Study in USA

A “Study in the USA” is a favourite among millions of students across the globe. With the largest number of universities and colleges in the world, the country has much to offer international students- education of the highest quality, state-of-the-art facilities, and immense opportunities for practical training. Studying in the USA not only offers credentials which are universally recognized but an experience obtained during campus life which is worth as much as the education itself.

Unique to American institutions is the course curriculum which is structured to give you a holistic education while allowing you to focus on your specific area of interest as well. Students studying in the USA get to choose subjects from other departments and faculties that will give them complementary skill sets much required in today’s competitive global markets.

Galaxy Training Academy offers you the best US admission counselling services with an end-to-end process. Contact our US admission Expert for more details. “

Steps in applying to the US university for UG / MS / MBA

The steps involved in the application process to US are

Deciding on Course and College – This has to be done at least 1 year before the course starts. The course and college have to be decided to set a target for the upcoming steps.

Test scores – Once the colleges are shortlisted, look out for the eligibility details. Check the tests required such as GRE, IELTS or TOEFL and their minimum scores. Set these scores as a target and start the preparation.

Academic Requirements – Based on the academic requirements, build your profile accordingly.

Application process – Once the academic and test score documents are ready, start applying to the courses on the respective universities’ websites. Parallely, make arrangements for funding your study.

Acceptance of Application – The university will review the application and send an acceptance mail as a conditional or unconditional offer letter based on the documents furnished.

I-20 Documentation – Once the acceptance letter is received, I-20 document has to be initiated to apply for a visa.

Visa Application – With all the required documents such as academic documents, test scorecards, resumes, SOP, LORs, I-20 documents, Visa application forms, Financial documents and so on.

VISA Interview – The Visa office will check all the documents and schedule an interview. Based on the interview, the Visa office will decide on issuing a Visa to study.

Take-off – After receiving the Visa, plan for the travel and start heading towards your destination.

Education in the USA:

Every year around 4 lakh students visit the US for studying from India. It increases at an average of 18% every year as per MHRD reports.
US is known for studies in IT, Engineering, Management, Law and Life Sciences.
Advantage of Academic Excellence and a practical-oriented curriculum makes the US the most sought-after destination among students.
Generous funding is available for students through nationalised banks, financial Institutions, Corporates and Charity foundations.
4000+ Universities and Colleges are there in the US offering bachelor’s, masters, and doctoral degrees in almost every single specialisation available under the sun.
Institutes are categorized as Public Universities, Private Universities, and community colleges for the students to select based on their profile and budget.
Career opportunities for Indian students are abundant as we can see most Indians are in Top Positions in big corporates in the US.
Universities in US accept the scores of Tests such as GRE/GMAT and TOEFL/IELTS
Some of the top universities in US are California State University, Texas University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Southern Illinois University, Stanford University, IVY League Universities

Cost of US Education:

The cost of education in US is high when compared to other destinations which involves

Tuition Fees
Living Expenses

The average tuition fees range from

$14000 in Community Colleges
$36000 Private universities for undergrad programs and
$38000 to $41000 respectively for masters and Research.
Most doctoral programs have 100% sponsorship through Research assistantship or teaching assistantship.

i20 amount is Student’s avg costs for an academic term of 9/12 months to be. It includes Tuition and fees, Living Expenses, Expenses of dependents, & misc like books/health. i20 amount is the maximum you can spend for your MS.

The living cost in US will range from $8000 to $13000. Overall, education in US will cost around $23000 to $53000 based on the location, type of institute and course selected. (Source: College Board)

Costs are indicative. Not actual.

Intakes and Rounds of Application in US Universities:

Applying for US Institutions involves a lot of parameters to consider. The intakes of the US universities are:

Fall: The most common intake among Indian students, The Fall intake commences in September and ends in February.
Spring: Starts in January and runs till May; it is the next best opportunity if one misses the September intake.
Summer: Available for limited programs and colleges, the summer intake usually starts around May.

The application deadline for different universities might differ but every university in the USA usually offers 4 types of application deadline options as follows:

Regular decision
Early action
Early decision
Rolling Admissions

Galaxy Training Academy will help Students in applying to US universities using the Common Application Portal (https://www.commonapp.org/) which is used by 450 universities in the USA to apply for undergraduate programs.

The application is made for the University and not a specific department of the university. The field of study will be decided after admission.

DOCUMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLYING TO US UNIVERSITIES

For Undergraduate candidates :-

- Standard – 10, 11 and 12th marksheets
- (In case the student does not have 12th marksheet a predictive marksheet will do/ If 12th Predictive not available, provide class 9th marksheet)
- For IB Board the school can send the official email to the respective universities’
- (IB board students do not require English Proficiency Test for Admission, but should be given for getting scholarships)
- English Proficiency Score Card
- Passport (First and Last Page)
- LOR’s(Not required by all universities)
- SOP/Essay (Not required by all universities)
- SAT/ACT scores (If going for high ranked universities)

For Graduate candidates:-

- Standard –12th marksheets, Bachelors individual Marksheets, Consolidated marksheets, Degree certificate.
- (In case the student does not have 7th Semester marksheet, student may provide marksheets till 6th semester along with Bonafide certificate.)
- English Proficiency Score Card
- Passport (First and Last Page)
- LOR’s (2-3 as per university/ program requirement)
- SOP/Essay (Not required by all universities)
- GRE/GMAT scores (As per university/ program requirement)
- Some universities might require financials at the time of application.
- Portfolio required for students applied for Design programs. E.g. Masters in Fine Arts, Architecture programs.

Steps for the Student Visa Process

Apply and get acceptance/I-20 from the US University/College.
Complete the nonimmigrant online visa application form DS-160 available on the CEAC (Consular Electronic Application Center) (Link – www.ceac.state.gov) (After submitting DS160 a unique 10-digit code starting from AA——– is generated)
Pay the visa application processing fee of $185 and Schedule an interview (Link – https://www.usvisascheduling.com/) Students scheduling an Interview for a US visa are required to schedule for two dates-
- Offsite Facilitation Center (OFC) for Biometric and Digital Photograph
- VAC (Visa Application Centres)
- US Embassy (New Delhi) or Consulate (Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata or Hyderabad) for personal Interview.
Pay the SEVIS I-901 fee of $350 (Link – www.fmjfee.com)

Also, know more about Galaxy’s Test prep training on GRE, IELTS and TOEFL and start your process now.

Check out for the top universities in US: (based on QS Rankings)

Check out for the admission process for US universities.

More updates on US Application process 2023 intake

Start your application process for the 2024 intake in the USA with Galaxy Training Academy. Get in touch with our admission advisors to have your prospective list of Universities. Also checkout the scholarship opportunities to fund your higher education.

US Universities for 2024 MS/MBA Programs

Galaxy offers admission counselling to MS/MBA programs to the below-given network universities with complete services including Profile assessment, University shortlisting, Application process, Visa process, Financial assistance, Travel and accommodation.