These posts will help you learn how to go to the United States for college or university study. If you are interested in exchange programs, or in other forms of education, please see Other Ways to Study in the U.S. If you have already been accepted to a U.S. school and would like information on visas, please see Obtaining a Student Visa. If you want to find an elementary or high school for your child, see Schools for Your Child.
Being accepted into an American college or university is certainly more challenging for a foreign student than for an American. However, being a foreign (or "international") student also means you have a diverse background and perspective that schools in the United States increasingly value.
International students make a significant contribution to U.S. campus life, as well as to school revenues. Consequently, American schools recruit and welcome international students. This means that although you may have to overcome some obstacles in order to study in the United States, as an international student you are seen as a valuable commodity here.
Before you can come to the U.S. as a student, you must be accepted to a school and prove that you have sufficient financial resources (scholarships, loans, family or personal resources) to pay your school and living expenses. (Do not be discouraged by the financial requirement — see Paying for School: Financial Aid).
You should research schools that offer majors in your field of study very thoroughly and apply to several of them. It is better to be accepted to more than one, and have a choice, than to apply to one or two and not be accepted to them.
The pages in this guide will help put you on the path to studying in the U.S.
