CONDITIONS YOU NEED TO STUDY ABROAD IN THE US TO REALIZE YOUR DREAM OF STUDYING ABROAD. BELOW ARE SOME BASIC CONDITIONS REQUIRED TO STUDY IN THE US.
Have I-20 admission letters from US schools
I-20 is an admission letter, also known as a notice of admission to the school to which you have applied to study abroad. To receive invitations from American schools, you must meet each school’s unique admission standards. For high school study abroad students, in addition to reviewing academic transcripts, English certificates, extracurricular activities in the host country, etc., you will also have a direct interview with the school representative before deciding whether to receive the I-20. or not.
However, applying for an I-20 at top US schools will not be too difficult. According to our experience, in addition to qualified documents, the interview round will be the deciding factor in being granted an I-20 admission letter. Therefore, students need to prepare full information and have a strong and confident mentality to pass the capacity assessment round of the school representative.
I-20 will be one of the factors that gives you a passport to the US. Besides Visa, this is an important document that ensures your admission in the US. Please note that you must sign before submitting the I-20 to the Consulate for Visa application procedures. Your signature means accepting the requirements and rules of the school you are applying to study and At the same time, it also allows that school to provide you with necessary information to the immigration department.
It should be noted that like the Visa, the I-20 is quite important, you need to keep it carefully and remember to present the I-20 to the school before the enrollment date. Whenever you travel outside the United States, you will need to present this I-20 when returning to the United States.
Prove financial ability when studying abroad in the US
Studying abroad in the US is not an easy task. In addition to the paperwork and school requirements, there is another difficult issue: finances. This is an important issue to consider over a long period of time. Once you intend to study in the US, you first need to have a detailed plan for the entire learning process when studying abroad in the US such as tuition, living expenses, books, travel, etc. accommodation. In addition, the cost of living in different regions is also different. In general, the actual average cost for one year of college is 20,000 USD – 30,000 USD. This total annual cost is expected to increase by about 5%. Those are just the expenses during the time of studying in the US. In addition, before that, each family must ensure to prove the family’s income and available assets in banks or legal storage places. other. Depending on the tuition level of each school you are applying to, your financial requirements will be different, but in general, schools require your family’s bank account balance to be greater than Tuition and living expenses for 1 to 2 years in the US. This is a mandatory requirement so they can believe your family’s ability to pay. In addition, the monthly (or annual, depending on the consideration) income of your parents or guardians must be within an acceptable limit to ensure payment of your tuition throughout the term. while you study in the US. In particular, in Vietnam, small businesses rarely use paperwork to record income, so proving this financial status will face many difficulties. That’s why the advice for those who want to study abroad in the US is to pay attention to this issue of asset authentication from the beginning and have specific plans in advance.
Obtain the necessary certificates in English
The language commonly used in America is English. It can be said that English proficiency is the most important factor in the conditions for studying abroad in the US, because in addition to daily communication, English proficiency must be sufficient to be able to participate in class, read books, and understand lectures from teachers and taking exams.
One of the most popular ways to evaluate one’s own level that many people still use is to take the English exam for foreigners. For those who study abroad, you are required to have a degree at least 1 year before intending to study. There are many exams to test English for foreigners, but the most popular ones for studying abroad are TOEFL and IELTS. Depending on different schools, there are different requirements, usually TOEFL ibt requires about 70-80 points to be safe, or for TOEFL PBT, universities require a score scale of 500 to 550. As for the program, For graduate studies, the score is usually from 550 to 600. Currently, many universities in the US recognize IELTS scores. You need an IELTS score of 6.0 to study for an undergraduate degree and an IELTS score of 6.5 to study for a master’s degree. Some schools also accept you if you have not yet obtained your degree, but they require you to participate in the school’s English entrance exam or participate in an English course organized by the school.
In addition, depending on the requirements of each school and each course, students may have to meet SAT, GRE, and GMAT scores.
Complete the required school standard exams
For high school students, students do not need to take an entrance exam. Usually, these high schools only require a GPA (GPA>8.0 is quite good) and high scores on English tests such as TOEFL, EILTS, etc. will also be an advantage.
For undergraduate and graduate programs, there are the following basic exams:
– GRE: Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE General Test) GRE test score is a requirement for non-business graduate programs. This test includes 3 parts: Math, reading comprehension and logical analysis. This test score is especially important if you plan to apply for a scholarship.
– GRE: Graduate Record Examination Subject Test (GRE Subject Test) Only a few graduate programs require students to take this test, and usually only in the student’s major. The test is available for 16 different majors.
– SAT I: Reasoning test (Common Test) Many universities in the US require this test score for both American and international students. This test includes math and reading comprehension sections.
– SAT II: Subject Test (Subject Test) Students can choose 1, 2 or 3 subjects from 20 different subjects. Only a few universities require foreign students to take this test.
– TOEFL (Test English As a Foreign Language): mandatory English test for students whose first language is not English, applicable to both undergraduate and graduate students. The testing program applies to all skills: listening, grammar, reading comprehension, writing and vocabulary.
– GMAT: Graduate Management Admission Test. Most master’s or doctoral programs in economics require this test score for both American and international students. This test tests reading comprehension, math, and analytical and reasoning skills.
Because at the University level there will be higher requirements for students in both foreign language and thinking because they want to ensure that you can absorb knowledge in the classroom.
Meet the qualifications to apply for a student visa in the US
– Age from 14-34 years old
– Academic performance and transcripts are average or better
– Have a continuous study or work process
– Bank account: The school or consulate does not give an amount, but it can be based on tuition + accommodation + books, the minimum is 25,000 USD
– Prove the family’s source of income (sponsor)
To learn more details about applying for a US student visa, you can see more: Procedures for applying for a US student visa in another article.