Introduction

Why Study
in the USA
Costs
Types of
Schools
Admissions
Financial
Aid
Visa Matters
Misc
Resources
Web Links
Think Different : Higher Education
in the USA
 Introduction
Studying in the USA Why Study
in the USA
•Over 500,000 international students study in the Costs
USA of which ~4000 are Singaporeans Types of
Schools
•Different education philosophy from the UK and Admissions

Australian systems Financial

Aid
Visa Matters
•Students do not usually declare a major until
Misc
their 2nd year. Many US colleges require some
Resources
form of general education to complement the
Web Links
depth of the major
 Introduction
Diversity and Opportunity Why Study
in the USA
•Good reputation as an excellent destination for Costs
higher education Types of
Schools
•Over 3800 colleges and universities offering Admissions

nearly 900 majors Financial

Aid
Visa Matters
•A hotbed of ideas and innovation. Home to some
Misc
of the world’s most thriving cities and companies
Resources
Web Links
 Introduction
Money Matters Why Study
in the USA
•Total Costs = Billable + Non-billable expenses Costs
Types of
•Billable expenses will include Schools
•Tuition Admissions
• Private school: (~USD 15,000-30,000/yr) Financial
Aid
• Public school: (~USD 10,000-20,000/yr)
Visa Matters
• Comm. College (~USD 2,000-4,000/yr)
Misc
•Health Insurance (~USD 1,500-3,000/yr)
Resources
Web Links
•Non-billable expenses
•Room and Board (~USD 7, 500-15,000/yr)
•Travel Expenses (~USD 1, 500/yr)
•Living Expenses (~USD 3,000/yr)

•Total: USD 25,000-50,000/yr

 Introduction
Types of Schools Why Study
in the USA
•Private Schools Costs
•Public Schools Types of
•Both usually 4-year school system Schools

•Possibility of accelerating/advanced standing Admissions

•Tend to be larger, more prestigious, more Financial

Aid
expensive
Visa Matters
Misc
•Community Colleges
Resources
•Most offer Associate’s Degree though there is
Web Links
a trend towards offering the Bachelor’s Degree
 Introduction
What Schools Look For Why Study
in the USA
•Admission to US colleges is often not based on Costs
academic merit alone Types of
Schools

•Many private schools such as Harvard seek to Admissions

attract students of talent, where talent is very Financial

Aid
broadly defined
Visa Matters
Misc
•No single admissions formula
Resources
Web Links
•Schools have been known to take into
consideration family and individual circumstances
in making admissions decisions
 Introduction
Requirements Why Study
in the USA
Mandatory Costs
•Standardized Testing Types of
•SAT Reasoning Test Schools

•Application Form Admissions

•Academic Transcript Financial

Aid
•Extracurricular involvement
Visa Matters
•Personal Essay(s)
Misc
Resources
Usually also
Web Links
•Recommendation Letters
•SAT II Subject Tests

Sometimes
•Interviews
•Submission of work/portfolio
 Introduction
Application Cycle Why Study
in the USA
Year Preceding Entrance Costs
•Pre-Nov: Taken Types of
Standardized Testing Schools

•Nov-Jan: Deadline for Admissions

Applications Financial
Aid
Visa Matters
Year of Entrance
Misc
•Mar-Apr: Release of
Resources
Admissions Decisions
Web Links
•Jun: Finalized Admissions
Decisions
•Aug-Sept: Start of School
Term
 Introduction
Grants/Scholarships Why Study
in the USA
•Over 1,000 full university scholarships available Costs
to international students in the United States Types of
Schools

•Need-based Aid Admissions

•Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Dartmouth, Financial

Aid
Williams, Middlebury, Amherst
Visa Matters
•Most cases, university promises to meet
Misc
100% of demonstrated financial need for
Resources
admitted students
Web Links
•No bond
•Merit-based Aid
•Varies from School to School
•Academic/Leadership/Sporting
achievements
•Refer to list attached
 Introduction
Visa Matters Why Study
in the USA
•Singaporean students must apply for a F-1 Costs
student visa to study in the United States Types of
Schools

•Before applying for visa, you need to obtain Admissions

•I-20 form from the school Financial

Aid
•Sufficient financial resources
Visa Matters
•Command of the English language
Misc
Resources
•F-1 visa allows students to work full-time during
Web Links
vacation periods and up to 19 hrs/week during
term time. Only allowed to work on-campus
during term time, but either on or off-campus
during vacation
 Introduction
Misc Why Study
in the USA
•Males are encouraged to check if the university Costs
is willing to hold your place for 2 years during NS Types of
Schools

•On-campus jobs usually pay USD 10-12/hr, and Admissions

vary widely in nature (e.g. librarians, research Financial

Aid
assistants, tour guides, course assistants etc)
Visa Matters
Misc
•Check for accreditation (school and degree)
Resources
Web Links
 Introduction
Resources Why Study
in the USA
• United States Education Information Center Costs
(USEIC) Types of
•Reference books/prospectuses Schools

•Group information and advising Admissions

•Individual advising Financial

Aid
•University application review
Visa Matters
•Test Prep
Misc
•Credential translation
Resources
•Experiences University Fair (Suntec City)
Web Links
•University Alumni Groups
 Introduction
Useful Internet Sites Why Study
in the USA
• http://igfas.wiki.zoho.com/USA.html Costs
Types of
• International Education Financial Aid (iefa.org) Schools
Admissions

• Edupass.org Financial
Aid
Visa Matters
•International Student
Misc
(http://www.internationalstudent.com/schools_aw
Resources
arding_aid)
Web Links