Study in the U.S.

Undergraduate Study

Where to get Information

Information on colleges, test information and Registration
Bulletins is available from the Education Advisory Service
(EAS) at the US Embassy, postal address and other contact
details follow:

Office of Public Affairs
Educational Advisory Service
US Embassy
42 Elgin Road
Dublin 4

Tel: 353 1 668 8777 ext. 2106
Fax: 353 1 668 9184
Email: edudublin@state.gov

General Guidelines

ABOUT AMERICAN DEGREES:

The American degree is based on a Liberal Arts philosophy
which requires that students take a wide variety of courses
in the arts and sciences before concentrating in one academic
area so that they gain a "well-rounded education." The American Bachelor degree consists of:

.a major, which is a concentrated field of study;
.general education courses in a wide range of subjects;
.supporting courses for the major and
.electives which are a student's free choice.

A degree is designed to be completed in four years, however, unlike Ireland, there is no fixed timescale in which students must complete a degree. Instead, a degree is awarded after a student has completed a required amount of coursework expressed in terms known as credits/units or semester hours. Usually a student will need to accumulate approximately 110-130 credits in order to graduate, with each course on average earning 3-4 credits. Continuous assessment is a feature and each course (class) per term is graded and then converted into a numeric equivalent called a Grade Point Average on a scale of 0 - 4.0 which indicates how well a student is performing. Colleges and universities both award undergraduate degrees and colleges are in no way inferior to universities. The terms "colleges" and "universities" will be used interchangeably throughout this document. Please note that MEDICINE, DENTISTRY, VETERINARY and LAW are not subjects studied at the undergraduate level in the United States.

WHAT QUALIFICATIONS YOU WILL NEED:

American colleges expect you to hold secondary school qualifications that would admit you to higher education in your own country. Colleges expect students to have English, mathematics, a language, a science subject and one subject and the social studies group PLUS aptitude tests. The aptitude tests normally required are the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), in addition, students from non English speaking countries are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

GRADE POINT AVERAGE:

GPA stands for grade point average. This is normally how American students receive their high school grades. Usually, GPA’s are on a 4 point scale, with 4.0 = A, 3.0 = B, 2.0 = C, 1.0 = D. Most universities will compare or convert your exam grades to a scale such as this.

WHEN TO APPLY:

Ideally begin the process 12-18 months in advance. (See Application Process) Application forms for the Autumn or Fall term (beginning August or September) are available in August of the previous year. Each university has its own deadline which may be as early as November. Allow six months for processing the application. Some universities will accept students for January admission.

REMEMBER, THE LATER YOU APPLY, THE NARROWER THE CHOICE WILL BE.

Where can I find funding opportunities for my undergraduate study?
Funding opportunities are available from US universities for international students, but you should note that full funding is rare unless you have academic, athletic or artistic talent.

Your best alternative is to approach the university you plan to attend for potential scholarship options. This should be done prior to actually submitting your application, as then you will know what scholarships you might be eligible for. Another option would be searching for external sources of funding. EAS has a resource library that can assist you with this venture, additionally, the internet should be used. Some relevant sites for advice on undergraduate funding are listed below.

http://www.edupass.org/finaid/
http://www.studyusa.com/articles/articles.htm
http://collegeapps.about.com/education/collegeapps/msub32.htm
http://www.iefa.org/public/search.html
http://www.collegeboard.com/
http://www.petersons.com/

STEPS

Obtain information about institutions which offer the degree you want to pursue. The Educational Advisory Service (EAS) does not have a list of all of the universities in the US as there are over 3,500.

Search Engines:

Peterson's, The College Board, U.S. News,The Princeton Review,and many others found in our Related Links page.

Remember, there are excellent colleges all over the US, some you may have never heard of before.

Write to the Director of Undergraduate Admissions at each of the colleges you are interested in for an application form and a catalog (prospectus). American students consider the whole institution rather than a single department due to the broad approach of the undergraduate degree. Apply to more than one institution. At this stage, you are writing for information/application form, you should write to 12 - 15. There is no cost at this point - just the postage stamp! U.S. institutions receive many applications and often cannot accommodate all qualified applicants. You may decide which institution to attend after you have received your admission offers.

Your letter of application should include the following information: name, age, address, and nationality, the qualifications you will hold by the time you begin your studies, proposed major (if undecided it's OK), when you want to begin the course and finally how you plan to finance your education. It should be prepared carefully and legibly. Always give your name in exactly the same way on the application and in all correspondence. If some of your records are under a different name, be sure you indicate that in the letter of application.

Register to take the SAT and request the Educational Testing Service forward your scores to the institutions to which you are applying. For online sample questions and preparation materials, visit the SAT Preparation Center. The SAT Reasoning Test is a measure of the critical thinking skills you will need for academic success in college. The SAT assesses how well you analyze and solve problems—skills you learned in school that you will need in college. Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800, and the writing section will contain two subscores. The SAT has three scores, each on the scale of 200 to 800. Your score will include writing (W 200-800), mathematics (M 200-800), and critical reading (CR 200-800).

Your math and critical reading scores on the new SAT can be compared to the math and verbal scores on the old test. This is something colleges need for consistency in admissions requirements. However, the SAT writing score is completely new.

The SAT is typically taken by fifth and sixth year students. It is administered six times a year in Ireland. The total testing time for the SAT is 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Most institutions will require the SAT in addition to school qualifications. The test is given in Ireland six times each year and students should pre-register at least six weeks in advance. Some institutions may also require SAT 2 - subject tests - which measure the candidates' knowledge in specific subjects. Registration bulletins may be obtained from the US Embassy.

If English is not your native language you will be required to register for the TOEFL (Test of English a a Foreign Language) and again request that Educational Testing Service forward your scores to the institutions to which you are applying. In Ireland, this test is available as computer-based test only.

Read carefully through all the application forms you receive and complete carefully. Incomplete information will cause delay. After you have selected the colleges to which you would like to apply, complete and return the applications forms direct to each college before their individual deadline dates. There is no limit to the number of colleges you can apply to; however, most students apply to between three and eight to keep costs down. An application fee is required with each application form. Submit the appropriate amount in U.S. currency with your application. Most institutions will not process your application without the fee.

The information accompanying the application forms will give you the college's deadline for admission, required tests, required documents (such as school records), possible essay questions and the application fee (nonrefundable) for processing the application. There is no clearing house in US higher education so deadlines are usually firm.

Colleges usually notify their applicants between April and June. Note the deadlines by which you have to reply if you are accepted. If you are accepted by more that one institution, write to the one you decide to accept (pay a deposit if required) and also write to those whose offers you wish to decline. It is courteous to notify an institution if you will not be accepting their offer of admission.

If you are accepted by college, you will receive a letter of admission and the form you require to apply for a visa the "Certificate of Eligibility for Non-Immigrant F-1 Status.

Remember: A Certificate of Eligibility (I-20 or IAP-66) cannot be issued until you have been admitted, your level of English proficiency has been determined (and additional training arranged for if necessary) and your funding has been established as a sufficient amount to meet the institution's expenses. A Certificate of Eligibility is valid only for study in the institution which issued it - and only for the dates stated.

Testing in Ireland

Many of the standardized exams required for entrance into U.S. institutions are administered in Ireland. Some of these exams are pencil and paper format, others are given as computer-based exams. Websites for the various tests are listed below.. Information on purchase of study guides for exams is also available from these sites.

Links to Test Information