How to apply to US Universities: A step by step procedure


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.