HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
The vast expanse of USA is divided into seven regions through which are spread out almost 3300 higher education institutions generally termed as `college' or `university'. These colleges/universities offer almost 500 different fields of study, providing international applicants with a variety of options and opportunities for education. There are 1,200 community and junior colleges, and 1,800 colleges and universities. The variety includes public colleges and universities, private institutions, liberal arts college, specialized institutions, men’s' colleges, women’s' colleges, military colleges, etc. Federal academies provide free education to a select group of qualified students. Colleges vary in size; some are large while others are quite small. In some colleges an applicant may find students from many different States, while in others the student community may belong to a particular State. In terms of costs the total cost for tuition, room, board and fees in a college may be $10,000 per annum while in other colleges cost is much more. The most competitive colleges may even cost more than $30,000 per annum. Besides costs there are colleges in USA which cater to the special needs of students, e.g., colleges catering to the needs of learning disabled students providing special facilities. Institutions with these diverse characteristics have been attracting students from across the globe.
The liberal arts colleges, also called liberal arts and science colleges, provide academic studies of subjects in the Humanities (Languages, Literature, Philosophy, Arts), the Social Sciences (Economics, Sociology, Anthropology, History, Political Science) and the Sciences (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry). Institutes of technology offer higher education in specialized science and technology subjects. Some universities are considered most reputable as they form an Ivy League. Considered to be highly selective, these institutes are renowned the world over for their educational programs.
There are several types of institutions imparting higher education
Universities
Universities comprise of undergraduate colleges and graduate or professional schools. They are located on a large campus with colleges and schools spread out on the campus. Generally each college/school has all facilities for day-to-day functioning.
They are specialized institutions imparting professional education and training in science and engineering along with basic science, social sciences and even humanities courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. There are also technical schools imparting 2-year training for Para professional occupations. They do not grant degrees.
4-year colleges and 2-year community colleges
There are 4-year colleges offering bachelor's degree programs and community colleges which offer 2-year courses after class 12. These are cheaper in costs. Courses offered in community colleges are of 3 months to 2 years duration. 3 months courses are certificate courses while 2 years courses are associate degrees in technical and Para professional trades, e.g., data processing, auto mechanics, electrical and electronics, etc. The 2 years courses at community colleges are also preparatory courses for transfer to 4 years degree colleges, i.e., the degrees awarded by community colleges are either `terminal' or `transfer'. Terminal associate degrees prepare students for employment in technical and Para professional fields and are similar to vocational courses in India. Transfer associate degrees allow students to study for 2 years at a community college or junior college and then transfer to a degree course in a 4 years college where they receive a bachelor's degree.
Professional training schools
Professional courses in medicine, law, dentistry, veterinary schools are of 3 to 4 years duration. Only undergraduates can seek admission to these courses. Limited openings are offered for residency training to foreign medical graduates.
Short-term study programs - Courses and seminars of a few days to a years duration are conducted by community colleges, technical schools, colleges, universities, hospitals and research centres. Application procedures to these are much simpler than that followed for college and university programs.
ACCREDITION
Before seeking admission to any educational institution in USA a foreign student should determine whether the institution is currently accredited. Accredition is a certificate given by an accrediting association after the institution has been judged to meet established standards.
This is a periodic assessment carried out not by the government but by committees of education and other private organizations. Institutions are visited by committees deputed by one of the 6 regional accrediting bodies. The regional accrediting bodies are:
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges
- North West Association of Schools and Colleges
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
- Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
These accrediting associations are recognized by the US Department of Education and the Council on Postsecondary Accredition (COPA).
In the absence of a Ministry of Education responsible for regulation of educational institutions, institutions are self-regulatory, i.e., they have institutional and professional accredition. While institutional accredition is granted by regional accrediting bodies, professional accredition exists only in programs which concern occupational competence. Professional accredition is granted to a program only after institutional accredition has been granted to the school conducting the program. Professional accredition is of particular importance in fields such as business, engineering, medicine and law.
The advantage of studying in an accredited institution is that you would be in a more secure position as an applicant to a graduate school. Most accredited graduate schools prefer to select students from accredited undergraduate schools. Secondly, if you wish to change college midway, your credits would easily get transferred from one college to the other. Most accredited institutions offer financial aid, fellowships and grants. Even on return to India only accredited degrees and diplomas are viewed favorably.
RANKING OF UNIVERSITIES
Some directories publish ranking of colleges and universities in terms of competitiveness. This is based on the ratio of the number of students who apply to the number admitted. Such rankings are useful because they give the applicant an idea of the chance of admission. There is, however, no official ranking of colleges and universities in USA. Some rankings are based on opinion surveys of professionals in the field or on Federal Governments' allocation of funds for research grants. For an international applicant these may be rough indicators about the criteria for admission but it is only the application process that would give a true picture of what the chances are for entering a college. However, when a school is ranked high, it must not be presumed that it is the best option for every applicant. A student's academic and professional ambitions as well as financial resources, schools location and size need to be considered to decide which the best choice is.
INTER-SCHOOL TRANSFERS
US higher educational institutions have the unique characteristic of allowing transfer from one course to another, from one campus to another and even one university to another. Students transfer from 2-year colleges to universities or even midway during graduation. Some universities even consider Indian degrees for allocating credits for courses covered at an Indian university. While choosing a university it may be worthwhile scrutinizing the transfer policies - what has been the average GPA, the acceptance rate, the year when transfer has been readily accepted, can your course credits be transferred, etc.
