program Type | Typical Number of Years Education | Average Annual Tuition Fee (In Indian Rupees) |
| Undergraduate Education | 4 | Rs 20 Lacs to Rs 35 Lacs |
| Postgraduate Education (Except MBA) | 2 | Rs 20 Lacs to Rs 40 Lacs |
| MBA | 2 | Rs 30 lakhs to Rs 50 lakhs |
| PhD | 3 to 6 years | Rs 20 Lacs to Rs 50 lakhs |
Apart from this, students will spend approximately Rs 8 – Rs 15 lakhs per year on their living expenses. However, this can easily be funded by working part time while studying.
Students can apply to universities in USA through the university website. Students should apply latest February for the Fall intake and by July for the Spring intake. The following documents are needed to apply to universities in the USA:
The pathway to immigration in the USA is as follows:
The USA Student visa takes up to 30 to 45 days to process in most cases, but students should apply as soon as they get their admit, or at least 2 months before the semester begins – whichever is earlier.
The following documents are required to apply for the US Student (F1) visa:
Your university will make you aware of additional requirements if any prior to your application.
The steps to apply for the F1 visa are as below:
Step 1: Get your school’s Form I-20
After being formally accepted to a school in the USA, you will receive a form called Form I20. This is confirmation from the university that you have been accepted to their program without any conditions.
Step 2: Pay the SEVIS I-901 fee
Go online and pay the I-901 SEVIS fee once you receive your I-20 form from your school. The price is 350 USD (Rs.28,996/-) for F-1 students. Click this link for SEVIS fee payment. SEVIS is a web-based system for maintaining information on non-immigrant students and exchange visitors in the United States.
Step 3: Locate a US Embassy or Consulate in Your Area
You must apply for an international student visa at the US embassy or consulate nearest to you (ideally, in the city or region in which you live). The US Department of State offers an online search for US embassies and consulates. Please know that depending on which embassy you apply through, the process for obtaining a student visa in the United States may fluctuate slightly.
Step 4: Fill out the DS-160 form online
After that, fill out the Online Non-immigrant Visa Application (Form DS-160) here. You will also need to select the US embassy where you will interview for your visa on this application.
Step 5: Make an appointment for your visa interview
Contact your nearest US embassy or consulate (preferably, the one you listed on your online application) to organize your visa interview after you’ve filed Form DS-160.
Step 6: Make payment for your visa application fee
After that, pay the application fee of 160 USD (Rs 13,255/-). This charge is the same regardless of where you apply or where you are from. It’s important to note that the exact date you pay this charge will differ based on your embassy.
Step 7: Attend your visa interview
The interview is the final major step in the visa application process. This interview will determine whether you are granted a student visa in the United States. Students are asked questions to ascertain whether they can pay for university and living in the USA and whether they will leave the USA after completing their education. Common reasons applications are denied are as followed:
Step 9: Get Your Visa
Your embassy will return your passport to you with your new visa in it if you’ve completed all of the requirements above and gained approval for an international student visa to the United States. It’s worth noting that certain embassies will ask you to pick it up in person, while others will simply ship it back to you.
There are two types of scholarships:
1.Need-based scholarship are the financial aids that are provided to students who are facing financial constraints or difficulties. Basically, a need-based scholarship is aimed for students with weak financial backgrounds, who are not able to meet the high tuition fees and living expenses in foreign countries.
2.merit-based scholarship is awarded to those students who demonstrate great academic and / or extra-curricular records like achievements in academics, leadership activity, sports, community service, or any other special interests. The amount of money offered in a scholarship varies between organizations and institutions. Some universities offer a 100% tuition fee waiver while some institutions offer a partial waiver.
Document requirement for applying Scholarship:
Some of the popular scholarships when applying to universities in the United States are:
| Scholarship Name | Amount | Selection Criteria |
| (Government-funded) | Full Amount
Type: Merit-Based |
1.Complete an equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from a recognized Indian university with at least 55% marks. Either possess a four-year bachelor’s degree or a completed master’s degree; or a full-time postgraduate diploma from a recognized Indian institution, if the bachelor’s degree is of less than four years’ duration
2.must not have another degree from a U.S. university or be enrolled in a U.S. degree program 3.A least three years’ full-time (paid) professional work experience relevant to the proposed field of study by the application deadline |
| AAUW International Fellowships (Non-Government scholarship) |
Master’s/first professional degree: $20,000 Doctoral: $25,000 Postdoctoral: $50,000 |
1 Master’s/first professional degree and doctoral applicants must be enrolled in a U.S. accredited institution located in the U.S. during the fellowship year.
2. provides support for women pursuing full-time graduate or postdoctoral study in the United States to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and who intend to return to their home country to pursue a professional career. |
| Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program | Full amount
Type: Merit-Based |
1.Citizenship: National of any of the 131 participating countries including India, Peru, Bangladesh, Pakistan.
2.Academic Qualification: Must hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited university. 3.Professional Experience: Minimum 5 years of full-time work experience, preferably in a relevant field. Part-time work experience is not considered. 4.Must have a public service record in the community and minimal to no prior experience in the USA. |
For more scholarships in Germany click here.
We hope this article was useful for you to apply to American universities. If you have any questions about pursuing masters in Germany, or about the study abroad process in general – do contact us; our counsellors would be happy to help.
