Of the 1.2 million students pursuing post-secondary education outside their home countries, more than one-third choose to study in the United States. USA universities pride themselves on being at the forefront of technology and educational techniques, and in making available to their students the best possible equipment and resources along with research.

In many countries of the world, a college is a secondary school and is very different to a university. In the United States, however, colleges and universities are quite similar. Often, both colleges and universities are referred to as "schools." Generally, both colleges and universities in the United States are four-year institutions that offer a Bachelor of Arts degree or a Bachelor of Science degree. This is commonly known as an undergraduate or bachelor's degree. The main difference is that most universities also offer a higher level of study after you complete your bachelor's degree - resulting in a master's degree or doctorate.

Community colleges basically are publicly-funded and offer programs of two years duration, popularly known as Associate Degree.

Education in the United States is costly, but the quality of education you get in the United States is second to none. No country in the world has such latest technology or such a techno-based education. Such classy and qualitative education in any other country, if available, would cost much more than in the USA. Thus, education in the USA, on the whole, is much cheaper than it would be in any other nation.

Most of the universities offer scholarships to international students. The basic criterion of availing a scholarship is your good test scores and fair academics. Scholarships generally start from $500 to full fee waiver. It depends upon the university to university and academic background of the student.

Taking an education loan to support your education will again show weak personal finances and eventually reduce your chances of getting a visa. You may take an education loan but cannot show it in your finances. You have to show it in some other manner. At the time of visa it’s advisable not to show your loan papers directly.

A transfer option is to complete at least 2/3 years of the Bachelors / Diploma program in any country and then apply for a transfer to the University that a student wants to attend in USA. The years waived off in your transfer status will depend on the course covered in India and the grades for the same. It is rare that one can get exact transfer of credits.

The acceptance ratio of top ten Universities is only 1% - 5%. Therefore, in order to improve your chances of admission, you should also apply to other Universities that offer good programs. Also the entry requirements are extremely stringent for such institutions. One must always remember that Ranking can be worldwide, region based, graduate ratio and even subject based. If one is looking for a ranked university, search should be subject based. First students have to check their academics and the particular university entry requirements.

Most American Universities require 16 years of education for admission into MBA or any other Graduate program. It is therefore advisable to complete M.Com / M.A / M.Sc. or at least one year of any Masters Degree before taking admission in an American University. Some good ranking Universities can take you with 15 yrs. of education with 2-3 years of relevant work experience. Success Overseas has a list of those institutions that would enroll students after 15 years of education directly.

Yes definitely, but getting financial assistance in the first semester is extremely competitive and you need to have an extremely good academic and test score to be qualified. There are a number of good cases where we have helped students secure full financial assistance. If you have an outstanding academic background and test scores, SOEC Counselors will try their best to get you financial aid.

Once you are in the US, you are governed by the USCIS rule. According to this rule, you cannot change the school before completing one semester at the school. It is advisable that you make your choice carefully to avoid problems at a later date.

Yes, a student can give IELTS instead of TOEFL. As 2700 universities have started accepting IELTS. These universities being the top ones.

Generally, the students need to apply for USA 6-8 months in advance. This specifically would be an advantage to those students looking out for scholarships. Most commonly available start dates are in the Fall Session (August / September) and the Spring Session (January / February).

Students are allowed to work 20 hours a week on-campus during the term and full-time during the vacation period.