Choosing the Right University

Find the right US university with ELS

ELS can help you find the right US university while you are still in your home country through our search tool and in-country ELS authorized Counseling Agents.

There are many factors to consider in selecting the right university for you. Our goal is to help you find universities that best match your academic background, educational goals, and personal achievements. We will help you secure conditional admission before you leave your home country. The ELS University Conditional Admissions Network is comprised of 600 colleges and universities throughout the US. Only through ELS do students have so many choices to continue their education.

Students apply for admission into a US college/university, with each institution using varying levels of selectivity and admission standards. US institutions are uniquely diverse. Some of the basic differences include type of institution (public or private), size of student population, type of degrees, cost, and location.

Below please find information about University Degree Levels, Two Year-to-Four Year Transfer Study Options, Rankings, and Type of Institutions:

University Degree Levels

Undergraduate Study

Community or Junior College

Two-year undergraduate degree which can prepare students for a specific career or the coursework can be applied to completion of a 4-year Bachelor’s degree.

Degrees: Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS)

Transfer Process Students may apply to transfer to a four-year college or university. The four-year institution will accept most credits earned at the community college. Some community colleges have transfer agreements with in-state four-year institutions, where the community college provides the first two years of study and the four-year institution provides the remaining years of study.

Four-year University

Satisfies university and class requirements to achieve a bachelor’s degree in a specific course of study (major).

Degrees: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.), Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) or Bachelor of Philosophy (B.Phil.) Five-Year Professional Architecture programs offer the Bachelor of Architecture Degree (B.Arch.).

Admission Considerations:

Quality of Courses
Student’s Grade Point Average (GPA)
Class ranking
Standardized test scores (SAT or ACT tests)
Other Considerations (commitment to extracurricular activities, a personal essay, and an interview)

Graduate Study

Comprised of one to three years of study after completing a US Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from another country.

Degrees: Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS), Master of Business Administration (MBA), or other less common master’s degrees such as Master of Education (MEd), and Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Master Social Work (MSW), Master of Engineering (ME), Master of Professional Administration (MPA).

Admission Considerations:

Area of Study (Major)
Student’s Grade Point Average (GPA)
Personal Statement
Letters of Recommendation
Professional Experience
Standardized test scores (GMAT®, GRE®, or MAT)

Doctoral Study

May be pursued after additional years of study and sometimes in conjunction with the completion of a master’s degree; students may earn a Doctoral Degree.

Degrees: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Doctor of Arts (D.Arts), Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Doctor of Theology, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Jurisprudence.

Admission Considerations:

Area of Study (Major)
Student’s Grade Point Average
Personal Statement
Professional Experience
Standardized test scores (GMAT®, GRE®, MCAT, LSAT, or MAT)

The Two Year-to-Four Year Transfer - A great option!

Why do students choose a community college or junior college first?

Almost every town that has a four-year university, also has a two-year college nearby. A two-year college is often called a community college or a junior college. You may earn an Associate’s degree and/or earn transfer credits toward the completion of a bachelor’s degree at a four-year university.
Generally speaking, tuition costs at community or junior colleges are significantly more reasonable than at the four-year universities, and this results in significant savings for the student during the first two years of college.
Classes are typically smaller at the community or junior college.
For many academic programs, students will initially take a similar core curriculum, or set of courses, during their first two years of college. This is the case whether they attend a two-year college first, or if they go directly to a four-year university.
The minimum required grade point average (GPA) and other admission requirements are lower at a community college than at most four-year universities. Community colleges sometimes have “open admission,” meaning the only requirement for admission may be that the student has graduated from secondary school.
Many states have pre-determined transfer plans, or articulation agreements, between their two-year and four-year institutions. At the community college, the academic advisors will recommend a course work plan, based on the student’s academic program. These plans are designed not only to meet the college’s associate degree graduation requirements, but also to make sure that the maximum amount of credit taken is transferable to the four-year university.
The GPA that is required by universities when considering a transfer applicant is very often lower than that of a freshman applicant. For those students with a lower GPA from secondary school, successful study at a community college allows them a second chance of being admitted to a university.

What are the academic requirements for transfer to a four-year university?

Academic requirements for a student’s successful transfer will vary with each four-year university. Students meet with academic advisors and target the transfer requirements of their four-year university of choice. If the student has completed a pre-specified number of credits at a community college (usually 30 credit hours, or ten 3-credit classes) and achieved a minimum grade point average (usually between 2.0/4.0 and 2.5/4.0, depending on the four-year university’s requirements), the student will be considered by the four-year university for admission as a transfer student. Please note that official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended MUST be submitted when applying for admission to a university.

What transfer plans are available?

The transfer arrangements between institutions vary. There are state-wide efforts that simplify university transfers. There are also specific agreements arranged between institutions in the same community or area of academic expertise. Students must work closely with the community college academic advisors to insure that they complete those courses that will result in the greatest number of transferable credits.

Rankings

There is no official list of the top 10, 20, 50, or even 100 universities in the United States, nor does the US government rank universities. Annually, there are many magazines and guidebooks published that contain subjective college “rankings”. These unofficial rankings may categorize colleges/universities by location or by academic area of study (Engineering, Computer Science, or Business, for example). They may also divide them into “regional” or “national” categories. In some rankings, academic standards and general reputation are not always the key factors being considered.

If you are a student using ranking indices to identify a suitable target university, make sure you check the criteria being used to establish the ranking list and compare it to your own personal study goals. Published rankings, although unofficial, can be a good starting point in the college search. The college experience consists of intangible experiences that far exceed numbers alone. A ranking index is only one of several tools that help students find the school that meets their academic and social needs. Popular ranking indices in the US include: US News & World Report “Best Colleges,” Fiske Guide to Colleges, and the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

Types of US Institutions of Higher Education

Liberal Arts

Liberal arts institutions are primarily colleges with an emphasis upon undergraduate study in the liberal arts. Encyclopaedia Britannica defines liberal arts as a “college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general intellectual capacities, in contrast to a professional, vocational, or technical curriculum.” Liberal Arts institutions can be either public or private.

Private

A private institution generally does not receive funding from the state or federal government, instead receiving private funding through alumni donations, faculty research grants, and tuition fees. This large endowment and private funding often allows for more resources to be available to the students and faculty. American students often favor private institutions for their technological resources, research facilities, modern, wired, high-quality residence and dining halls, small class sizes, and so on. Private universities are able to attract and retain faculty well-known in their academic fields. Students benefit from faculty experience in the field, enriching the classroom experience. Unusual or innovative academic programs may be found on private university campuses. The most competitive and selective higher education institutions in the United States are private, for example US News & World Report ranks the top five (5) universities in the United States for 2009 as (in number order): Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University.

Public

A public institution, often referred to as a State University, is one that receives funding from the state and/or federal government, although tuition revenue and private funding also contribute to their financial stability. These institutions may follow state-wide admissions requirements, or have their own individual campus requirements. Faculty research grants are typically important to State University faculty and bring numerous practical research opportunities to students. Often these public universities may have large departments which offer numerous degree options for students, from associate degrees to doctoral and postdoctoral programs. Public/State Universities are generally less expensive than private institutions, and as such, are fairly competitive on the domestic level.

The United States offers numerous options in higher education. Students can choose big or small, public or private, or small town or big city settings. Another option is choosing between attending a four-year institution immediately after completing secondary school, or attending a community or junior college for the first two years and then transferring to a four-year institution. This community college option is quite popular among American students since it has a number of advantages, yet still allows a student to complete their bachelor’s degree from the college or university of their choice.