Applying to US Universities

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International students graduating from US Universities require either a valid visa like H1B or the OPT to work full-time. Those who fail to get an OPT or H1B must return to their native countries.

The H1B visa process is long and a new H1B worked can start to work on H1B status only starting October 1 of a particular year. Students complete their studies and graduate in December, or May or August or any other month depending on the schedule of the Universities or depending on their own thesis defense date. The OPT (Optional Practical Training) allows the students to work full-time from their graduation / completion date to the next October 1.

For the past many years the OPT was given for 12 months per degree level. Starting 2007 the H1B quotas got filled on day one itself resulting in many qualified applicants denied the H1B. Those who could not get H1B visa must stop working in the USA at the end of expiration of their 12 months OPT.

Due to this situation DHS on April 8, 2008 issues a interim final order to increase the OPT period by 17 months to a total of 29 months for qualifying students. The key criterion is that the degree major should be one of the STEM fields, Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. MBA students do not qualify for the extension.

What it means to you the app2us.com user? This is good news for those applying to US Universities for Science and Engineering related programs. If you are an applicant to MS or PhD programs in the STEM list, you will hopefully get a 29 month OPT. This will give you and your employer two shots at your H1B application in two consecutive years. Even if you do not get or do not wish to get a H1B visa, in 29 months of full-time work you may be able to earn enough dollars to be able to recover the cost of your education. If you are undecided between your goal of getting an MS or MBS from a US University, please keep this factor in mind while taking a decision. Got a question? Ask the question on our forum at www.app2us.com - all guidance is free of cost.

Imporatant OPT extension related links:

NAFSA - 29-Month OPT Rule Updates

USCIS Page about OPT

DHS Interim Final Rule

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In state tuition and out of state tuition

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Private Universities have a flat fee. Public Universities offer a lower tuition fee to the residents of their own state. This lower fee is referred to as in-state tuition. Only US citizens and permanent residents who belong to that US state are eligible for in-state benefits. Residency can be acquired after living in that state for a certain amount of time, typically two years. Again international students studying on F-1 or J-1 visa cannot claim to be state residents even if they have been living there for any length of time.

The in state tuition rates are typically 30% to 50% of the out of state tuition. At some Universities international students who are working as TA/RA get to pay the in state tuition fee because they are considered to be state employees. Even the receipients of open scholarships are awarded in-state tuition. This varies from state to state. This facility is available in almost all public Universities of Texas.

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The 2009 US News Rankings are out. The online access costs US dollars 14.95. While we do not endorse the rankings or suggest that you buy the online edition, it may not be a bad investment if you can afford it. Rankings are a good starting point to shortlist the Universities. Once you shortlist a few Universities based on your academic profile, app2us.com can help you make the final selection. Visit our forum at www.app2us.com

Here are the top 20 Engineering programs:

1. MIT
2. Stanford
3. UC Berkeley
4. Georgia Tech
5. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
6. Cal Tech
7. Carnegie Mellon
8. University of Southern California
9. Cornell
10. University of Michigan Ann Arbor
11. UC San Diego
12. UT Austin
13. Texas A&M University College Station
14. UCLA
15. Purdue
16. University of Wisconsin Madison
17. University of Maryland College Park
18. Princeton University
19. UC Santa Barbara
20. Northwestern University