Destination USA: Complete your Application for Master’s eligibility

Hello readers! Last week, as part of “5 Steps to US Study“, we discussed application timelines and how to plan for the right intake periods. Remember to check the intake periods of each university on your list for their deadlines. This week, in Step-3, we will be going over Master’s program eligibility in the United […]

Hello readers! Last week, as part of “5 Steps to US Study“, we discussed application timelines and how to plan for the right intake periods. Remember to check the intake periods of each university on your list for their deadlines. This week, in Step-3, we will be going over Master’s program eligibility in the United States.

Some criteria that US institutions may be looking for are:

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• A four-year Bachelor’s degree
• Strength in standardised test scores (GRE/GMAT)
• Good English proficiency test scores (TOEFL/IELTS/PTE/Duolingo)
• Letters of recommendation (LORs)
• The student’s Statement of Purpose (SOP)
• Work experience
• Involvement in co-curricular research and activities
• Orderly financial documents

If a student has or is pursuing a three-year Bachelor’s degree prior to their Master’s application, they must confirm that the institutions to which they are applying will accept it. This can either be done by checking the institutions’ websites or by contacting their admissions offices. What committees will be looking for is “academic readiness” so the three-year degree must demonstrate proof of adequate preparation for that level of study (if the university will accept one, of course).

Students will be assessed using each of the documents in their application package. The profile created by this document will inform the committee about what kind of student is applying and whether they’re suited to the program they’ve applied to.

An application package is the compilation of documents that every university requires a student to submit to apply to it. In short, the application package will generally include:

• An online application (with a fee)
• The student’s resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• The student’s financial documents
• Bachelor’s degree transcripts
• The student’s personal statement
• 2-3 reference letters (letters of recommendation)
• Standardised test scores
• English proficiency test scores

Remember that these are the general requirements. There may be other, more specific ones depending on the institution and the program.

In our next column, we will go into a little more detail about online application forms!

– US Consulate General Hyderabad