{"id":1398,"date":"2020-03-01T07:46:15","date_gmt":"2020-03-01T07:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unirely.com\/blog\/?p=1398"},"modified":"2021-11-12T11:22:39","modified_gmt":"2021-11-12T11:22:39","slug":"how-to-apply-to-us-universities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.unirely.com\/blog\/how-to-apply-to-us-universities\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Apply to Universities in the US for an Undergraduate Degree | Guide for International Students"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every year, thousands of universities in the United States welcome applications from international students. <\/span><b>The process of applying to these Universities can take about two years, so it&#8217;s important to plan ahead.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In order to get through the application process to your dream university in the United States, there are some specific steps that you have to follow. This article lays down all of them in detail.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first aspect that international students should focus on is their <\/span><b>High School Grades. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is important to maintain good marks in your final examinations of classes 9<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 10<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 11<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and predicted marks for class 12<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The deadlines for most of the universities are towards the end of the year, and till then the final examinations of class 12 have not been conducted, therefore, predicted marks for very very important. Some universities like the UC\u2019s ask you to self-report your midterm\/half-yearly grades as well. Most universities ask for an official transcript from your school with stamps from the issuing authorities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second and a very important aspect that international students should work hard towards are <\/span><b>Standardized Tests. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These tests include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SAT and ACT<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SAT Subject Tests<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">English Proficiency Tests\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Advanced Placement Exams\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>SAT and ACT<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These examinations are the most important part of your application as this is the first document universities look at to filter strong from weak applicants. Hence, it is evident that you need to score well in <\/span><b>any one<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the two tests! Both SAT and ACT have an equal preference in the eyes of the universities &#8211; they will not prefer one over another.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The SAT is graded out of 1600 and ACT is graded out of 36. Usually, a 1350+ score on the SAT and a 32+ in the ACT is considered a decent score.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>SAT Subject Tests\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These standardized tests are specific to a subject and are usually taken to increase the chances of admission. It is not required to take these tests for most universities, but it is advised to give at least 2 of them in the subject close to what the student is applying for. However, it may be mandatory to take if applying to the Ivy League universities. Each test is scored out of 800.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>English Proficiency Exams &#8211; TOEFL and IELTS<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TOEFL and IELTS are the two English proficiency tests required by most universities for international students. The universities need to check the student\u2019s proficiency in the language before offering admission.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The TOEFL is graded out of 120 while the IELTS is graded out of 9. Students can choose to take <\/span><b>any one<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of these tests. These tests may also be required for the student\u2019s visa applications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Advanced Placement Exams\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AP Exams are not required by universities in the US but expert advisors at UniRely advise all applicants to take 2-3 AP Exams. It gives a good impression to the universities if you want to brand yourself as an academically focused student.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, taking the AP\u2019s may also help you wave off some elementary level courses in your first year at university. Students applying to top universities in the US take up to 5 AP exams. These exams are conducted in May every year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Note:<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> These academic elements compute up to 60% &#8211; 70% of your applications for most universities.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The third aspect which is important for your admission is the <\/span><b>Resume\/Activity Sheet \/CV.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are the lists of the extracurricular activities that students complete during high school and maybe classified into Music, Dance, Sports, Community Service, Internships etc. These play an important role in giving a well-rounded stance to their application.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have been recognized at the national level, or have published a book, have designed a car or have patents to your name, have represented your country at Olympics \u2013 this is where you\u2019ll boast about it! Let the universities know that you are an all-rounder and not just academically focused.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The next important aspect is your <\/span><b>Online Applications<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to the universities of your choice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These include online platforms specific to universities. Most universities are listed on the Common Application so one does not need to fill any university-specific applications; however, UC\u2019s and some other universities have an entirely different application process.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The last important aspect is your <\/span><b>Letters of Recommendations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. These are reference letters that are provided by your class teaches\/ college counselors\/ employers to the universities where you have applied. Most universities may ask for a counselor recommendation while some ask for 1-2 teacher recommendations along with your counselor recommendation. It is always advisable to have 1 counselor recommendation, 2 teacher recommendations and an external recommendation from your sports instructor, activity advisor. or employer ready in hand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This article talked about the basic process followed while applying to your dream universities in the United States; however, your college counselor would be able to explain in detail how to accomplish these steps. It is important to take help from an experienced counselor who can guide you through the entire process and help you achieve admission in the universities you deserve. The counselor team at <a href=\"https:\/\/unirely.com\/\">UniRely<\/a> is one such example. Their team is committed to helping applicants achieve the university that they deserve. They make sure to work towards the full potential of each applicant and the results show it all.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every year, thousands of universities in the United States welcome applications from international students. The process of applying to these Universities can take about two years, so it&#8217;s important to plan ahead. In order to get through the application process [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[102],"tags":[106,108,250,107],"class_list":["post-1398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-application-process-united-states","tag-admission-process","tag-common-application","tag-undergraduate-degree","tag-universities-in-the-us"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Study in US University | Undergraduate Degree | Guide for International Students - UniRely<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The process of applying to these Universities can take about two years, so it\u2019s important to plan ahead. In order to get through the application process to your dream university in the United States. Sign up UniRely for all Information.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/unirely.com\/blog\/how-to-apply-to-us-universities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Study in US University | Undergraduate Degree | Guide for International Students - UniRely\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The process of applying to these Universities can take about two years, so it\u2019s important to plan ahead. In order to get through the application process to your dream university in the United States. 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