Program Details

If you are a student preparing to apply for admission to colleges and universities in the United States, it is important for you to understand the procedures most U.S. institutions will follow in deciding whether to admit you to their program of study.

Regardless of whether your records are going to be reviewed by the college or university to which you apply or by an outside agency to which you have been referred, you will need to provide all of your previous academic records:

• You will need to have an official or attested copy of all of your previous academic records (often referred to in application materials as a "transcript") sent to the institution to which you apply, and to the agency that will review your education. 'Official records' mean that the school where you studied must send a copy of your academic record directly to the institution to which you apply and/or to the evaluating agency. You, as the applicant, should not mail these records to the institution yourself because, if you do, the records might not be considered "official."

• Academic records not in English will need to be translated. A copy of the translation must also be sent to the institution to which you apply and/or to the agency evaluating your education. Institutions and agencies will need to have the academic record in both the original language and the translation.

• You will need to pay particular attention to the instructions regarding translation. You might need to have an 'official' translation, or one by an 'authorized' or 'licensed' translator. Yet, some institutions and agencies might allow you to do the translation yourself, if you are sufficiently proficient in English.

• External examinations are an important part of the process for U.S. institutions to decide whether to admit you to their programs. If you have been educated in an educational system that uses external national examinations such as the Baccalaureate from France, or Ordinary and/or Advanced level examinations from the United Kingdom, you will need to send copies of the results of these examinations.

• If you are applying as a first-year student at the undergraduate level (for a Bachelor's degree) you may also need to take certain standardized assessment tests usually required of U.S. applicants, too, such as the SAT or ACT. Schools will instruct you as to which tests to take and how to make arrangements for testing.

• Those applying as graduate students (for the Master's degree or PhD) might be required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) if applying for an MBA. Again, the institutions to which you apply will tell you which standardized tests are required for their graduate applicants and how to make arrangements for testing.

• If English is not your native language, or if you have not been educated in a country or region where English is a native language, both undergraduate and graduate applicants may be required to present the results of an English proficiency test, such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Graduate applicants who seek a teaching assistantship may also be required to take the Test of Spoken English (TSE) as evidence of their ability to teach in English.

• If you need an F-1 or M-1 (student) visa, or a J-1 (exchange visitor) visa, you will need to present evidence that you have adequate financial support for the entire period of your anticipated study. Most U.S. colleges and universities will ask you to complete a form regarding your financial backing for your studies, or will tell you what documentation is required. You will usually have to complete a form outlining the sources of your financial support as well as provide verification for it. Again, carefully follow instructions regarding financial documentation.

• Deadlines are extremely important! Please pay particular attention to any deadlines listed on the application forms. The admission of international students takes more time than does the admission of U.S. students to U.S. institutions. Most colleges and universities will have earlier application deadlines for international students, and it is essential that your application be received before that deadline. Many U.S. colleges and universities receive hundreds or even thousands of applications from international students each year. In order to be considered for admission for the term you desire, you will need to have all materials received by the indicated deadlines.