United States

At a glance

Who it suitsStudents who want to explore subjects before choosing a major and can plan for high costs.

Early decision and early action

Apply in October or November, answers in December or January [5]

Reply to your offers

By May 1 at most colleges [8]

Private college tuition

US$45,000 a year on average (2025-26) [1]

SEVIS fee

US$350 for F-1 students [9]

Work during term

On campus, up to 20 hours a week [3]

Work after graduating

OPT: up to 12 months, plus 24 more for STEM degrees [4]

Which qualification leads where

• AP and a US high-school diplomaGood route

  The standard route: colleges read your transcript, AP scores and activities together.

• A-LevelGood route

  Accepted: colleges read your predicted grades with your school record and activities.

• IB DiplomaGood route

  Accepted: predicted points are read with your school record and activities.

• GaokaoPossible

  Some universities consider Gaokao results; check each university's admission page.

• Chinese high-school diplomaPossible

  There is no national entrance exam: colleges read your transcript with English test scores.

English you need

IELTS

6.5 – 7.5 [6] Prepare for IELTS →

TOEFL iBT

4.5 – 5.0 [6] Prepare for TOEFL →

On the old TOEFL scale those are 80 and 100. The selective colleges publish a competitive score rather than a minimum, and Cornell recommends 5.5 rather than its 5.0 floor.

Universities to look at

• Harvard, Yale and Princeton Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey

  Accepts The three that are need-blind for international applicants and meet full demonstrated need. Also among the hardest admissions in the world.

  Admissions page → [10]

• Cornell University Ithaca, New York

  Accepts Publishes competitive scores rather than minimums: IELTS 7.5, TOEFL 5.0 with 5.5 recommended.

  Admissions page → [7]

• New York University New York

  Tuition a year US$68,576 in tuition and fees, and a published cost of attendance of US$100,998 (2026-2027)

  Admissions page → [2]

• Penn State University Park, Pennsylvania

  Accepts A large public university with a plain published English requirement: IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 4.5.

  Admissions page → [6]

• University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama

  Accepts Publishes an automatic merit table for international freshmen, from US$6,000 a year up to full tuition plus housing.

  Admissions page → [11]

• Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee

  Accepts States plainly that it is need-aware for international applicants while need-blind for Americans — the clearest illustration of what that phrase costs.

  Admissions page → [12]

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Choose and apply

• Build a balanced list of colleges and read each one's admission requirements. [13]
• Check whether your colleges want the SAT; the test takes 2 hours 14 minutes. [14]
• Take an English test your colleges accept and note the score each one asks for.
• Start your personal essay and each college's own essays early: they take many drafts.
• Ask your teachers and school counsellor for recommendations well before the deadline.
• Decide on early decision, which is binding, or early action, which is not. [5]

Money

• Work out what your family can pay each year: aid is based on the gap between the cost and that amount. [15]
• Plan for limited aid: most scholarships cover only part of the cost. [15]
• Prepare the financial documents your college asks for.

Visa

• After you accept an offer, get your Form I-20 from the college. [16]
• Pay the SEVIS fee of US$350 using the details on your I-20. [9]
• Apply for the student visa at a US embassy or consulate and bring your original I-20 to the interview. [16]
• Apply early: a student visa can be issued up to 365 days before your program starts. [17]

Before you fly

• Apply for campus housing as soon as you commit to a college.
• Book a flight that arrives no more than 30 days before the start date on your I-20. [17]
• Keep your passport, visa and signed I-20 in your hand luggage. [16]

Aug 2025 Aug 2027

1. Aug 2025 24 months before passed

   Take challenging courses and keep up activities you care about: colleges read your whole school record.

2. Feb 2026 18 months before passed

   Research colleges and start a shortlist.

3. Jun 2026 14 months before passed

   Prepare for the SAT, if your colleges want it, and your English test.

4. Aug 2026 12 months before passed

   Draft your personal essay over the summer and ask teachers for recommendations.

5. Oct 2026 10 months before now

   Early decision and early action applications are usually due in October or November. [5]

6. Jan 2027 7 months before

   Regular applications are due; each college sets its own deadline.

7. Mar 2027 5 months before

   Regular decisions arrive in spring: compare offers and aid.

8. May 2027 3 months before

   Reply by May 1 at most colleges, then get your I-20. [8]

9. Jun 2027 2 months before

   Pay the SEVIS fee and apply for the student visa.

10. Aug 2027 At the start

    Arrive no more than 30 days before the start date and join orientation. [17]

A year

¥340,000 – ¥600,000

Whole degree

¥1,400,000 – ¥2,400,000 over 4 years

Converted to RMB at two significant figures — the rate moves and the ranges are wide. Rate: European Central Bank: euro foreign exchange reference rates, 18 September 2026, checked 2026-09-19.

Private nonprofit colleges

US$45,000 a year on average in tuition and fees (2025-26) [1]

Public universities, out-of-state rate

US$31,880 a year on average (2025-26) [1]

Living costs

Extra to tuition; each college publishes its own estimate

Financial aid

Limited: most scholarships cover only part of the cost [15]

SEVIS fee

US$350 [9]

Scholarships and funding

• Need-blind for international students — a very short list [10]

  Harvard, Yale and Princeton each say in their own words that a family's ability to pay is not a factor in admission for any student anywhere, and that they meet the full demonstrated need of international students exactly as for Americans. Yale adds that its offers include no loans.

  These are also among the hardest places in the world to be admitted to, so this is a real route and a narrow one.

• Everywhere else is "need-aware" — and that phrase costs you [12]

  Vanderbilt states it plainly: for an international applicant, indicating that you are seeking need-based assistance means the admission decision is made on a need-aware basis — while the same university is need-blind for Americans. At a need-aware college, asking for money is itself part of the decision.

• Merit scholarships, published and automatic [11]

  The University of Alabama publishes a table international freshmen are scored against: $6,000 a year at ACT 25–26, rising to $28,000 at ACT 32–36, and a Presidential Elite award covering tuition for four years plus housing at a perfect score.

  This is the honest counterweight to the Ivy route: something a student can plan against rather than hope for.

Visa

• Once a college certified by SEVP admits you, it sends you a Form I-20. [16]
• You need the I-20 details to pay the SEVIS fee, and you pay it before applying for the visa. [20]
• Apply for the visa at a US embassy or consulate and bring your original I-20 to the interview. [16]
• A student visa can be issued up to 365 days before the program starts, but you may enter only in the last 30 days. [17]

Work during and after studies

• On campus: no more than 20 hours a week while school is in session. [3]
• OPT gives up to 12 months of work linked to your studies, before or after graduating; time used before graduating is taken from the time after. [4]
• STEM graduates can extend OPT by 24 months when they and their employer meet the rules. [4]

When you arrive

• Arrive no more than 30 days before your program start date. [17]
• Carry your signed I-20 when you enter the country. [16]
• Check in with your college's international student office when you arrive.

Common mistakes

• Early decision is binding: if you are admitted with enough aid, you must go to that college. [5]
• Most scholarships cover only part of the cost and may not be open to first-year international students. [15]
• Arriving more than 30 days before the start date on your I-20 is not allowed. [17]
• TOEFL iBT scores use a 1 to 6 scale since January 2026, with a comparable 0 to 120 score until January 2028: compare the right number with each college's minimum. [21]

Sources

1. College Board: Trends in College Pricing highlights checked 2026-09-14
2. New York University: cost of attendance, 2026-2027 checked 2026-09-19
3. Study in the States: working in the United States checked 2026-09-14
4. USCIS: Optional Practical Training for F-1 students checked 2026-09-14
5. BigFuture: facts about early decision and early action checked 2026-09-14
6. Penn State: international admission requirements checked 2026-09-19
7. Cornell University: English language proficiency checked 2026-09-19
8. BigFuture: the last day to accept college offers checked 2026-09-14
9. ICE: I-901 SEVIS fee checked 2026-09-14
10. Harvard College: how financial aid works checked 2026-09-19
11. University of Alabama: scholarships for international students checked 2026-09-19
12. Vanderbilt University: financial aid for international students checked 2026-09-19
13. EducationUSA: your five steps to U.S. study checked 2026-09-14
14. College Board: how the SAT is structured checked 2026-09-14
15. EducationUSA: financing undergraduate study checked 2026-09-14
16. Study in the States: students and the Form I-20 checked 2026-09-14
17. Study in the States: student visa timing checked 2026-09-14
18. Yale College: financial aid for international applicants checked 2026-09-19
19. Princeton University: international students checked 2026-09-19
20. Study in the States: the international student life cycle checked 2026-09-14
21. ETS: TOEFL iBT score scale update checked 2026-09-13

Rules and fees change. Everything here was checked against the official pages on the date shown. Confirm on those pages before you apply or pay.