American higher education has been the benchmark of quality and prestige for decades. Local ranking universities offer modern academic programs where you can get a sought-after profession, reveal your leadership qualities and gain valuable experience.
Higher education in the USA – general information
In US universities, you can get several degrees - bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. The duration of study at each stage is different: bachelor lasts 3-4 years, master's degree - 1-2 years, doctoral studies - 3-7 years.
In the system of American higher education, there is no single curriculum. Seminars and lectures are divided into mandatory and elective. All students first study general education subjects, and then choose the modules of interest to them. Teachers bring up in students responsiveness, openness, activity and hard work. Often, activity in lectures affects the final assessment. In some universities, when entering, you do not even need to choose a specialization - for the first 1 or 2 years, all students study the same subjects.
Universities work on the ECTS credit system. Depending on the time allotted for the study of the discipline, its complexity and value, a certain number of credits are issued, which indicate how many hours were allocated for study and how much effort was invested.
U.S. Admission Requirements
To enter America, you need to start processing documents in advance - preferably a year and a half before the start of study. Documents must be translated into English, checked for errors and reliability, notarized. The list of papers is approximately similar for each university:
- Certificate/diploma with transcript of grades
- SAT certificates for bachelors, GRE/GMAT for masters
- Motivation letter
- Certificate of English Proficiency TOEFL or IELTS
- Participation in conferences (confirmations)
- Publications
- Portfolio
- Entrance exams (for some specialties)
- Work or volunteer experience.
Tuition fees
The cost of training in the United States starts from $ 16,000-30,000 $ / year. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the prices for accommodation and daily expenses, visa fees, taxes on campus, etc.
How to study in America for free? Step-by-step plan
Unfortunately, there are no free areas of study in the United States of America. Higher education for local residents and foreigners is paid, but the costs of it can be minimized with the help of grants and scholarships, which parts will cover the amount for training. To take advantage of the funding, you need to choose a suitable grant or scholarship format – and the university!
Scholarships and Grants in America – General Information
Students in the United States are financed by universities, the state, foundations and private organizations. The average size of the academic scholarship is $ 15,000-$ 25,000: this amount usually covers a significant part of the cost of studying, students have the opportunity to save 25-50% of expenses. Full training coverage is an extremely rare case. Scholarships are designed for all levels of education – there are options for bachelors, masters and doctoral students. For masters and doctoral students, there are significantly more financing options, since among them there is a lower competition.
There are two types of scholarships – Need-based and Merit-based. To get a discount on training, you need to prove to the commission your importance and prospects. The Commission evaluates candidates on grades, social and academic activities and personal qualities.
University scholarships in the USA
Merit-based scholarships
They are paid for excellent studies and achievements in the academic field. Applicants must have an active life position and a thirst for study. The size of scholarships depends on the university - some pay up to $ 10,000, which is 30-40% of the full cost of training.
Need-based scholarships
This type of financing is expressed in financial assistance to those in need. If the family income is below the minimum threshold (for each university it is different), then applicants are provided with material assistance from the educational institution or the state. Depending on the institution, the payment can be up to $ 65,000 / year. To collect the necessary information, many universities use uniform forms CSS profile and IDOC packet.
Assistantship
Assistantshipis one of the most interesting funding formats for master's and doctoral students, in which students work as an assistant on the campus of the institute up to 20 hours a week. In exchange for assistance, the university can reduce tuition fees by up to 100% and additionally issue a scholarship to cover personal expenses. Assistantship can be of two types:
- Research assistantship – research work
- Teaching assistantship — teaching work.
Year Program — for bachelors
State scholarship program for students in the 1-2 years of bachelor's degree and 1-3 years of doctoral studies. The program fully covers a year of study in America on exchange - flights, exams, visa fees, housing and food costs are paid. The winners of the competition are chosen by a strict commission. Usually,provincial cities of the country and not the most famous universities are chosen for the Year Program, and host families are chosen as housing.
To go to the program, you need to meet the following requirements:
- Be a student of a university
- Speak English at a high level
- Fit the requirements for obtaining a passport and an American student visa J-1
- Return to home country after the end of the program.
Private Scholarships in the USA
International students have the opportunity to receive funding from prestigious private companies that are interested in promising specialists from all over the world. Usually the list of these companies and universities is large, which makes it possible to choose the appropriate option. Examples of private organizations providing funding:
- American Association of University Women (AAUW)
- Civil Society Scholar Awards
- Humane Studies Fellowship (HSF).
Sports scholarships in the USA
America is interested in athletes and those who want to develop in this area. Student sports in the country are very developed: competitions between students are broadcast on television, the organizers earn a lot of money from this - that's why the best American institutions so attract talented guys from abroad.
Among the sports scholarships there are full, but most are partial, amounting to $ 500-$ 8,000. They are paid by universities or third-party organizations. The most famous is the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
How to find a scholarship in the USA?
There is no single portal for finding information on scholarships in the United States. Those interested can use different English ascites, for example, internationalscholarships.com or educationUSA. Most of the options there are small scholarships covering $500-$1,000. Experts recommend looking at the current information about scholarships, grants and discounts on the official websites of universities and partner companies in the Scholarship column.
The best universities in the country where you can find good scholarships and grants
- Harvard University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Stanford University
- California Institute of Technology
- University of Chicago
- University of California at Berkeley
- Columbia University
- Johns Hopkins University
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of California Los Angeles.
