The rating of an educational institution when choosing a master's degree in the USA is important, but should not become an end in itself. You don't have to go to an Ivy League college to get a good education. The School of Film, Drama and Television at UCLA ranks third in the ranking of American film universities (The Hollywood Reporter, 2017), but Steven Spielberg and George Lucas studied at California State University, which is not in this ranking at all.

Daria Yudintseva,
specialist in higher education in the USA IQ Consultancy

Start with what problem you want to solve with a master's degree in the USA. Choose 5-7 universities that match your interests and goals and compare terms of study, internships, career prospects - everything that will lead you to your dream profession. It is likely that in order to enter the chosen university, you will have to work hard: improve your language, take preparatory courses, and pass additional exams.

You can go the other way and start from the education you already have, work experience and the time you are willing to spend on training and education. In this case, you choose from those directions that you can enter with a greater probability.

When choosing, it is worth considering that the US master's degree allows you to change your specialty. If you are a literary critic in your first Russian education, but want to study law, then preparatory courses at American universities will help you understand a new specialty before entering. Among universities with such programs:

The University of Kansas

The University of Kansas is ranked 53rd in the ranking of the best public universities in the United States (U.S. News & World Report, 2018). Of the 28,000 students, 4,200 are foreigners. Brian McClendon, Vice President of Engineering at Google Earth, studied here.

Along with Harvard University and Yale University, the university is a member of the Association of American Universities - 62 institutions of higher education that have produced 72% of US Nobel laureates.

The University of Dayton

Within six months after graduation from the University of Dayton, 95% of graduates find a job. The university stands out for its scientific base - in 2017 it entered the top 8 most sponsored universities in the United States, and GE Aviation and Emerson built their research centers on its campus.

The university ranks 99th in the list of the 1000 best private universities in the United States (Niche, 2018). 95% of students get a job within 6 months of graduation.

Auburn University

Auburn University trains NASA scientists and astronauts, as well as specialists in medicine, biochemistry, business, design, architecture and urban planning. The Princeton Review ranked the university 17th in its "Universities with the Happiest Students" ranking.

The university has produced three presidents of the Kennedy Space Center and Wiki creator Tim Cook. Auburn University is one of only three universities in the world with a degree in Wireless Engineering.

IQ Consultancy is the official representative of 12 leading US universities in Russia, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. We arrange an interview with a university representative and help you write a motivation letter that will allow you to apply for a scholarship. Our admissions services for these universities are free.

A master's degree in the USA is one of the most popular options for continuing your studies abroad. Starting the preparation of documents in advance gives more opportunities for choosing programs and sources of funding. Consider how to enter an American master's program in one year.

Aug. Sept

1. Finding a Masters in the USA

To search for a master's degree, you can use online directories, for exampleDirectory of Graduate Programs. You can also contact the nearest American Center for advice. Addresses of centers and general information about education in the USA can be found on the official website Education USA . You also can . We will select for you master's programs in the USA.

2. Drawing up a preliminary list

At this stage, a list of10-15 universities. Define Criteriachoosing the master's programs that are most meaningful to you. For example, such as:

• the reputation of the program in your specialty;
• the reputation of the teaching staff of the faculty;
• type of program (format, flexibility, teaching methods);
• the cost of education and living;
• the possibility of obtaining financial assistance;
• campus location and housing availability.

Start by studying university rankingsand postgraduate programs in the most authoritative sources, such as: Academic Ranking of World Universities, US News&Report, QS Topuniversities, The Times World University Rankings.

3. Finding funding

After compiling a preliminary list, it should be clarified whether the chosen university or faculty provides financial assistance to foreign students. For international students applying for a master's program in the United States, there are the following forms of financial aid:

• Fellowships - cover all tuition and health insurance costs and provide a scholarship that is enough to live in a particular region of the United States. Some master's programs provide Fellowships in the first year of study, and from the second year students receive funding in the form of asistantships.

• Teaching Assistantship (TA) – Teaching Assistantmust either conduct classes with junior students, or conduct laboratory classes 15-20 hours a week. For this, they do not take tuition fees from him and pay a scholarship for living.

• Research Assistantship (RA) - usually awarded to doctoral students, less often to master's students, depending on academic success and research interests. The student, as a rule, assists the supervisor in conducting research.

• Tuition Scholarships and Tuition Waivers - partially or completely cover only the cost of the training itself. Most often, this is the most likely financial aid that you can count on when applying to a master's program in the United States. The remaining expenses must be covered from other sources: scholarship from an external source (foundation, government), personal savings, loans, work on campus.

• Administrative assistantship - financial assistance, which involves working no more than 20 hours a week on campus in the international department or performing other administrative functions.

It is also worth considering scholarship programs in your country, scholarships from foreign governments for foreigners,scholarships and grants private foundations and non-governmental organizations.

4. Drawing up a calendar plan

Three main categories of dates should be included in the calendar plan:

• deadlines for submitting documents to universities;
• deadlines for applying for scholarships;
• deadlines for passing the TOEFL, or GMAT tests.

Sign up for tests at least 5-6 weeks before before the date of its delivery, and the date of passing the test itself should be planned no later than 6 weeks before sending documents to the graduate school in the United States.

In addition to the main deadlines,define milestones, such as writing (Statement of Purpose), letters of recommendation, preparation of a translation of a diploma and a transcript, registration for tests, submission of documents for a student visa, and more.

September-December

5. Determination of the final list of universities

At this stage, the initial list should be reduced to 5-10 master's programs in accordance with previously defined criteria.

Since the preparation of documents takes a lot of time and involves a fee for reviewing documents at each university, an average of $60, it is recommended that you carefully analyze all the information collected again, determine which criteria are most important to you, realistically assess your chances of being enrolled in the chosen master's program.

If you are not going to pay for your studies in an American master's program on your own, then the main criterion for you is the ability to receive funding from the chosen university or the amount of possible funding.

6. Filling out application forms

Most US universities accept documents online, so you can fill out the application form and upload supporting documents in several visits through the created account.If documents need to be sent by regular mail, application forms can be downloaded from the university website.

Recommended to docheck listto take into account the status of filling out application forms, the readiness of supporting documents and paid fees for reviewing documents. In the application form and in all accompanying documents, your name and surname must be indicated as in the passport.

Do not leave blank fields– wherever you need to provide information that does not apply to you, write"Not Applicable". For example, in an application form there may be a column forSocial Security Number(SSN). If you have not previously studied or worked in the US, then you cannot have one, so indicate that this does not apply to you.

7. Passing tests

In order not to waste time in the future, it is recommended to send the test results to the selected universities on the day of the test. To do this, first find out on the website of the selected universities their institutional codes, and after completing the test, enter them into the submission form on the computer in the testing center.

8. Preparation of the transcript and translation of the diploma

Any university requires the so-calledSchool Transcript- a document that indicates the courses taken, the number of hours attended for each of them and grades.

15. Notice of arrival to the university

To the international department of the university (International Student Office) it is important to inform about your arrival in advance in order not to lose the status of an international student.

16. Solving financial issues

Usually, tuition fees are paid by a certain date. However, if you are expecting funds from the faculty of the university you were enrolled in, or grant funds from an external source, then the university may provide an opportunity to pay for your studies later than the deadline. It is calleddeferment .

You should find out about the procedure for granting deferred payment at a particular American university. If you plan to use your own money, before leaving, you should ask your bank how they can be transferred to your future account in an American bank (a bank account in the USA can only be opened in person, i.e. only upon arrival).

17. Solving household issues

For the first 1-2 weeks you will need a temporary shelter until you find a permanent home. You can stay at a hotel or, if you're lucky, for free with old-timers of your faculty who are returning to study.

To do this, it will not be superfluous to contact the program coordinator at your faculty (Graduate Program Coordinator) to consult on this issue and at the same time find out if there are applicants from your country or region - you can contact them in advance for joint housing. It’s not particularly worth counting on living in a hostel on campus, since undergrads live in hostels (undergraduate students).

Typically, students fromgraduate schoolrent private accommodation near the campus. To get an idea of ​​current housing prices near campus, you can check online ads in local newspapers, student forums, and other resources such as craigslist.com in advance.

If you will be renting off campus, be prepared to give a deposit to the landlord - a private owner or management company - as you will not yet have a credit history in the United States at the time of arrival. Otherwise, find a sponsor - a permanent resident or US citizen. In addition, proof of funds may be required to rent a property (Proof of Income).

This article describes the general algorithm of the process of admission to the magistracy of American universities. However, in specific cases, you should always be guided by the instructions of the chosen university, up-to-date information on the website of the US Embassy and other official sources.

1. Find universities and programs in them, for which, theoretically, an international student can receive a scholarship (hereinafter referred to as a grant);
2. Translate and certify your diploma;
3. Pass Toefl and GRE;
4. Write a Statement of Purpose and other essays (if required);
5. Pay the registration fee and send the documents by registered mail.

And that's it!

Now about each step in more detail.

1. Find universities and programs

In the US, higher education is in demand, it is very expensive. But there are already noticeably fewer applicants for master's programs. This is where our chances come in. There is no free education in the USA, so someone needs to pay for us. Such a sponsor can be: your university, your state, a foreign state, a charitable foundation, a foreign university, a foreign faculty. Each of these options is realistic and requires more detailed study. I have used the latter. For many computer science programs, the faculty of a US university is willing to pay for tuition for promising students, because they help conduct research, increase the rating of the university and the faculty, and this will mean more funding for them. That is, this is not a gift from the faculty, it is their investment.

Your task is to find the maximum number of such programs for which someone is willing to pay for you. Of these, you can further choose the coolest according to the desired criteria. This stage is the most difficult (!). It requires a lot of time, googling, and is generally very routine. Since I had been to Baylor before, I had a link to this institution. There I began to search, found a program in computer science and did not spend more time, since everything suited me right away.

All other steps, in fact, are purely technical - everything is simple and clear, take it and do it.

2. Translate and certify your diploma

You need to translate a diploma in the international department of your university. It was easy for us, but options are possible. Typically, a US university does not require any notarization of such documents. I translated my own diploma, put down the grades myself and made a template for the Word. At the university, without looking, they put a seal. But deceiving, of course, is not worth it, so as not to make problems.

3. Pass Toefl and GRE

Toefl is an offset. That is, you need to score more than the minimum score, otherwise you cannot participate in the competition. Toefl itself is elementary. A trained monkey will also be able to score a passing ball, so if you have plans to study in the USA, then you don’t have to worry about this, only $ 300 is a pity.

GRE is a completely different matter. This is the main selection criterion. It's like the exam, only for university graduates. The most important feature is that everyone writes it: both Americans and foreigners - in order to enter a university. That is, you will fight in an unequal battle for places with the Americans, who, of course, have a better language. Yes, this test does not test knowledge of the language. It is assumed that you know him well. The ability to quickly analyze complex problems, find numerical solutions, as well as to think logically, to separate the thesis from assumptions, arguments and evidence is tested.

4. Write a Statement of Purpose

Statement - this is your essay on the topic "why I want to study right here and now and in this particular program at this university." It should be moderately personal, moderately reveal your talents. There is a lot of material on the Internet on this subject. The main thing is not to copy other people's, and write correctly. You can always find someone to help with editing.

5. Pay the registration fee and send the documents by registered mail

The most costly step. It is necessary in time, usually before the beginning of January or earlier, to send the entire set of documents to the desired universities. Moreover, you need to send the diploma by mail, upload the essay electronically, and in the tests you will be given the code of the university, where the results will go automatically. In this regard, it is useful to know these codes in advance before the exam.

For each application, you will need to pay $50-100. Thus, if you apply for 10 different programs, you can spend several thousand dollars (sending a diploma by registered mail costs 1,500 rubles on average).

Well, that's all. Next - wait for the results. Usually, by March, everyone will have answered you, several universities will refuse, some will offer to come. Choose the best one and go ahead. Since I only applied to one, I had fewer problems, but more risk.

I sincerely wish success to all applicants. Be honest and believe in yourself. And don’t forget about deadlines, it would be better to pass GRE by November.

UPD: we can see a page with all the necessary information on Baylor University, Computer Science. You can take a short test and find out what your chances are. Approximately the same pages should be found in all desired universities.

UPD2: For admission to a master's or PhD in the USA, you must pass the GRE. In the case of business schools, they often ask for the GMAT, but many also accept the GRE, that is, in my opinion, it is better to take it.

The exam itself lasts 4-5 hours, there are 2 sections in mathematics and two in speech.

In mathematics, you need to quickly solve large problems. They are not that difficult, but they need to be done quickly. Sometimes there are tricky ones, as in grades 5-8 in the problems "with an asterisk." I'm far from being a genius, and scored 162 points (130-170 scale) and got into the 91st quantile. That is, with Russian mat preparation, we have every chance.

In the speech part, you will meet a lot of unfamiliar words, even if you have been communicating fluently with American friends for 10 years. This is what is counted on. You need to be able to analyze the text, understand on what premises it is built, where is the conclusion, where is the fact, and where is the hypothesis.

In general, the site has good examples. Preparing is easy - you just need to solve examples. By the way, this is very interesting. The texts are sometimes very informative. In general, the main thing in GRE is the focus and speed of the solution.

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I am a student at CCNY (City College of New York) which is part of CUNY (City University of New York). Since I pay for my studies myself and am not a genius, I chose this college based on the criterion of price and ease of admission. When applying for a job in my specialty, the name of the educational institution will play a secondary role, and the main one will be knowledge and experience, I hope.

The admission criteria are pretty simple.

• Bachelor's degree in engineering.
• TOEFL > 73.
• Two recommendations.
• Motivation letter.

As you can see, it's not on the list. GRE which is a big plus. I received my bachelor's degree back in 2012, preparing for another exam would require even more time and effort.

How I took the TOEFL

In order to pass the TOELF test for the 73 points I needed, I studied at a language school in the USA. Practically from the entry level to the passing level it took me six months: two times three months with a break of six months, which I spent at home.

The cost of one semester (three months) is about $900, housing, food, and transportation costs are another $1000 per month. In the end, maybe I spent about $8,000 on everything. I passed TOEFL only twice, the first time after the first semester I missed literally 2 points, the second time I scored a passing score with a large margin. Each TOEFL exam costs $200.

Why did I decide to study English here? Firstly, I was too lazy to learn the language at home, and secondly, I did not want to stretch it out for many months and years. Since in my whole life I could not pull it up in a comfortable environment, I had to get out of it.

And, of course, this gave me a great advantage, I ended up here, I understood how the American education system works, it was here that I decided to enroll in this particular program, translated and evaluated my diploma, I talked with students who studied here, found many friends was at an open house.

After passing the TOEFL, having indicated the coordinates of the educational institution for sending the results, I returned home. Already from home, I sent all my documents: letters of recommendation, resume, copy of the diploma, translation of the diploma, bank statement, academic certificate and so on.

Two months later I received a letter that I was enrolled. Made a deposit of $200 confirming my intention to study at this college, after which I was discharged and sent by express mail I-20 for an additional $90.

Where do I get the money from and how much does a master's degree in the USA cost?

To get a master's degree, you need to take 30 credits. One discipline is three credits. In total, you need to take from 8 to 10 disciplines and a project or thesis. Project - three credits, Thesis - six credits. Each credit is now worth $830.

In the end, the entire master's program will cost me only $24,900. Each semester, you need to take a minimum of nine full-time credits. But in the first semester, you can take six credits (two disciplines) and I took advantage of this. I was just afraid of a large load and decided to gradually increase it.

Where do I get that kind of money, you ask? I don't have rich parents and I didn't have a high-paying job. I graduated from the university in 2012 and all the time after graduation I worked and saved money. Every month I converted my income into dollars, put it into an account for many years.

I pay $600 for housing and get to school in an average of 1.5 hours. I buy used books on Amazon for $5-20 on average. Transportation costs - $120 per month, food - $400, utility bills and mobile communications - $50.

As a result, about $ 1200 per month of expenses. All my monthly expenses are almost covered by income from our web-project with a partner, which does not require my participation. You cannot work here on a student visa without special permission.

How to get a visa

If you have honest intentions, you really will study, then the visa officer will have only one request - to confirm the availability of funds for study and tell about their source.

I had the following expenses:

• SEVIS - $200.
• Consular fee $160.

What about Scolarship?

I didn't apply for a scholarship prior to admission. But just the other day, I submitted my application for a scholarship that can cover part of my expenses. If I am selected, it will be great, I will keep some of my funds. If successful, I will definitely write an article about it.

What benefits can you get

Before the start of the semester, we had an orientation where we were told about our studies and had a tour of the campus. During the event, it was possible to fill out an application for medical insurance. I was approved for completely free insurance with dentistry. I got a free Amazon Prime subscription, Apple Music, a MacBook discount, and free software from Microsoft.

I will be glad if I motivate someone to take active actions and if there are questions, I am ready to answer. Thanks to all.

The USA is the country hosting a record number of international students. Every year, about 750 thousand foreigners enter the higher educational institutions of this country. About half of them receive financial assistance from universities, foundations, and the government.

Such attention to American universities is due to the high standards of education, the excellent reputation of educational institutions, the career prospects of graduates, and simply the attractiveness of the country in cultural and social terms.

Obtaining a master's degree from an American university within a year or two is a very common practice among successful and ambitious young people around the world. Russia is no exception. Whatever area of ​​expertise you specialize in, and whatever resources you have, there is sure to be a suitable master's program in the USA.

Where to start looking for a master's degree in the USA?

The search for and preparation for a master's degree in the United States must begin well in advance, at least a year before the date of the intended admission. The procedure for admission to a master's program in America can be started even in the last year of the institute. To do this, you need to take the dean's office, translate and certify an academic certificate, the so-called School Transcript.

You can use online directories such as the Directory of Graduated Programs or Peterson's Guide to find the right university. Make a list of those universities that will attract your attention. The selection criteria should be the following:

• The reputation of the program in the chosen specialty and the faculty as a whole;
• Cost of education;
• The possibility of obtaining grants, scholarships and, in general, additional funding;
• How satisfied are you with the training program, its format, teaching methods, etc.;
• Availability and price of housing.

The issue of funding

The cost of a master's degree in universities in the United States depends on the location, prestige, and ownership of the university. For local residents (living in the same state), the cost of education is three times lower than for foreigners. It can be expected that the amount that will have to be paid for a year of master's degree in America will not exceed 35 thousand dollars (excluding the cost of housing, food, flights, etc.).

A lot of foreign students use various forms of financial assistance from the university itself. It may look like this:

• Fellowship - an amount that fully covers all necessary expenses: tuition, medical insurance and a scholarship sufficient to live in this area of ​​​​the United States.
• Teaching Assistantship (TA) is about the same amount of funding as in the previous case, but the student in return must teach junior courses in the amount of 15 - 20 academic hours per week.
• Research Assistantship (RA) - full allowance in exchange for assisting the supervisor in his research. Master's students are rarely given: only in case of outstanding academic success.
• Administrative Assistantship (AA) - Scholarship and tuition discount in exchange for 20 hours of administrative work per week on campus or university.
• Tuition Scholarships are the most common type of financial aid for master's degree applicants. It offers a discount on tuition fees. The missing amount, as well as living expenses, etc., the student covers from his own pocket.

If you need additional financial assistance, it makes sense to look for grants and scholarships offered by governments and various foundations. The most famous of these in the United States is the Fulbright program. As part of this program, 6,000 one-year and two-year grants are distributed annually, most of them for free master's programs in the United States in a variety of fields. Another popular scholarship program for future masters is the Edmund Muskie program.

From the abundance of opportunities, you need to choose approximately seven educational programs. You need to soberly assess whether the chosen university and faculty suits you, and how great your chances of being enrolled there are. This is important for the following reasons:

Submission of documents

The requirements of universities regarding the submission of documents are different. Just like in Russia, it is more difficult to enter some universities, while others are easier. The list of documents for admission in one place may be limited to a translated diploma, TOEFL test and application form, while others require a GMAT test, a lot of recommendations and much more.

Application Forms

• Almost all US universities accept documents online. You can fill out your registration forms in several steps by registering an account on the university website.
• In the application form and other documents, you must indicate your data exactly as in the passport.
• You cannot leave empty fields. For example, if you have not been to the United States before, then you have nothing to enter in the SSN (Social Security Number / Social Security Number) column. Write "Not Applicable".
• Sometimes it is necessary to send documents by mail. Download forms to fill out from the same university website.

Other documents

Passing English tests is a very important part of preparing for admission to a master's program in the United States. Usually, training requires a TOEFL language proficiency level of 80 (for most humanitarian, technical and creative specialties) to 100 (for journalism, economics, law, sociology and a number of other specialties). To redirect the test result to the university, find out the corresponding code on its website and enter it into the submission form. It would be nice to do this right after the completion of the test in the testing center.

An academic transcript with your academic results at an American university is called the "School Transcript". It should contain a list of courses taken, the number of hours and results. The transcript is usually sent by mail, in an envelope and with the seal of the university you graduated from.

It is necessary to make a copy of the diploma and notarize it or at the university. Also make and notarize its translation.

At least three references are required. They should be given by scientific supervisors, teachers, heads of enterprises where you work. You need to agree with the recommender, write the recommendation yourself, in English, and then agree on its content. Recommendations are sent by mail or using a form in the university's online system.

When the preparation of documents and filling out the application forms are completed, send them and check receipt with the Office of Graduate Admissions. You must keep copies of all submissions.

What's next?

Wait for answers from universities. Letters will come with both positive and negative answers. Make your final choice and carefully pay the required deposit so that the seat is reserved for you.

Be sure to pass a Health Statement medical examination, do tests and vaccinations.

Get a student visa. To do this, you need to send completed documents upon request from the SEVIS (Student & Exchange Visitor Information System) service, receive confirmation, and then apply for a visa at the embassy.

It seems that by the time a positive answer is received, the question “What to do next?” will no longer be relevant. Before you is a well-trodden road to obtaining a high-quality master's education in the USA, which will certainly open up excellent career and personal prospects for you.