United States
Four-year bachelor’s degrees and institution-specific selection.
Study overview
US higher education includes public and private universities, liberal-arts colleges and community colleges. A bachelor’s commonly combines general education, a major and electives over four years. A two-year associate route may lead to transfer under an agreement. Standard MD medical education follows prior undergraduate study.
Tuition / Year
2026/27 public-university examples: Alabama / Arizona State base undergraduate tuition. Additional university/college charges apply; not a national range.
Living / Month
Approximate Alabama 12-month allowance including housing, food, personal costs and insurance. Utilities, books, long-haul travel and setup extra.
Typical degree length: Bachelor’s: 4 years
Master’s: usually 1–2 years
Medicine: 4-year MD after a degree
Fields: Computing; engineering; business; sciences; liberal arts.
Official references
- https://international.ua.edu/isss/future-new-students/expenses/
- https://admission.asu.edu/cost-aid/international
- https://admission.asu.edu/apply/international/first-year
- https://www.iie.org/news/open-doors-2025-press-release/
- https://educationusa.state.gov/your-5-steps-us-study/finance-your-us-studies
- https://educationusa.state.gov/your-5-steps-us-study/research-your-options/undergraduate
- https://educationusa.state.gov/experience-studying-usa/us-educational-system/frequently-asked-questions-faqs
- https://students-residents.aamc.org/choosing-medical-career/what-expect-medical-school
- https://students-residents.aamc.org/medical-school-admission-requirements/admission-requirements
Study and admission
Degrees and admission routes
U.S. institutions set their own admissions rules within a system of credit-based undergraduate and graduate study.
Bachelor’s degrees and credits
A U.S. bachelor’s degree normally takes four years of full-time study. Students complete a required volume of credits in a major field alongside broader courses in the arts, sciences and other disciplines. The major establishes the principal specialism; electives and general-education requirements widen the curriculum. Academic advisers help students plan the sequence of courses needed for graduation. A degree’s credit requirement and prerequisite structure determine progress, so four years describes the usual full-time route rather than an unconditional completion guarantee.
Community college and transfer
Community colleges commonly offer two-year associate degrees and courses that can transfer towards a bachelor’s degree. Under a two-plus-two pathway, a student completes initial study at a community college and then transfers to a four-year institution. Articulation agreements specify how particular courses or degrees fit the receiving programme. Accepted credit, major prerequisites and the destination institution’s graduation rules determine the remaining study. Community-college tuition can reduce initial costs, but transfer admission and credit recognition are distinct decisions rather than an automatic progression to every university.
Graduate and professional education
Graduate education includes master’s and doctoral degrees with specialised coursework, research or professional training. Applications can have both university-wide and departmental requirements, including transcripts, references, a statement of purpose and specified tests. The programme determines the relevance of a previous degree and any research preparation. Professional routes have additional distinctions: a JD is a law degree normally entered after undergraduate study, while medical-school admission includes prescribed academic preparation and the MCAT. International eligibility for medicine is limited by the individual school’s admissions policy.
Official references
- https://educationusa.state.gov/complete-your-us-application-graduate
- https://educationusa.state.gov/node/2617
- https://www.lsac.org/applying-law-school/jd-application-process/jd-application-requirements
- https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/applying-medical-school-international-applicant
Undergraduate selection and testing
There is no federal or state entrance examination that every applicant must pass for university admission. Institutions define their own combinations of school records, essays, recommendations, English evidence and standardised tests. Policies differ materially: Stanford currently requires ACT or SAT scores, while the University of California does not consider either test in admission or scholarship decisions. Test-optional institutions permit an application without those scores. International applicants remain subject to the relevant institutional policy; an English-proficiency test is not automatically a substitute for an academic admissions test.
Costs, funding and campus life
Admission, financial support and permission to enrol an international student are separate institutional responsibilities.
Accreditation and enrolment
Institutional accreditation and permission to enrol students in F or M status are different forms of oversight. SEVP certification authorises eligible schools to issue Form I-20 documentation; it does not by itself establish institutional accreditation. Department of Education and recognised accreditor records provide the academic accreditation reference. A university’s academic offer precedes the relevant immigration documentation and visa application. The institution’s international office manages student records and programme documentation, while the U.S. authorities make immigration decisions under the applicable visa and admission rules.
Tuition and financial resources
The full study budget includes tuition, mandatory fees and living expenses. Housing, food, transport and books can differ substantially between campuses. Undergraduate financial aid follows institutional rules as well as family circumstances. Stanford, for example, considers financial need in admission for international applicants requiring a student visa. International applicants who declare that they will not seek aid are generally ineligible to request it during their undergraduate years. A tuition scholarship and a maintenance award cover different costs; their published amounts do not necessarily fund the entire degree.
Graduate funding
Graduate support can include fellowships and teaching, research or administrative assistantships. An assistantship links financial support to defined duties; its package may combine a stipend with a tuition waiver. EducationUSA identifies such arrangements as particularly common at doctoral level. Funding remains programme-specific: a master’s admission offer does not imply a funded assistantship, and a partial award may leave fees or living expenses uncovered. The written award establishes the amount, period and responsibilities, making it a separate document from the academic offer of admission.
Residence halls and campus services
Many institutions operate residence halls, dining facilities, student health centres and clubs on campus. Housing can include first-year residences or communities organised around academic, language or other shared interests. Shared rooms are common, and resident staff provide information and support. Campus health centres supply basic services; their availability does not establish the coverage of a student’s insurance policy. Residence capacity and housing arrangements vary by institution. Academic admission therefore does not, by itself, specify the room type, meal plan or accommodation period included in a student’s budget.
Entrance and language assessments
SAT
Applies to: Undergraduate applicants where an institution requires or considers SAT scores.
Institutional policy controls use. Stanford requires SAT or ACT scores; other institutions are test-optional or exclude scores. The SAT is not a national compulsory entrance examination for international or domestic students.
https://admission.stanford.edu/apply/first-year/testing.html
ACT
Applies to: An undergraduate admissions alternative where accepted by the receiving institution.
Stanford accepts ACT or SAT without preferring one examination. The University of California excludes both from admission and scholarship decisions. Accepted sections, reporting and score-combination rules are institution-specific.
English-language tests
Applies to: Applicants whose university requires test evidence of English proficiency.
Accepted tests, minimum scores and prior-education exemptions are institutional decisions. Academic English assessment serves a different purpose from SAT/ACT or graduate aptitude testing; there is no national minimum score covering every U.S. university.
GRE
Applies to: Graduate programmes that require or consider GRE results.
The General Test measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and analytical writing. Departmental policy determines whether scores are required, optional or unused. It is not a universal requirement for U.S. master’s or PhD admission.
GMAT
Applies to: Participating MBA and other graduate management programmes.
The examination assesses quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning and data insights. Business schools determine their score requirements, alternatives and waivers. A GMAT result supplements the application and does not establish eligibility for every business degree.
https://www.mba.com/exams/gmat-exam/scores/understanding-your-score
LSAT
Applies to: JD applicants at law schools using the Law School Admission Test.
Schools assess the LSAT alongside undergraduate results and other application evidence. Some institutions accept alternative tests under their own policies. Overseas academic records and any English evidence are evaluated separately; the LSAT is not generally an LLM entry examination.
https://www.lsac.org/applying-law-school/jd-application-process/jd-application-requirements
MCAT
Applies to: Applicants to medical schools requiring the Medical College Admission Test.
The MCAT is part of medical-school selection after the required academic preparation. International applicants must also fall within the school’s eligible applicant categories; taking the test does not remove citizenship, residency or prerequisite-course restrictions.
Scholarships and funding routes
Fulbright Foreign Student Program
Support: Country-administered funding packages with J-1 sponsorship, health benefits and enrichment activities; tuition, maintenance and award duration differ between national programmes.
Eligibility: Non-U.S. applicants with a bachelor’s-equivalent qualification and the citizenship, residency, academic and language credentials of the nominating country.
Application: Application and selection through a binational Fulbright Commission/Foundation or U.S. Embassy; university placement uses the relevant country’s arrangements.
Conditions: Competitive. Programmes requiring clinical training in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy or nursing are excluded. There is no single worldwide cash value or duration.
Harvard College need-based financial aid
Support: Meets 100% of demonstrated need. With typical assets, family income up to $100,000 qualifies for full billed expenses; up to $200,000 qualifies for free tuition.
Eligibility: Admitted undergraduate students of any nationality; the same financial-need assessment applies to international and U.S. students.
Application: Financial-aid application and supporting family income/asset documents, submitted alongside the College admission process.
Conditions: Need-based, with no merit awards. Income thresholds assume typical assets; family circumstances determine the package. Graduate schools have separate funding systems.
Iowa State International Merit Scholarships
Support: First-year awards: $2,000–$10,000 annually for up to eight semesters. Transfer awards: $2,000–$8,000 annually for up to five semesters; funding ends at degree completion.
Eligibility: Admitted students assessed international tuition. First-year selection considers grades and SAT/ACT scores; transfers require at least a 3.0/4.0 equivalent GPA.
Application: OneApp General Application followed by the International Student Admissions Scholarship application for the relevant entry term.
Conditions: Competitive. Renewal requires at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA, 12 credits per semester and continued international classification. Funds cover undergraduate tuition and fees.
Knight-Hennessy Scholars
Support: Up to three years of tuition and associated fees, living/academic stipend and annual travel support. Funding beyond three years follows the degree programme’s normal commitment.
Eligibility: All nationalities. For the 2027 cohort, the first bachelor’s-equivalent degree must date from January 2020 or later; military service extends this to January 2018.
Application: Separate Knight-Hennessy and Stanford graduate applications; selection requires admission to an eligible Stanford degree.
Conditions: Competitive. Normally for newly enrolling graduate students; current Stanford PhD students in their first year may also qualify.
Selected university profiles
Use DAPIP to check institutional and programme accreditation, then consult the institution and relevant accreditor for current details. SEVP certification and professional licensing are separate checks. These 20 profiles are selected, not exhaustive.
U.S. Department of Education: Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs
Harvard University
Harvard College provides undergraduate education in liberal arts and sciences. The wider university contains 12 graduate and professional schools, including medicine, law, education and business, each with its own academic programmes. The Harvard Radcliffe Institute supports advanced study and connects research across disciplines.
- Subjects
- Humanities; Social sciences; Computer science; Engineering; Life sciences
- Address
- Massachusetts Hall, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Website
- https://www.harvard.edu/
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT’s five schools cover engineering, science, architecture and planning, management, and humanities, arts and social sciences. The Schwarzman College of Computing works across these schools, connecting computer science and artificial intelligence with other disciplines. Undergraduate and graduate programmes share this integrated academic structure on the Cambridge campus.
- Subjects
- Engineering; Computer science; Physics; Economics; Architecture
- Address
- 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Website
- https://www.mit.edu/
Stanford University
Stanford’s seven schools occupy a contiguous campus and cover humanities and sciences, engineering, sustainability, medicine, law, education and business. Humanities and Sciences provides much of the undergraduate curriculum. The Doerr School of Sustainability brings together work on climate, energy, environmental systems and related technologies.
- Subjects
- Engineering; Computer science; Humanities; Social sciences; Business
- Address
- 450 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Website
- https://www.stanford.edu/
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley is a public University of California campus. Its College of Chemistry combines chemistry and chemical engineering, while Environmental Design covers architecture, landscape architecture and planning. The College of Computing, Data Science, and Society connects computing, statistics and data science within the university’s undergraduate and graduate provision.
- Subjects
- Engineering; Computer science; Economics; Environmental sciences; Humanities
- Address
- Office of Undergraduate Admissions, 110 Sproul Hall #5800, Berkeley, CA 94720-5800, USA
- Website
- https://www.berkeley.edu/
University of California, Los Angeles
UCLA’s College organises liberal arts and sciences into humanities, social sciences, physical sciences and life sciences. The university also has professional schools, including Samueli Engineering, Theater, Film and Television, and the Herb Alpert School of Music, alongside programmes in medicine, law, education and public affairs.
- Subjects
- Engineering; Life sciences; Social sciences; Film and television; Arts
- Address
- 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Website
- https://www.ucla.edu/
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus contains 19 schools and colleges. These include Literature, Science, and the Arts; Engineering; Medicine; and Music, Theatre & Dance. Rackham Graduate School works with departments and professional schools on graduate education, within an academic structure distinct from Michigan’s Dearborn and Flint campuses.
- Subjects
- Engineering; Business; Computer science; Public health; Arts
- Address
- Office of the Registrar, LS&A Suite 5000, 500 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1382, USA
- Website
- https://umich.edu/
Purdue University
Purdue’s West Lafayette academic structure includes colleges of Engineering, Agriculture, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine, the Daniels School of Business and Purdue Polytechnic Institute. These units provide undergraduate, graduate and professional education, connecting fields such as agricultural science, applied technology, management, pharmaceutical science and clinical veterinary training.
- Subjects
- Engineering; Computer science; Agriculture; Business; Pharmacy
- Address
- 610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Website
- https://www.purdue.edu/
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Illinois’ academic units include Grainger Engineering, Gies Business, Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, and the School of Information Sciences. Carle Illinois College of Medicine adds medical education to this structure. Information Sciences offers an undergraduate degree combining information science and data science, alongside postgraduate programmes.
- Subjects
- Engineering; Computer science; Business; Agriculture; Information sciences
- Address
- Office of the Provost, Swanlund Administration Building, 601 E. John Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
- Website
- https://illinois.edu/
University of Washington
The University of Washington operates campuses in Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma. Its Seattle provision includes computing, engineering, business, environmental disciplines and health sciences. UW Medicine connects the university’s medical school with research and a network of healthcare providers, integrating medical education with clinical practice.
- Subjects
- Computer science; Engineering; Public health; Business; Environmental sciences
- Address
- Seattle campus, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; use the recipient’s departmental box number for postal delivery
- Website
- https://www.washington.edu/
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Wisconsin–Madison’s schools and colleges include Agricultural and Life Sciences, Human Ecology, Engineering and Veterinary Medicine. Undergraduate programmes include agroecology and animal and veterinary biosciences. A separate professional veterinary programme sits alongside research and taught degrees across sciences, education, business and the humanities.
- Subjects
- Engineering; Agriculture; Business; Life sciences; Education
- Address
- University Relations, 97 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Website
- https://www.wisc.edu/
Arizona State University
ASU operates Tempe, Downtown Phoenix, West Valley and Polytechnic campuses, as well as online programmes. Polytechnic in Mesa emphasises applied engineering, technology, business and science. West Valley includes provision in forensics, business, engineering and education, giving the university several distinct academic locations within metropolitan Phoenix.
- Subjects
- Engineering; Business; Computing; Sustainability; Design
- Address
- 1151 S. Forest Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
- Website
- https://www.asu.edu/
University of Arizona
Arizona’s Tucson university includes the Wyant College of Optical Sciences, with work in optics and optical engineering, and colleges covering agriculture, medicine and public health. Optical applications range from imaging and communications to astronomy. Medicine and public health add clinical, biomedical and population-health education.
- Subjects
- Astronomy; Engineering; Business; Agriculture; Public health
- Address
- 1200 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Website
- https://www.arizona.edu/
Colorado State University
Colorado State organises its Fort Collins academic provision into eight colleges, including Agricultural Sciences, Engineering, Business and Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The Warner College of Natural Resources combines environmental, physical and social sciences in programmes concerned with conservation, ecosystems and natural-resource management.
- Subjects
- Agriculture; Engineering; Veterinary medicine; Environmental sciences; Business
- Address
- 318 Administration Building, 6001 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523-0100, USA
- Website
- https://www.colostate.edu/
Oregon State University
Oregon State operates its main campus in Corvallis, OSU-Cascades in Bend, Ecampus online programmes and the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. Its Natural Resources undergraduate major is available in Corvallis, Bend and online, connecting the university’s forestry and environmental provision across several study formats.
- Subjects
- Engineering; Forestry; Agriculture; Marine sciences; Business
- Address
- 1500 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- Website
- https://oregonstate.edu/
Iowa State University
Iowa State’s six undergraduate colleges cover fields including agriculture, engineering, design and business. The university also provides graduate study and a separate professional veterinary medicine programme. Its Ames campus brings these disciplines together with research, extension activity and undergraduate majors, minors and certificate programmes.
- Subjects
- Engineering; Agriculture; Design; Business; Veterinary medicine
- Address
- 1750 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, IA 50011-2103, USA
- Website
- https://www.iastate.edu/
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
Buffalo has North, South and Downtown campuses. North Campus is in Amherst; South Campus accommodates several health schools and architecture and planning. The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences occupies the Downtown campus within the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, close to clinical and research partners.
- Subjects
- Engineering; Computer science; Business; Health sciences; Architecture
- Address
- 12 Capen Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260-1660, USA
- Website
- https://www.buffalo.edu/
The City College of New York, CUNY
City College is a senior college in the public City University of New York system. Its academic units include the Grove School of Engineering, Spitzer School of Architecture and Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, alongside education, science, humanities and arts, and interdisciplinary studies.
- Subjects
- Engineering; Architecture; Science; Humanities; Education
- Address
- 160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031, USA
- Website
- https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/
University of Houston
Houston’s academic units include the Cullen College of Engineering, Hines College of Architecture and Design, and Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership. The Fertitta Family College of Medicine and Hobby School of Public Affairs extend its provision into medical education and public policy.
- Subjects
- Engineering; Business; Computer science; Hospitality; Architecture
- Address
- Office of the President, 4302 University Drive, Room 212, Houston, TX 77204-2018, USA
- Website
- https://www.uh.edu/
University of Massachusetts Amherst
UMass Amherst organises teaching and research through 12 schools and colleges. These include the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, Isenberg School of Management and Elaine Marieb College of Nursing. The Commonwealth Honors College provides an additional honours curriculum within the university’s undergraduate structure.
- Subjects
- Computer science; Engineering; Business; Public health; Social sciences
- Address
- Undergraduate Admissions, 243 Whitmore Administration Building, 181 Presidents Drive, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
- Website
- https://www.umass.edu/
Northeastern University
Northeastern combines academic programmes with cooperative education across fields including computing, engineering, business and health. Standard undergraduate co-op placements involve four or six months of continuous work with an employer. The university’s engineering co-op provision extends to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral students within its wider campus network.
- Subjects
- Computer science; Engineering; Business; Health sciences; Social sciences
- Address
- 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Website
- https://www.northeastern.edu/
Official references
Further institutions
| Institution | Location and type | Official website | Book page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton University | Princeton, New Jersey / Private university | https://www.princeton.edu/ | 35 |
| Yale University | New Haven, Connecticut / Private university | https://www.yale.edu/ | 35 |
| Columbia University | New York, New York / Private university | https://www.columbia.edu/ | 35 |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / Private university | https://www.upenn.edu/ | 35 |
| Cornell University | Ithaca, New York / Private university with state-assisted colleges | https://www.cornell.edu/ | 35 |
| Brown University | Providence, Rhode Island / Private university | https://www.brown.edu/ | 35 |
| Dartmouth College | Hanover, New Hampshire / Private university | https://home.dartmouth.edu/ | 35 |
| Duke University | Durham, North Carolina / Private university | https://www.duke.edu/ | 35 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, Maryland / Private university | https://www.jhu.edu/ | 35 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, Illinois / Private university | https://www.northwestern.edu/ | 35 |
| University of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois / Private university | https://www.uchicago.edu/ | 35 |
| California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, California / Private technical university | https://www.caltech.edu/ | 35 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania / Private university | https://www.cmu.edu/ | 35 |
| Rice University | Houston, Texas / Private university | https://www.rice.edu/ | 35 |
| Emory University | Atlanta, Georgia / Private university | https://www.emory.edu/ | 35 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Tennessee / Private university | https://www.vanderbilt.edu/ | 35 |
| Washington University in St. Louis | St. Louis, Missouri / Private university | https://washu.edu/ | 35 |
| New York University | New York, New York / Private university | https://www.nyu.edu/ | 35 |
| Boston University | Boston, Massachusetts / Private university | https://www.bu.edu/ | 35 |
| Howard University | Washington, DC / Private historically Black university | https://howard.edu/ | 35 |
| Georgetown University | Washington, DC / Private university | https://www.georgetown.edu/ | 35 |
| University of Notre Dame | Notre Dame, Indiana / Private university | https://www.nd.edu/ | 35 |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles, California / Private university | https://www.usc.edu/ | 35 |
| University of California, San Diego | San Diego, California / Public university | https://www.ucsd.edu/ | 35 |
| University of California, Davis | Davis, California / Public university | https://www.ucdavis.edu/ | 35 |
| University of California, Irvine | Irvine, California / Public university | https://uci.edu/ | 35 |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, California / Public university | https://www.ucsb.edu/ | 35 |
| University of California, Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz, California / Public university | https://www.ucsc.edu/ | 35 |
| University of California, Riverside | Riverside, California / Public university | https://www.ucr.edu/ | 35 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, Texas / Public university | https://www.utexas.edu/ | 35 |
| Texas A&M University | College Station, Texas / Public university | https://www.tamu.edu/ | 35 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, North Carolina / Public university | https://www.unc.edu/ | 35 |
| North Carolina State University | Raleigh, North Carolina / Public university | https://www.ncsu.edu/ | 35 |
| The Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio / Public university | https://www.osu.edu/ | 35 |
| The Pennsylvania State University | University Park, Pennsylvania / Public university | https://www.psu.edu/ | 35 |
| University of Maryland, College Park | College Park, Maryland / Public university | https://www.umd.edu/ | 35 |
| University of Minnesota Twin Cities | Minneapolis / Saint Paul, Minnesota / Public university | https://twin-cities.umn.edu/ | 35 |
| University of Missouri | Columbia, Missouri / Public university | https://missouri.edu/ | 35 |
| University of Florida | Gainesville, Florida / Public university | https://www.ufl.edu/ | 35 |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah / Public university | https://www.utah.edu/ | 35 |