What is university accreditation?
The purpose of accreditation is to make sure that higher education institutions maintain an acceptable level of quality. Accrediting agencies, which are private associations, develop criteria and standards that must be followed by an educational institution in order to receive accreditation from that agency. Institutions and/or programs that request an agency’s evaluation and that meet an agency’s criteria are then “accredited” by that agency.

Also read: 10 Colleges Under $10000

So what are the benefits of attending a nationally accredited university over an university that has no accreditation? The benefits of studying at a nationally accredited university are many.

• You can be sure that you are following an approved curriculum that meets or exceeds national standards
• Your completed credits will be transferable to other accredited universities.
• Your degree will be recognized at other universities when you apply for a Masters or Doctoral program
• Your degree will be recognized by employers

How can you check that the universities you are considering applying to are accredited? The Council for Higher Education Accreditation maintains a searchable database of nationally accredited universities on their website. You can also use the database to search for accredited programs in your area of interest. To access the database, go here.

Below is a list of major national and regional accrediting agencies in the United States.

• Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools
• Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
• Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training
• Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools
• Council on Occupational Education
• Distance Education and Training Council, Accrediting Commission
• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education
• Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Technical and Career Institutions
• New York State Board of Regents, and the Commissioner of Education
• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, The Higher Learning Commission
• North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement, Board of Trustees
• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
• Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, Accreditation Commission
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Schools
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities

Further reading: Graduate Teaching Assistantship: Your Ticket to Free Tuition

In this article the writer pens down fourteen tips for his friend’s daughter who is soon to begin studies in the US. While there are many articles, tips and resources out there for freshmen starting college in the US, this particular article is geared towards international students. Number one and number fourteen on the list specially struck a cord with me. They were “Achieve you goals” and “Please come home after you achieve your goals”. I could not agree more with the writer on these points.

All in all, this is a must read for all current and prospective international students in the US. What is your opinion on this list? Do you have more to add? Please comment below.

Top Ten Most Popular Liberal Arts Colleges

• United States Naval Academy (MD)
• United States Military Academy (NY)
• Thomas Aquinas College (CA)
• Berea College (KY)
• Virginia Military Institute
• St. John’s College (NM)
• Wheaton College (IL)
• Calvin College (MI)
• St. John’s University (MN)
• St. Mary’s College (IN)

Top Ten Most Popular National Colleges

• Harvard University (MA)
• Brigham Young University (UT)
• University of Nebraska — Lincoln
• Stanford University (CA)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Yale University (CT)
• Princeton University (NJ)
• University of Pennsylvania
• Yeshiva University (NY)
• University of Florida

What do you think of this list? Are you surprised to find/not find a college in this list. Share your thoughts below.

Further reading: Top 100 Best Value Colleges for 2009

One condition of the F1 visa is that you cannot be away from classes for more than 5 months at a time. Therefore, if you are suspended from college even for a semester, you will lose you F1 visa status. Your visa will be invalidated even if your visa has not expired. You may apply for reinstatement of your F1 status but that is fodder for another post.

So what can you do if you are suspended from college due to poor grades? The easiest thing to do would be to get admission into a community college. Community colleges are two year institutions that offer Associate Degrees. The advantages of community colleges are that they are inexpensive, easy to get into, and their credits are transferable to most four year colleges. Get into a community college for a semester or two, take some easy classes, study hard, get your grades up and then apply for admission back into your original college. This way you will have maintained your F1 visa status while also saving some money by studying at a community college. If you need to take this path, make sure you do a few things before hand. If you know your GPA is going to fall below the minimum and there is a good chance of you getting suspended, start looking at community colleges in your local area and apply for admission to the one you like. Don’t wait for your college to send you the suspension letter, because by that time the new semester may already have begun and it might be too late to get admission to any community colleges, thus leaving you out of status and with no other option but to start packing your bags. As soon as grades are released, find out from the school if you have been suspended. If so, transfer your I20 to the community college as soon as possible.

Do you know of anything else that international students can do if they are suspended from their college? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Lake Forest College is a coeducational undergraduate institution located just 30 miles north of Chicago in the small city of Lake Forest, Illinois. Lake Forest College provides generous assistance to international students if they are unable to pay the full cost of a college education.  If international students qualify, Lake Forest College will provide financial help in the form of grants, scholarships and a campus job.  The maximum grant/scholarship total for the 2009-2010 academic year is $22,000.  A limited number of International Trustee Scholarships of $23,500 are also offered.

International Trustee Scholarships

Participation in this scholarship program is by invitation only. The admission office goes through the admission applications and sends out invitations to the top 25 candidates as of January 1^st. The selected students are then required to write an essay and interview with a faculty member.

Application Requirements:

1.      GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale or class rank in the top 20%

2.      SAT score of 1310 (math and verbal combined) or ACT score of 30

3.      Submission of the College Board Subject Tests (formerly SAT II Subject Tests) is highly recommended.

Admission to highly ranked colleges in the USA is very competitive. This can get even more competitive for international students when they are seeking scholarships from the college to fund their studies. International students can do a few things while they are in high school to increase their chances of admission to a US college with scholarship.

Do Well in Academics

Picture By: scui3asteveo

Students must do well in academics to have a shot at getting into the top ranked schools. Grades in high school are very important and are looked at very closely during the admission process.

Take Challenging Classes

Admission counsellors like to see that you took challenging classes in high school. Sign up for advanced classes even if they are optional for you in high school. If you are taking General Math, also take Advanced Math. This will give the impression that you are an above average student and like to go above and beyond what is required. It is not enough to just take advanced classes but one must also do well in those classes.

Take the SAT and TOEFL

Take the SAT and TOEFL and score high on these tests. High scores on these tests can set you apart from other students seeking admission. Many colleges use the SAT score as a criteria for both admission and scholarship decisions. A high score on the TOEFL can also be used to waive some English as a Second Language (ESL) classes that many colleges make mandatory for their international students to take in their first semester.

Participate in Extracurricular Activities

Almost every admission application to a US college will ask you to list your extracurricular activities. A lot of weight is given to an application that shows student involvement in extracurricular activities. Colleges want to admit students that do well in school but who are also active in their communities. So get out there and do something. Get involved in clubs, organizations, do voluntary work, play sports, help in your local soup kitchen. Take on responsibility and leadership roles whenever you can. Showing that you have leadership experience can give a tremendous boost to your admission and scholarship application.

Take the SAT II Subject Tests

Although many colleges do not require the SAT subject tests anymore, it does not hurt to take these tests as it will set you apart from the other applicants. Good scores on these tests will help in getting scholarships.

The visa interview is the last hurdle international students need to pass on their way to higher education in the US. In my experience, if you are a genuine student and have taken the SAT, TOEFL, obtained an I-20 from a decent school and have financial sponsors and related documents, the visa interview should not be much of a problem for you. However, it does not hurt to know the kind of questions the visa officer will be asking you. Mostly, the visa issuing officer is interested in finding out if you are really a student and are planning to return to your home country after your graduation. She will therefore be asking you probing questions to that end.

1. What are your career plans after graduation?

This is probably the most important question of all. A variation of this question can be, “If you were offered a job in the US after your graduation, would you take it”. Here the visa officer is primarily trying to find out if you are planning to return to your home country after graduation. Invariably, your answer should be that you are just going to the US to complete your education and that you plan to start your working career in your home country.

2. Why did you choose (name of your university)?

From this question, the interviewer wants to know if you put in some thought into choosing an university that fits your needs instead of randomly apply to a bunch of universities in hopes of getting an I-20.

3. How many colleges/universities did you apply to?

Most high school students in the US apply to multiple colleges. This way they increase their chances of being admitted into at least one college of their choosing. The visa officer wants to know that you are a serious student and planned for your study in the US by applying to multiple schools.

4. Why did you choose the USA as a destination for your higher education needs?

The visa officer wants to hear that you chose the USA because of the quality of education that it provides and not for the higher quality of life or job opportunities in the USA.

5. Why did you choose this (your major)?

You should choose a major that is related to your studies in high school. If you had been taking business classes in high school and virtually no science classes and your I-20 states that your major is Chemistry, chances are that your visa application will be rejected.

Other common questions that you might face during the visa interview:

6. What do your parents do?

7. Why don’t you want to study at a college in your home country?

8. Convince me that you are going to come back home after graduation.

9. Do you have any student loans?

10. Are you going to come back home during summers?

A handful of these colleges (Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Amherst, etc.) offering need based financial aid to international students are also need blind in their admission decision. This means that your capacity to pay for your education will not factor in the admission decision because these universities have a need blind admission policy. Your chances for admission will remain the same whether you apply for aid or not. Basically if you can get in, the expenses will be taken care of. As you can imagine, the universities and colleges offering need based financial aid to international students is limited and the competition is extremely intense. International students who usually get these scholarships are well accomplished in academics and extracurricular activities. Obtaining a seat in any one of these U.S. colleges will get you through college without any financial worries.

Colleges that offer need based financial aid to international students are:

Amherst College

Brown University

California Institute of Technology

Claremont McKenna College

Columbia University

Cornell University

Dartmouth College

Duke University

Georgetown University

Grinnell College

Harvard University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Northwestern University

Pomona College

Princeton University

Rice University

Stanford University

University of Chicago

University of Pennsylvania

University of Richmond

Vassar College

Wellesley College

Williams College

Yale University

This may not be a comprehensive list of all the colleges offering need based financial aid to international students. If you know of other schools that offer similar financial aid, please add it to the comments section.

This does not mean that the average international student has no chance for a scholarship at an US university. There are many universities and colleges in the United States that offer international students scholarships as long as they have decent academic performance in high school.

In-state Tuition
At most state universities, out of state students and international students
are assessed a higher tuition rate than students that live in that state. Often, this tuition is almost twice that of what local students pay. Many universities will offer their international students an opportunity to pay in-state tuition as long as they fulfill certain criteria. These can include maintaining a certain GPA while on the in-state tuition scholarship and/or doing volunteer activities. One such school that has an excellent in-state tuition scholarship for all its’ international students is Saint Cloud State University in Minnesota. The in-state tuition scholarship can make affording a. U.S. university very affordable for international students, especially for those that do not have outstanding results and achievements.

Reed welcomes applications from international students whose educational interests would be served by Reed’s programs in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. The college seeks students who are well prepared academically and who are serious about a broad-based education. Admission to Reed is competitive and is based upon a close examination and comparison of credentials from many highly qualified applicants. Each international student’s application for admission is reviewed carefully by at least two Reed College admission professionals. Intellectual curiosity, academic performance, and an understanding of Reed are among the criteria used to evaluate each applicant’s candidacy.

All financial aid at Reed is granted on the basis of demonstrated financial need. Reed offers no academic or athletic scholarships. Need is determined through an assessment of your family’s financial resources and ability to contribute toward the total cost of your education. This assessed family contribution is subtracted from the total cost of tuition, fees, room and board, books, incidental expenses, and a travel allowance. The amount remaining is your demonstrated financial need.

Even though Reed is an independent college, funds from the United States government provide a significant portion of a student’s financial aid package. These funds are available only to students who are U.S. citizens or have permanent resident status in the U.S. As a result, when Reed offers financial aid to international students, the entire package is composed of Reed funds. Since these funds are limited, Reed can only offer financial aid to approximately 15 to 25 international students each year. In a typical year, 100 to 125 qualified international freshman and transfer applicants compete for these few awards. For applicants who demonstrate need, Reed will admit only those who also receive financial aid awards. All offers of financial assistance include grants, work opportunities, and loans. Loans must be repaid to the college.

Additional info
SAT: Required
TOEFL: Required

Reed College
3203 SE Woodstock Blvd
Portland, Oregon