This article will help you with all the required steps for a
US University application. Read this document carefully before you apply to a
particular US University.
Step 1: Get your degree
transcripts
All the US Universities require the official University
transcripts containing the details of your marks and grades in all your
semesters. Most of the Indian Universities have a number of colleges affiliated
and a huge number of applicants apply for the University transcripts during the
period of September to December. The University may require more than 2 months
to process your request for an official transcript. Hence, apply for University
transcript early. Recently, the US Universities have started accepting unofficial
scanned copies of transcripts. You can contact your College for sample
transcript and fill up your marks and get it stamped from the college authority.
For more about the procuring the transcripts, read this article: How to obtain transcripts
Step 2: Apply for
solvency certificate
All the US Universities require a stamped original bank
solvency certificate which acts as a proof of your financial resources. Without
the proof of financial resources, the US University will not process your I-20
which is required for US VISA application. Some Universities like Georgia
Institute of Technology and University of Southern California require it at the
time of application. Other Universities may require it after they have granted
you admit. But, even if the University doesn’t demand the solvency certificate,
it is advisable and recommended to send the solvency certificate to the
University which will help speed up your I-20 processing after you get an admit.
For more information about solvency certificate and how to get it, read this
article: How to obtain solvency certificate
Step 3: Create online
admission application login account for US University
Almost all the US Universities have an online admission
process wherein you will have to fill the necessary information – personal information,
academic information and other relevant information. You can create a login
account at the University online application forum and complete the application
at any time later. The application will not be considered for review till you
have submitted the application and made the relevant application fee. Till
then, you can modify your application information any number of times.
Step 4: Prepare the
supplementary documents: Statement of Purpose, Recommendation Letters, Resume
and transcripts.
You will have to provide the University with all the
supplementary documents mentioned above. Statement of Purpose or SOP is the
most important document that you will have to prepare. For help regarding
writing SOP, read this article: How to write SOP
Recommendation letters are submitted by your recommenders
directly to the University. You just need to provide the email addresses of
your recommenders during your application submission. For more information read
this article: How to submit recommendation letters to US Universities
Resume and transcripts need to be uploaded in the online
application for most Universities. For some Universities, you need to send the
hard copy via international courier.
Step 5: Review and
submit the US University application and make the application fee payment
After completing the US University application forms and
submitting the necessary supplementary documents, carefully review your entire
application and correct the mistakes if any. Once you are confident about all
the information, submit your application. You will have to make the application
fee payment after you have submitted the application or before submitting. Your
application will not be reviewed unless you have made the application fee
payment.
