Cost of an
application to a US University
US University applications cost a lot. If we consider the
application fee, GRE, TOEFL score reporting fee, courier fees, etc., the
application cost becomes very high. The following table will give a rough
estimate of the amount of rupees that you need to spend on one US University
application.
|
Application
requirement
|
Cost USD
|
Cost INR
|
|
US University application fee
|
50-100
|
3000-6000
|
|
GRE score reporting fee
|
25
|
1400
|
|
TOEFL score reporting fee
|
17
|
1000
|
|
Currency conversion and international
transaction charges for credit/debit card (2-3%)
|
|
300-600
|
|
International courier
|
700-1000
|
|
|
Total
|
6300-10000
|
US University
Application fee
Most of the US Universities have application fees of around $50,
$65 and $75. Some of the Universities like University of California, Irvine and
University of California, Davis have application fees of $100. Some very rare
US Universities like Michigan Technological University do not have any
application fee. So, the application fees for US Universities vary from
University to University. For a list of US Universities with application fee,
click on the following article:
GRE score reporting
fee
ETS provides free revised GRE score reporting to 4
Universities when you register for revised GRE test. But for any additional revised
GRE score reporting to Universities, you will have to pay an extra $25, which
is revised in effect from July 1, 2012. Every US University requires official
GRE score reporting during profile evaluation and photocopies or scanned copies
of the GRE scores are not allowed.
TOEFL score reporting
fee
ETS provides free TOEFL score reporting to 4 Universities
when you register for TOEFL test. But for any additional TOEFL score reporting
to Universities, you will have to pay an extra $17. Every US University
requires official TOEFL score reporting during profile evaluation and
photocopies or scanned copies of the TOEFL scores are not allowed.
Currency conversion and international transaction
charges for credit/debit card (2-3%)
All transactions right from registering
for the revised GRE or TOEFL, US University applications and additional score
reporting requires payment to be made in US dollars. When you use an Indian credit/debit
card, you will have to pay an extra 2-3% for currency conversion and
international transaction charges. These charges vary from bank to bank.
International courier
Most US Universities require your
official transcripts for evaluation. A few Universities also require a bank
solvency certificate for proof of funds taken on bank letterhead. You need to
send the hardcopies of the transcripts and solvency certificate to the US
University by courier. Most international courier service providers charge roughly
Rs.700 to Rs.1000 for one packet.
Tips to reduce the
cost of US University applications
- Since many people apply to a lot of Universities (up to 12), you end up spending in excess of Rs. 1 lakh only for US University applications. With a few simple tips given below, you can save some money.
- Shortlist 4 US Universities before GRE and TOEFL which you will surely apply to. ETS directly sends official revised GRE scores and TOEFL scores to these Universities free of cost.
- If you have a relative or a close friend in USA, tell him to make payments through his card which is affiliated to a US bank. You can end up saving almost the entire currency conversion charges which are incurred when you pay by Indian credit cards.
- Your friend/relative must be sending money to his family in India. For every such transaction, he will have to pay the currency conversion for USD to rupees. Instead tell him to make your payments in USD and you make an equivalent payment calculated by current exchange rate in Indian rupees directly to his family in India. This way, it will be mutually beneficial to both of you.
- Recently, many US Universities have stopped accepting packets through courier. They require a scanned copy of the transcripts to be uploaded and only after your admission decision has been made, you are required to send them the official transcripts by courier. Apply to such Universities as your courier charges will be saved.
- Apply to only those Universities which you are sure to go. Do not apply to a lot of Universities only because they are safe and you are sure to get admit.
