Study in US

US is home to world most famous universities and academic institutions providing a unique blend of education, experience and hands on learning. Country is home to the hottest technology companies like Apple , Google, Facebook and home to numerous startups in financial, biotech, consumer and IOT (Internet of things). US education system is different and is a magnet attracting the best and brightest to its shore. US get more number of international students than Canada, UK, New Zealand or Australia. This is evident from the number of international students increasing in last few years.

Universities in USA

There are more than 5000 colleges and universities in US offering degree and vocational programs with around 3000 colleges and universities which are eligible to admit international students. There are 1100 colleges with more than 10 international students. Universities in US are fall under 4 categories public universities, private universities, liberal arts colleges, or community colleges. Primary mode of teaching to students in US is English but for students whose first language is not English, there are bridge programs offered to international students which helps in transitioning of students to a new culture and language.

In 2013, 850k international students were studying in US universities.

Year 2011-2012 : 228,467 International students were studying in US. The number swelled to 250,920 in 2012-2013.

These courses had highest number of enrollments

Business and Management : 178,984

Engineering : 151,186 followed

Math and Computer Science : 77,650.

India and China dominate the number of international students studying in US.

Why students chose USA over other countries

Strong research and funding have helped make American colleges and universities among the world’s most prestigious Out of top 20 universities in world, 13 are in US. Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Sloan, Yale, Princeton, Berkeley need no introduction.

Great mix of students : New York has been deemed as melting pot in US where in one can find citizen from every country of the world (nearly!!) . Universities in New York get acquainted with culture from other countries. In a global world where companies are driving from sales from international customers, it is increasingly important to understand how different cultures work.

Grants from Government : US government gave out more than $40 billion for research and development (R&D) to universities across the country in fiscal 2011. At John Hopkins, 88% of the research budget came from federal funds. At the University of Pennsylvania, 80% of all R&D money came from federal funds. This money helps fund the research projects in the universities.

Hotbed of Research : US universities get grant to fund their research program and once the technology has been proven, it is transferred to private sector for potential development into product and places. The average number of startup companies created by U.S. universities is three. MIT Media Lab is an interdisciplinary research laboratory innovation through design with accomplishments such as MPEG-4 SA project, LEGO Mindstorm and Aspen movie map which was precursor to idea of google maps. At the top notch universities students engage in some ground breaking work which leads to next billion dollar idea or some revolutionary technology . Some examples of research work at US universities

Sergey Brian and Larry page developed a paper or how to search which led to foundation of Google
Stanford University and its graduates have played a major role in the startup ecosystem of Silicon valley
Tim Berners Lee , inventor of world wide web, is professor at MIT https://www.csail.mit.edu/user/769

Intellectual Property : US universities applied for more number of patents in 2014 than any other country. Here are top 5 US universities with most number of patents in 20014

University of California : 413
Massachusetts Institute of Technology : 237
University of Texas : 154
Harvard University : 147
California Institute of Technology : 103

Scholarship opportunities : US universities tuition is expensive. A 2 year course will set you back financially by $30,000- $50,000 depending on the college you chose. But the positive side is that a lot of US universities do offer scholarships and financial grants to the right candidate. Scholarships for international students

Internship : During your study, students are given a chance to intern with companies, giving them a hands on experience on solving real world challenges. Some students get paid for the internship which helps them reduce their financial burden.

Disadvantages of Studying in USA over other countries

Expensive : Cost of education is pretty high compared to other countries like Canada and US How International students finance their US education
Study Visa : It is not easy to secure the study visa which is F1 visa . F1 and J1 visa
Work visa : For students who would like to do a job after completing their education, they have only 1 year to stay on students visa. Within this year they have to find an employer who is willing to sponsor their H1b visa which is legal work visa,
Climate : Some cities in US can get very hot in summers like Dallas, Austin and Arizona while others very cold in winter (New York, Boston, New Hampshire). It takes time for students to get acclimated to this weather pattern .

US Universities with highest number of International Students – 2013

University	International Students
University of Southern California	9269
University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign	8997
New York University	8660
Purdue University – Main Campus	8563
Columbia University	8024
University of California – Los Angeles	6703
Northeastern University	6486
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor	6382
Michigan State University	6209
Ohio State University – Main Campus	6142
Indiana University – Bloomington	6123
Penn State University – University Park	6075
Boston University	6041

Study Undergraduate Programs in USA

Undergraduate in US is a 4 year course offered by most of private, public and community colleges. This is right after high school Undergraduate degrees in the US are quite flexible. You may not have a field of study when applying for undergraduate program. you have the flexibility to chose the specialization during your study. This flexibility is very help for freshmen when they are not sure about their interest. Students can also earn a minor qualification for completing few classes in one field. Find everything you need to know about SAT Essay, SAT Scores, how to get good SAT scores, minimum scores required by prestigious universities.

Study Masters in USA

MS in US also known as Masters in US comes under graduate program offered at most public and private Institutions. Specific field of study E.g. Masters in Finance, Masters in Marketing, Masters in Computer Science with even Masters in ManagementMore general management study, with options to choose concentration. Typical career options are specific roles with little focus on management. Most popular subjects among masters students has been

Education
Engineering
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
Physical Sciences

Find more about MS in US

Study MBA in US

MBA like Masters is a 2 year Graduate program offered at most private and public universities. The cost of studying MBA in USA, for a two year course, can be anywhere between $50,000 to $80,000, depending primarily upon whether the business school is State run or Private, the cost of living and other expenses. US is home to top ranked MBA colleges like Sloan School of Management. MBA is 2 year program at most colleges and you will need GMAT and TOEFL for admissions although few universities accept GRE score in lieu of GMAT.

Cost of MBA in US

Do US Universities offer 1 year MBA program