Education System in USA

USA has the world’s most flexible education system, students can study their area of interest as specialization. As the education system of USA is not centralized each institute can determine its program and admission standards. Lateral movement in the education system is possible any time.

Grading System

The GPA system is followed throughout the United States to judge student’s performance. It is graded on the scale of 0 to 4. Following is the evaluation of GPA

Grade Points Grade Points Equivalent

>4 >A High Achievement

>3 >B Satisfactory

>2 >C Minimum Passing

>1 >D Failure

Intakes

US universities have 3 intakes

1. Spring: January/February
2. Fall: August/September
3. Summer: April/May

Major intake is the Fall intake, but most of the universities are open for Spring and few of them for summer & winter intake too. However all subjects commence in Fall and only some in Winter and Summer intake.

Eligibility Language Requirement

All students must have the required English language proficiency with regards to the course. TOEFL score of 80 or above for Postgraduate and 79 above for Undergraduate studies is a decent score. IELTS score of 6.0 or above for Undergraduate degrees and 6.5 or above for postgraduate degrees is required. Over 2500 institutions in USA recognize the IELTS exams including several top ranked institutions.There are several universities which do accept IELTS 6.0 band, few schools accepts TOEFL / IELTS with low scores, students need to complete English programme on successful completion of English programme student can go ahead with Undergraduate and Graduate studies.

Entry Requirements + Eligibilbity

• Undergraduate: 10+2
• Graduate:16 years of education required (10+2+4)
• Some institutions accept 15 years education into their Bridge /Masters Programs
• Good & strong academic background
• Good scores in entrance Tests like SAT, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, IELTS etc
• Strong recommendation letters
• To the point Statement of Purpose/Personal Statement, essays & resumes
• Certificates of achievement & extra -curricular activity participation
• Strong financial background or good grades to get a scholarship.

Types of Institutions

Public Universities

State-affiliated institutions financially supported by public taxes, usually large in size. All levels of degrees with different fields of study are offered. Public colleges and universities are relatively easy on the pocket for residents of a state where the schools are located. Foreign students pay “out-of-state” tuition, which is higher. There are many notable public universities across the country just a few examples: Pennsylvania State University, Ohio State University, University of California, Kansas State University, and University of Texas, California State University.

Private Universities

Private Institutions run without the control of the Government entity. Tuition fees of these institutions are higher but the international as well the domestic students pay the same amount of fees. The notable private institutions are Long Island University, George Washington University, New York University, Carnegie Mellon University.

Technical Institutes

These are schools emphasizing principally on engineering and science they are known for their research and graduate programs. Most International students who attend these schools are of graduate level. Undergraduates admitted to these schools usually have incredibly strong backgrounds in math and sciences, as witnessed by grades and standardized test scores (e.g. SAT or GRE). M.I.T. (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Cal Poly (California Polytechnic Institute), Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology), NYIT New York Institute of Technology) and W.P.I. (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) are a few of the noted schools.

Community Colleges

More over known as County Colleges or City colleges, Community colleges provide higher education and lower level tertiary education, granting certificates, diplomas and Associates Degree. Some notable community colleges are Ohlone College, De Anza College & Bellevue Community College.

Types of Degree

Associate Degree:

It is an academic degree awarded by the community colleges, junior colleges, business colleges and some bachelor’s degree upon completion of a course of study usually for two years (60 Credits). In USA , an associate degree is equivalent to the first two years of a four year college or university Bachelors degree. It is the lowest in hierarchy of post secondary academic degrees offered in USA.

Bachelors Degree:

Commonly known as Undergraduate degree in India. The duration of the bachelors course is 4 years. Students, who have completed a part of their undergraduate degree and want to go to the USA, can apply as a transfer Student. There are two types of bachelors degree: B.A or B.S. Some universities in the USA offer either of the degrees in all fields and at times both the degrees in some field. Students need to appear for SAT & TOEFL/IELTS exams for admission.

Masters Degree:

The duration of master’s courses may range from a year to two depending on the university & your area of specialization. The binding requisite for Masters is the 16 year of education criteria. Students with Bachelors in Engineering are qualified whereas the students with B.Com, B.Sc., and B.A need to complete at least one year of Masters, post graduate diploma is also accepted by some specific institutions for specific programs. While 16 years of education is the major criteria, few universities do accept students with 3 years Bachelors degree for certain Master programs. Exams required are GMAT for management related subjects / GRE for arts, science or any other subjects and TOEFL/ IELTS exams for admission.

Doctorate:

Commonly known as PhD. Duration of the same may range from 3 years to 5 years. Students can take admission for a PhD only after completion of their master’s degree. PhD students need to submit a research proposal as well have to appear for GRE/GMAT & TOEFL/IELTS exams for admissions.

Scholarship & Financial Aid

Financial Aid:

While it is easy for most domestic students to obtain some form of Federal (Government) Aid or university aid for their Bachelor’s level education, it is most often very difficult for international students to obtain aid in any form at Bachelor’s level. Hence, it is imperative that students who are financially sound or have brilliant academic background (including top-level scores in TOEFL/IELTS and/or SAT I and II) to consider further education at the bachelor’s level.

However, at the Master’s level, aid in several forms is available for international students. Almost 78% of students at the Master’s level in US universities get funding in some form or the other.

Most Doctoral level applicants get a complete tuition waiver along with a stipend or scholarship while pursuing their PhD programs in universities abroad. It is also possible for some universities to provide just the admission and no funding at all, based on their financial constraints and funding availability.

Applicants looking for aid are required to apply well before financial aid deadlines, with proper application material, College Application Essays, Recommendations, transcripts and other specified requirements, as prescribed by universities individually.

Many students are concerned with the high costs of studying abroad. The cost of education could be anywhere between USD 10,000- USD 50,000 per year, depending on the program, level and country you choose. In addition to the tuition fee, students also need to plan for funds towards living expenses, books, health insurance, air tickets, transportation, etc.

Finances are a major source of worry for students who wish to study abroad and their parents. However, there are several funding options available to students these days. Some of the options are listed below:

• Scholarships/Fellowships/Grants
• Tuition Waiver
• Assistantships
• Administrative internships
• Program related internships
• Bank loans

From 2008, USIEF has also introduced the Fulbright Master’s Fellowships for Leadership Development designed for outstanding Indians who are in the age group of 25-30 years, to pursue a Master’s degree program in select US colleges and universities in the areas of Public Administration, Economics, Communication studies and Environment.

For more details, see: www.usief.org.in

It is important for students to understand that financial assistance for international students is often based on merit and rarely on need.

Scholarships/Grants/Fellowships

Scholarships/Grants/fellowships are generally based on the student’s academic ability and his performance through the years. Hence, only an academically outstanding student may be considered for this type of an award. These are awards where there is no repayment involved or work to be done in return. These can be Private or Public and research grants. This type of aid is usually in the form of money for any purpose.

A Scholarship can be of two kinds:

• Full – The Scholarship would pay for the student’s entire tuition fee; living expenses his books, etc.
• Partial – Scholarship would pay only for tuition fee. The student will have to provide for partial funding through other sources.
• For information on Scholarships/ Grants and Fellowships, see: www.fastweb.com

Tuition Waivers

A tuition waiver is a form of aid where the student need not pay the tuition fee. Again, the tuition fee may be fully waived or partially waived, depending from university to university.

If the tuition fee is waived, the student has to still pay for use of other facilities like, library, computer Lab, Lab services, etc.

Tuition waivers are generally awarded along with /Grants/fellowships. Tuition waiver is provided by the college/university in the form of Institutional Aid.

Assistantships

Assistantship is a financial aid given by the college/university. It is usually in the form of a cash stipend, sufficient for the student’s living expenses and/or tuition waiver, in return for which the student will have to work (generally not more than 20 hours per week).

There are two types of Assistantships:

1. Research Assistantship – it is usually granted by the respective departments in the university. The student will be assigned to a professor who will give him/her tasks related to a research project he/she is working on. 2. Teaching Assistantship – a student is asked to assist a professor in teaching. For this type of assistantship, the student should have good command over spoken English. Hence, his/her score in the Spoken section of the TOEFL is a very important criterion.

It can be understood that these types of aid are provided to students who have the requisite abilities in the respective areas of study/research.

This type of aid is provided to Master’s and Doctoral level students who are expected to teach undergraduate students or assist their professors in research.

TOEFL/IELTS/PTE