Types of Program
Undergraduate Program
‘Undergrad’, is a 4 year program, after 12th Grad, where students can study a wide range of subjects to begin with. Once they have met the core curriculum requirements, students at most institutions are asked to choose a specific field of study, also known as the major. The final two years are spent taking more courses that are more directly related to your major.
Master’s Program
Masters of Science (popularly known as MS) is the choice of maximum applicants across the country. Others graduate programs are MBA, MPH, etc. These are 2 years full time programs which combine first-class teaching and practical industry exposure to prepare graduates for professional work.
PhD Program
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is the highest academic degree graduate students can earn in most fields of study. These students often go on to teach at the college level or pursue research positions. The doctorate degree normally takes 4 to 6 years in the USA and 3 to 5 years in Europe.
Application Process
Universities in USA generally look for a balanced profile of a candidate. Various factors which play important role to make you a suitable fit are as follows.
- These are general aptitude tests which serve as a base for judging students’ basic Math and Verbal skills.
- Mostly time bound they will test your time management skills.
- Sectional adaptability is one more defying factor for the GRE exam while question adaptability is the defying factor for the GMAT exam.
- Depending on the course you are enrolling for, there can be various such types of tests.
- Graduate Applicants : GRE, GMAT
- Undergraduate Applicants : SAT, ACT
- All International students from countries where English is not native languages are supposed to appear for these tests.
- These tests evaluate you on your Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing skills.
- Such tests assure that there is no communication gap for any international student while he/she is studying in the USA.
- Minimum cutoffs as per university standards are supposed to be achieved.
- There are various such language assessment tests; naming few would be:
TOEFL,  IELTS,  PTE
- Universities in USA look for a strong academic record at undergraduate or school level.
- They require your Mark sheets and Transcripts for the same.
- One should be at least in the 12th grade to pursue undergraduate studies and in the 7th semester at least to pursue graduate studies.
- Any extra activities related to study like Paper publications, Research Paper etc. are also looked for by universities.
LORs, SOP, Resume and other USP’s:
These documents put your selling points to the faculties since you are not present in person at the time when your application is evaluated. These documents help the evaluators know you holistically rather than just academically.
Letter of Recommendation (LOR):
- These are 3rdparty recommendation generally from the faculties or reporting authorities.
- Generally 2-3 are required by universities.
- These are really valuable since a person is vouching for your work and justifying your credentials.
Statement of Purpose (SOP):
- This document describes your motivation, academics, projects work, extra-curricular, and your future plan all in a single instrument.
- Universities have variable word counts for this document.
Resume:
- A crisp and precise 1-page document describing your profile.
Other USPs:
- Depending on the program, university may ask for other documents which serve as your USP’s naming few would be Certificates of Achievements, Diversity Statement, History Statement, Interview, Portfolio etc.
Proof of sufficient funds:
- Universities grant you admission on the basis of your credentials but to issue a confirmation (I-20) they would want you to submit the proof of sufficient funds. 3 documents are required for the same.
- Bank Certificate: An authorized document stating sufficient funds in savings account on a specific date.
- Sponsor Letter: A testament from sponsors for bearing the expense of their ward for the mentioned years.
- A valid Passport:Â Above all these, a student is required to fill an online application and pay an application fee during submission.
Application Timeline
There are basically 2 major intakes in USA named as Fall (August-entry) and Spring (January-entry).
Fall Intake - August
June - November
- Prepare and take the required standardized tests
- Research for universities
- Shortlist universities
- Request for official transcripts
- Identify your recommenders and get the LORs
- Draft your SOPs/essays
November - April
- Apply to the universities
- Send supporting documents if requested
- Report your scores(GRE, GMAT, SAT, TOEFL, IELTS)
- Send your financial documents and confirm your acceptance
May - August
- Apply for VISA
- Attend the VISA interview
- Take necessary medical vaccination
- Get necessary clearance / insurance
- Identify your recommenders and get the LORs
- Make travel arrangements and fly to your destination
Spring Intake - January
March - june
- Prepare and take the required standardized tests
- Research for universities
- Shortlist universities
- Request for official transcripts
- Identify your recommenders and get the LORs
- Draft your SOPs/essays
July - october
- Apply to the universities
- Send supporting documents if requested
- Report your scores(GRE, GMAT, SAT, TOEFL, IELTS)
- Send your financial documents and confirm your acceptance
November - December
- Apply for VISA
- Attend the VISA interview
- Take necessary medical vaccination
- Get necessary clearance / insurance
- Identify your recommenders and get the LORs
- Make travel arrangements and fly to your destination
Have Questions?
We'll provide all the help you need.Financials
International students willing to study in USA are primarily concerned about the cost involved in studying abroad. The cost may vary largely from university to state to program.
The cost can basically be divided into 2 factors : Living cost & Tution cost. The average of both the cost en masse is as mentioned as below.
- +
Undergraduate Course
Postgraduate Course
Scholarship
There are pool of opportunities for international students to lessen the financial burden of their sponsors.
Fellowships and Scholarships
These are financial aids granted on the basis of Merit, Academic achievements, Scores on standardized admissions tests, Good employment history, Student’s leadership potential and other personal characteristics.
Research Assistantships
Research Assistantships: A partial or full fee waiver is provided to a student having strong research interest.
Teaching Assistantship
A partial or full fee waiver is provided to selected students. Professors who take classes there select graduate students to assist them in teaching, leading discussion sections, running labs or grading assignments. English fluency is must to avail this.
Graduate Assistantships
Graduate Assistantships: Students are required to do any graduate level job to avail this.
Internships
These are off-campus jobs that provide practical experience in your field of study. They are particularly common in professional fields. Payment varies, and you must obtain work authorization from the university.
On Campus Jobs
Current U.S. immigration regulations allow international students to work up to 20 hrs/week on campus during their first year of study. Under current U.S. regulations, after your first year of study, you may apply for permission to work off campus for up to 20 hrs/week.
VISA Requirements
Renaissance provides thorough assistance in VISA form filling and training for VISA interviews
SEVIS Fee
Fee required to be paid by all international student before VISA
I-20
A confirmation letter of admittance to a specific university
DS 160 Form
An online VISA application form to be filled before VISA interview
VISA Fee
A payment done to book your VISA appointment
VISA and OFC Appointment
Confirmation page having the date, time and venue for your OFC and VISA interview.
Academic Documents
The originals of all your academic credentials like Transcripts, Mark sheets, Standardized Tests Score Reports, etc