Study in USA for International Students: Universities, Colleges

This is a dream country destination for most students especially international students across the globe who wants to study and perhaps work in the USA after their study programs, however, there are guidelines and requirements you must follow through before you are being accepted as a scholar or student for any institution in the USA, therefore if you are interested in this then you should consider reading through this article to learn more on the “Study in the USA for all international students.” Remember learning never stops and it also requires a process to achieve anything in life, so let’s hit the road below…

Truly, the United States is a coveted destination among international candidates which ranks third in the order preceded by students looking to study in Canada and the UK.

In addition to that, the United States consistently ranks high in the top 10 places to study abroad, especially when it comes to access to higher-quality teaching skills.

Every year, the country welcomes more than 1.1 million candidates seeking to pursue an advanced degree to study in the USA.

Also, the USA has the world’s largest international student population, with more than 1,000,000 students choosing to broaden their education and life experience.

Furthermore, the American higher education system allows you to explore your interests as it lets you earn qualifications through amassing credits from courses.

Finally, if you are into technical skills and you are wondering how this could be possible in the states, know this, the United States is home to highly-specialized technical schools.

Why You should Study in USA

Choosing a country to study miles away from home is a dream for some people especially when the environment favors you so much.

Note: According to the U.S. News & World Report; out of the 100 Global Universities, around 48 top universities are in the United States.

See the benefits why students would like to study here…

They have the best top Universities: The United States of America boasts of a lion’s share when it comes to some of the high-ranked universities. Times Higher Education ranks 15 American universities among its world’s top 20 universities. MIT, Stanford, Harvard, and Caltech are the top 4 universities in the world.
Allows a good “STEM” eligibility OPT: USA provides a wide range of degrees that are ‘STEM eligible’ which allows international candidates a confirmed opportunity of staying back in the country.
They also have a flexible Education System: They have that flexibility in their education system, students at an undergraduate level are motivated to explore various domains and choose a major of their choice by the end of the second year.
Diverse Range of Courses: the USA offers over 2 million programs through 4 and 2-year institutions providing Bachelor’s and Master’s courses. Also bear in mind that there are other programs including Doctoral, Vocational, Associate, and Certificate courses.
Overall unique Research and Innovation: the USA is at the forefront of Research and Development in the world and currently leading.
Employment Prospects: After the degree completion, is easy to get a job in the country, 62% of international students secure job placements in the USA.

USA Government Scholarships for International Students

1. Foreign Fulbright Student Program
The Fulbright Program is a full funding scholarship in the USA for international students who wants to pursue a Master’s or Ph.D. degree. The scholarships can also be awarded for non-degree postgraduate studies and cover tuition fees, textbooks, airfare, a living stipend, and health insurance.

2. Humphrey Fellowship Program
The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program provides a year of professional enrichment in the United States for experienced professionals. They are selected based on their potential for leadership and their commitment to public service in either the public or private sector.

Non-governmental US scholarships for international students

David P. Shapiro Autism Scholarship – A scholarship worth US$1,000 open to current or prospective students in the US diagnosed with autism.
Preply Scholarship – Three winners will receive an award of up to $2,000. Open to all students (domestic and international, and at any study level) aged between 16 and 35. To enter, you’ll need to submit a 500-word essay related to online education, multilingualism, and professional development.
Surfshark Privacy and Security Scholarship – $2,000 prize is available to a student currently enrolled in the US or another study destination as a high school, undergraduate, or graduate student. You will need to submit an essay to apply and the scholarship is open to all nationalities.
#YouAreWelcomeHere Scholarship – The scholarship is aimed at all overseas students studying any subject at a participating college or university in the US. You should submit an essay or video demonstrate your interest and initiative in promoting intercultural learning and exchange.
Civil Society Leadership Awards – Fully-funded scholarships are available for students from eligible countries to study in the US or another host country at the master’s level.
Tortuga Backpacks Study Abroad Scholarship – Awarded twice a year to passionate international students wishing to study in the US. Worth US$1,000.

For Asian students (Study in USA for International Students)

East-West Center Scholarships and Fellowships – Scholarships to study in the US within selected institutions, aimed at international students from the Asia-Pacific region.
Japan-United States Friendship Commission – An initiative run by Japan and the US, this commission offers grant programs to Japanese students with zeal to study in the US.
Wesleyan Freeman Asian Scholarship Program – This is for 11 exceptional Asian students to study in the US at Wesleyan University in Connecticut and Cover the full cost of tuition and student fees.

For Australian students

Fulbright Program – The Australian-American Fulbright Commission offers scholarships to Australian citizens across all career stages. Awardees take part in an academic and cultural exchange, pursuing research or study at a U.S. institution, experiencing life abroad, and bringing back their knowledge and experience to share with their communities in Australia.

For graduate students (Study in USA for International Students)

Rotary Peace Fellowships – Scholarships to study in the US awarded to master’s degree students studying within one of Rotary’s Peace Centers.

For students from developing countries

Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship Programme – Scholarships for postgraduate international students hailing from countries in Africa.
MasterCard Foundation Scholarships – Scholarships for African students to study in the US and Africa.

For female students

AAUW International Fellowships – Fellowships offered by the American Association of University Women for female international students to study in the US.
Bat and Ball Game Women’s Sports Scholarship – A scholarship offering $1,000 to a woman currently studying a sports-related degree at any US university.
MIT-Zaragoza Women in Logistics and SCM Scholarship – US scholarships for female students of any age, ethnicity, or nationality, to study at the Zaragoza Logistics Center at MIT.

US Colleges and Universities that offer Scholarships for International Students

Concordia College Scholarships

The International Student Scholarship is based on academic ability and family needs, amounting to up to $28,000 per year. Therefore, Concordia is pleased to provide partial financial assistance to international students.

Dartmouth College Scholarships

Dartmouth College has scholarships and loans available to international students, which includes an allowance for travel to the U.S…

East Tennessee State University (Study in USA for International Students)

East Tennessee State University (ETSU) offers the International Students Academic Merit Scholarship for new international students seeking a graduate or undergraduate degree. Scholarship value per academic year is $12,500 for Undergraduate students and $11,500 for Graduate students.

American University Scholarships

American University (AU) awards a limited number of partial merit scholarships to academically-qualified incoming international first-year undergraduate students. The merit scholarship range from U.S.$6,000 to U.S.$25,000 per academic year.

Amherst College Scholarships

Amherst College currently runs a need-based financial aid program that provides assistance to financially needy international students. A financial aid award that is equal to your need will then be offered an the award is sometimes called an “aid package” which is for both self-help (employment) and gift aid (scholarships and grants).

Berea College Scholarships (Study in USA for International Students)

Berea College is the only school in the United States that provides 100% funding. The College does provide summer jobs to international students so that they may meet this obligation. This combination of financial aid and scholarships offsets the costs of tuition, room, board, and fees.

Clark University Scholarships

Clark University offers the Clark Global Scholars Program which is open to first-year applicants (not transfer student) who has attended school overseas for at least four years. It is a scholarship of $15,000 to $25,000 per year (for four years, contingent upon meeting academic standards for renewal). Also, a $2,500 taxable stipend for a paid internship or research assistantship is taken for academic credit during the summer.

Colby-Sawyer College Scholarships

International students are eligible for merit-based financial aid offered by Colby-Sawyer College. The scholarship value increases based on academic ability (measured in GPA) and ranges from $15,000 up to $28,000 per year.

East West Center (Study in USA for International Students)

The East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellowship provides funding for up to 24 months for Masters or Doctoral degree studies. Mostly for graduate students from Asia, the Pacific, and the U.S. to participate in the educational, residential, and leadership development programs.

Emory College Scholarships

Emory College offers need-based financial aid awards to a group of international students each year. International applicants are encouraged to apply for partial to full merit-based scholarships through the Emory University Scholars Program.

Illinois Wesleyan University Scholarships (Study in USA for International Students)

These awards range from $16,000 to $30,000 per year and are renewable for up to four years. Merit-based scholarships are offered to qualified international applicants with outstanding academic achievement and test scores on the required entrance exams.

Iowa State University International Merit Scholarships

The awards range from $2,000 to $10,000 and are renewable. Scholarship selection is competitive based on a holistic review of SAT or ACT scores and high school marks/grades.

Michigan State University International Scholarships

Michigan University provides a limited number of scholarships and grants to deserving international students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Oregon University Scholarships

The University of Oregon awards more than one million dollars in financial aid and scholarships to international students every year. This is absolutrly for both the undergraduate and graduate levels. One of their scholarship programs is the ICSP Scholarship which awards tuition-waiver scholarships. Scholarships are based on financial need, academic merit, and the ability to make presentations to diverse groups of people.

Study in USA Requirements (Study in USA for International Students)

A valid Passport
Academic qualifications
English Language Proficiency
Entrance Exam
Letter of Recommendation (LOR)
Statement of Purpose / Application Essay

The American universities, Colleges and Study Cycle

Speaking of the USA, you must know studies are in English being the main language, the country has one of the largest education systems in the world with an estimated 4,000 institutions.

There are two main types of colleges here:

Public colleges – large, state-funded institutions that have lower tuition fees but more students. International students will pay higher fees.
Private colleges – smaller universities funded by private donations, tuition fees, and grants. The opposite of public colleges, they have higher fees but fewer students.

8 institutions make up the American Ivy League:

Cornell University (New York)
Dartmouth College (New Hampshire)
Harvard University (Massachusetts)
University of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania)
Brown University (Rhode Island)
Columbia University (New York)
Princeton University (New Jersey)
Yale University (Connecticut)

5 of the top 10 universities in the world are the USA, according to the QS World University Rankings…

1st – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
3rd – Stanford University
5th – Harvard University
6th – California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
10th – University of Chicago.

Study Cycle (Study in USA for International Students)

In the USA, Admissions take place in 3 semesters.

Fall semester
- The semester starts late in August and ends in December or early January.
- Many universities offer selected courses only during the fall semester.
- Most of the Scholarships and job opportunities are available during this time only.
Spring Semester
- Spring Semester starts in January and ends in early May.
- Applications are considered less than those during the fall semester.
- Spring applicants do not meet the eligibility for most of the applications.
Summer Semester
- The summer semester is the shortest of all semesters.
- It’s two months long. Starting in June and ending in July.
- Special summer programs are taught this semester.

USA Language requirements

Courses in the USA are taught in English, if English is not your first language then you will be required to sit an English Language Proficiency test. (TOEFL and IELTS tests).

The Tests includes: (Study in USA for International Students)

Specialisation	Required Tests
Undergraduate Studies	SAT
Graduate Studies	GRE (General or Subject)
Graduate Studies (Management)	GMAT
Fine Arts	TOEFL with portfolio
Medicine	MCAT
Pharmacy	PCAT
Dental	DAT
Veterinary	VCAT
Law	LSAT
Public Accountant	CPA (Certified Public Account Accountant Examination)
Medical Licensing	USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination)
Foreign Nursing School	CGFNS (Council for Graduate of Foreign Nursing Schools)

Category of scholarships in USA

They include:

Needs-based financial aid – If your family income falls below a certain amount then many institutions can assist with tuition fees and accommodation.
Merit scholarships – for those with outstanding talent or excellent grades in a specific subject.
Sports scholarships – for talented sportsmen and women. You need the required grades as well as sporting excellence.

Degree courses in USA

There are two types of undergraduate degrees:

Associate degrees – take 2 years to complete and are usually studied at technical, community or junior colleges. Students can study for an associate qualification in a range of subjects and then transfer to a Bachelors’s program to complete an additional two years of study to gain a Bachelors’s degree.
Bachelors degrees – Take 4 years to complete. They differ from UK undergraduate degrees in that students study a variety of subjects before deciding on which to focus on in the final two years, known as a ‘major’.

How to Apply for usa visa

Firstly, you are to be accepted by the university or college you want to go to and study.
They will send you the I-20 form to be filled out and apply for the student visa.
In the next step, apply for an online DS-160 form for a USA visa.
Fill out that form carefully and take a printout of the confirmation page to carry it to the visa interview.
Pay the Fees for Visa.
Schedule biometrics (a photograph is taken, fingerprints are scanned) and interview appointments.
The interview will consist of questions related to the choice of your college, course, and intent to come back to your home country.
If you pass the interview, the passport will be taken to get the Visa Stamped.
Then you can submit other necessary documents and prepare for your travel.