Study in the USA

Four thousand institutions, and no ranking that fits everyone

The US has over 4,000 degree-granting institutions, and they are different in KIND, not merely in rank. Reading a single league table is the most common way to choose badly.

Research universities: large first-year classes, faculty who both teach and research, many majors and laboratories.

Liberal arts colleges: often under 3,000 students, small classes, professors teaching first-years directly, little or no graduate provision. Several are harder to enter than famous large universities.

Community colleges: two years, then TRANSFER into the third year of a four-year university under an articulation agreement. This is a standard route, not a lesser one, and it cuts the cost of the first two years sharply.

Check before anything else: is the institution regionally accredited by a body recognised by the US Department of Education? Credits from an unaccredited institution generally transfer nowhere.

Questions worth asking that rarely get answered

Is this programme STEM-designated? It is the single most valuable question in the application: only programmes whose CIP code sits on the STEM list qualify for the 24-month OPT extension. Two similarly named degrees at two universities can differ on this.

How does the university treat international financial aid - need-blind, need-aware, or merit only? Need-aware means the amount you ask for can affect the admission decision itself.

How many transfer credits are accepted, and what AP score converts to credit rather than just placement? The same score is credit at one institution and placement at another.

Does the programme still require standardised tests? Many remain test-optional, but optional is not the same as ignored - a strong score still helps.

Is on-campus housing guaranteed for international first-years, and is the university health plan compulsory?

The I-20, SEVIS and the interview

The sequence is fixed: receive the offer and the Form I-20 issued by the university, pay the SEVIS I-901 fee, complete the DS-160, then book and attend the consular interview.

The I-20 comes from the UNIVERSITY, not the consulate, and only SEVP-certified institutions can issue one.

What the consular officer is actually assessing is section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act: nonimmigrant intent - that you intend to return home after your studies. Answer consistently with what your file already says, and be able to explain why this programme at this university.

Funding must cover at least the first academic year and its source must be explainable. A balance that appears days before the interview invites scrutiny.

A refusal is not a permanent bar; you may reapply, but with something materially new rather than the same file resubmitted.

The sticker price is not the price

Published tuition and what families actually pay diverge widely. Under federal law every US institution receiving federal student aid must publish a Net Price Calculator - use it before ruling a university out on headline tuition.

Public universities charge international students the out-of-state rate, which is materially higher than the in-state rate.

Merit aid follows academic record and profile; need-based aid follows family circumstances and usually requires a separate form such as the CSS Profile.

Graduate study works differently: assistantships commonly carry a tuition waiver plus a stipend. This is the largest funding channel in the US system and it has no undergraduate equivalent.

Current tuition, visa fee and SEVIS fee figures are kept in the cost calculator with the date each was last verified - see /en/tools/cost/.

Working during and after study

During term, F-1 students may work ON CAMPUS within an hour limit. Off-campus work requires authorisation in advance; holding the visa is not itself permission.

CPT (Curricular Practical Training) is training integral to the programme, authorised by the university.

OPT after graduation: 12 months for any field, plus a 24-month extension for STEM-designated programmes - up to 36 months in total.

After OPT, staying longer usually means moving to an H-1B work visa, and H-1B is allocated by LOTTERY. No employer can guarantee that step, so plan with that honestly in view.