Educational Links

Useful Web Sites for Information on Higher Education in the United States

The Internet is an excellent resource tool for research on studying in the United States.  It provides access to information on specific universities, standardized testing, financial aid and many other topics.  Start your journey by checking our Overview, Timeline and then clicking on the educationUSA logo on the left.

Happy surfing!!

College Search Engines

Hereunder you will find information on the U.S. higher education system and links to thousands of colleges and universities. Many links have helpful information about finding a school, the admission process, etc., and may include online application forms. Some universities share application forms, which are called "common applications". A student can use a common application to apply to multiple universities.

http://www.ed.gov
Promoting educational excellence for all Americans.
The U.S. Department of Education's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access

http://educationusa.state.gov
Subtitled "Your Guide to U.S. Higher Education," EducationUSA provides "a wealth of information and services for international students at all stages of the college search." Composed of a global network of more than 450 advising and information centers http://www.educationusa.state.gov/centers.htm in 170 countries, these centers "actively promote U.S. higher education around the world by offering accurate, comprehensive, objective, and timely information about educational opportunities in the United States and guidance to qualified individuals on how best to access those opportunities." Portions of the Web site cover accreditation, finding the right school, visa information, financial aid, Fulbright scholarships, and programs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State.

American Council on Education
http://www.acenet.edu//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
The major coordinating body for all of the nation's higher education institutions, ACE also sponsors a number of international initiatives: http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=International
The American Council on Education, headed by David Ward (the former Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin), “seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and to influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives”. To this end, the website is a vast repository of papers, research initiatives, and newsletters that will assist those persons working in higher education administration, or those with a general interest in trends with American universities and colleges.

NAFSA: Association of International Educators
http://www.nafsa.org/
NAFSA is a member organization promoting international education and providing professional development opportunities to the field.

National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges
http://www.nasulgc.org/

International Education Week
http://iew.state.gov/
A joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to celebrate and promote international education and exchange.

International Information Programs
Study in the U.S.
http://usinfo.state.gov/scv/life_and_culture/education/study_in_the_us.html

USNEI: U.S. Network for Education Information
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/edlite-index.html
A basic resource on the U.S. educational system created to inform international exchange students.

CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange
http://www.ciee.org/

Institute of International Education
http://www.iie.org
IIE, an independent non-profit organization founded in 1919, is a world leader in the exchange of people and ideas.  IIE administers over 200 programs serving more than 20,000 individuals each year.

Association of American Colleges and Universities
http://www.aacu-edu.org/

Council of Independent Colleges
http://www.cic.org/

CHEA: Council for Higher Education Accreditation
http://www.chea.org
Database of accredited institutions and programs.  The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a private, non-profit national organization that coordinates accreditation activity in the United States. It is the primary national voice for voluntary accreditation and quality assurance to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Department of Education.  Database of accredited institutions and programs: http://www.chea.org/search/default.asp

Office of Postsecondary Education Database of Accredited Institutions
http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/

CLEAR: Council on Licensure, Enforcement, and Regulation
http://www.clearhq.org
CLEAR has compiled a directory providing links to North American (and international) state boards for dozens of regulated professions, from architecture and teaching to private investigators and cemetery brokers. These can be viewed by profession or by state. Also of interest are the links to testing and certification organizations, associations of professional regulatory boards, and much more.

International Association of Continuing Education and Training
http://www.iacet.org
This accrediting body (recognized by the U.S. Department of Education) reviews the programs of organizations offering instruction based on the Continuing Education Unit (CEU-a measure for non-degree programs with one CEU equaling ten contact hours). Links are provided to the association's over 750 members.

http://www.iie.org/latinamerica
Web site of the Institute of International Education (IIE), based in Mexico City. As the main U.S. educational counseling center in Mexico, IIE's staff receives approximately 40,000 requests for information annually. IIE provides information concerning all levels and types of education in the United States, particularly for students seeking undergraduate, graduate, technical, vocational, or English-Language programs.

http://www.ucan-network.org
The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities has created this online database that lists statistics like graduation rates, tuition, and enrollments for more than 600 private institutions, as well as information about student life.

http://www.usaeducationguides.com/
Welcome to Hobsons' USA Education Guides, an American education service offering information to help international students study in the United States. At this site you can:

Search for universities and colleges in the USA

Read accounts written by other students from your region who are studying in the USA

Find out what exciting programs, colleges and universities in the USA have to offer international students.

Read articles and find advice about living and studying in the United States.

The Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/
Requires subscription; limited free material available: http://chronicle.com/free/

Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities
http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/list/whhbcu/edlite-index.html

University of Texas at Austin Web U.S. Higher Education
http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/
Links to U.S. universities, community colleges, college catalogs, and regional accreditation agencies.

eduPASS!
http://www.edupass.org/

Higher Education Resource Hub
http://www.higher-ed.org/

http://www.petersons.com
Home page for Peterson's, one of the largest publishers of educational material, including the Peterson's Guides to Graduate Programs and the Peterson's Guide to Four-Year Colleges. Provides information on all levels of study in the United States, careers and jobs, summer programs, distance learning, financing your education, executive education, and much more.

http://www.petersons.com/educationusa
Designed by Peterson's, official web site of the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for advisers and international students searching for appropriate schools and academic programs.

http://www.nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator
From the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics - a searchable database of nearly 7,000 colleges and universities in the United States. The site also links to information on preparing for college, financial aid and career choices.

http://www.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool/Search.asp
For exploring and comparing colleges, College Opportunities Online (COOL) is a new Web Site with links to more than 9,000 colleges and universities across the United States - large universities, small liberal arts colleges, specialized colleges, community colleges, career and technical colleges, and trade schools. You can search COOL by location, program, and degree offerings (alone or in combination). COOL is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). It was authorized by Congress in 1998 to help college students, future students, and parents understand the differences between colleges and how much it costs to attend college.

http://www.ecis.org/colleges/aid/htm
ECIS offers a new financial aid tool. To aid students and guidance counselors searching for institutions offering some sort of undergraduate financial aid to non-US citizens, ECIS, using information from its college and university member profiles, has posted a new downloadable table on the ECIS web site. This table shows whether the institution offers "Need-Based", " Merit-Based", and/or "Athletic" undergraduate aid to non-US citizens. Because aid policies are changing, the table also includes the address of the college/university web site. Users of these data are encouraged to visit the institutions' web sites to check for the latest available information.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/eduhome.htm
Home page for the Colleges and Careers Center run by U.S. News and World Report. Contains information on college and graduate program rankings, test preparation, career options, funding, best value schools, and more.

http://www.collegeprofiles.com
The College Profiles web site will be a valuable resource for students looking for the college that will best serve their educational needs. The site provides brief sketches of thousands of colleges and universities, along with materials on the cost of each school, financial aid opportunities, and campus life. Information on the site is organized in several different ways, with the most helpful being the interactive map on which users can click to find a complete list of college and universities in any selected state. From the main page, users can also click on a list of thematic lists of schools, including Catholic colleges, black colleges, women’s colleges and two-year colleges.

http://www.collegenet.com
College search. Scholarship search, academic resources, online application forms and much more. Aimed at undergraduates.

http://www.collegeview.com
An online search service with profiles of over 3,500 colleges and universities, virtual tours, electronic applications, financial aid information and career planning tools.

http://www.USeduguides.com
Hobson's new site caters specifically to international students, counselors, advisors, and U.S. colleges and universities.

http://www.collegelink.com
College search engine, scholarship and financial aid search, online application forms and more.

http://www.weapply.com
College search engine and downloadable college application program.

http://www.studyusa.com
Home page for study in the USA, an educational guide for international students. Provides access to information about colleges and universities in the United States, including request forms for contacting admissions offices. Also has information about obtaining a visa and applying for admission.

http://www.CollegesintheUSA.com
Colleges in the USA.com provides information on studying in the USA. Search American universities, colleges and English language programs and request information from schools in the USA.

http://www.academicinfo.net
AcademicInfo is an online education resource center with extensive information on subject guides, educational resources and online degrees. Its mission is to provide free, independent and accurate information and resources for prospective and current students.

http://www.internationalstudent.com
Studying in the United States - Financing your International Education.

Funding U.S. Study
http://www.fundingusstudy.org
IIE's free online resouce, searchable by field of study, geographic area and nationality, filled with scholarship opportunities for international students seeking to study in the United States.

http://www.InternationalStudentGuidetotheUSA.com
The International Student Guide to the USA
* Highlights educational opportunities in the United States
* Articles about popular courses of study, such as Business, Engineering,
Medicine, and Hospitality & Tourism Management
* Articles on English Language Programs
* Listings of and contact information for schools, universities, colleges,
and English Language Programs
* Useful resources, such as profiles of higher education by state

http://www.asgs.org
Home page of the Association for Support of Graduate Students.
Find out what issues are important to graduate students in the United States. Contains information about writing theses and dissertations.

http://www.review.com
Home page for the Princeton Review, publisher of study guides for standardized admissions tests. Includes information on test schedules, business and law schools, other graduate programs, undergraduate study, career advice, and information for international students.

http://www.princetonreview.com/
Provides rankings, video college campus tours, interactive tools to help students choose a major, and admissions expertise.  To access information you must be a member, but creating a membership account is free.

The Common Application
http://www.commonapp.org
Home of the Common Application, the website also provides answers to commonly asked questions.

http://www.acuinfo.com/

http://www.intstudy.com/

http://www.embark.com/

http://www.fastweb.com/

http://www.ies-ed.com/

http://www.collegegate.com/

http://www.educationconnect.com/

http://www.internationalstudent.com/

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/CLAS/american-universities.html

http://www.gradschools.com/search.html

http://www.internationalgraduate.net

http://iiswinprd01.petersons.com/GradChannel/Search.asp

http://www.iefa.org

http://studentaid.ed.gov

http://www.globalslc.com

http://www.internationalstudentloan.com

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/education/index.html

http://www.AmericanGraduateEducation.com
* Highlights post-graduate educational opportunities in the United States
* Articles on MBA programs, advanced law degrees, and other courses of
study
* Listings of and contact information for graduate schools and programs
* Useful resources, such as profiles of higher education by state and a
comprehensive list of student-related organizations
* Information about U.S. culture and customs

http://www.businessschools.com
This site is designed to provide detailed information on many different aspects of pursuing an undergraduate or advanced degree in business, along with providing related information on available scholarships and potential career options. Developed as part of the All Schools online network, visitors to the site can search their database of over 1500 schools by state, country, specialty, and educational level. The search engine will return results based on visitors specifications that will contain links to the different schools' respective programs, along with a link to send email to the program directly.

The site also has a helpful list of hundreds of financial aid options available to students studying business, along with a glossary and suggested reading for selecting an appropriate program. Finally, the site contains numerous guidance articles written by experts in the field of business education, such as a Yale business school professor and a former Ocean Spray marketing director.

http://nutsandbolts.washcoll.edu
The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing. Despite the relatively high levels of literacy among the general populace of college students in the United States, many of them have difficulty with writing clearly and effectively. A new writing primer has been developed by Michael Harvey (a professor at Washington College in Maryland), and will be of great help to many students who find themselves grappling with writing college-level assignments and papers. The homepage for the guide contains hypertext links to various sections, including those dealing with style, structure, evidence, and paper mechanics.

From the main page, students and educators can access any of the primer's many sections quickly, such as those dealing with the use of the historical present, finding a voice, and nominalizations. All of these sections are complemented by a profuse number of examples that illustrate the different writing tools and potential pitfalls that students may encounter. This online guide is a welcome addition to the Web resources available to students seeking to become more effective and compelling writers.

http://www.kaplan.com/
Home page of Kaplan, one of the largest test preparation companies in the United States. Contains information about all levels of education, nursing, financial aid and information for international students.

http://www.1kaplan.com/

http://www.kaptest.com/

http://www.collegeboard.com
Home page for the College Board, the company that administers the SAT exam. Offers information for students, parents and educators regarding taking standardized tests, online registration, planning for college, finding a college, applying to college and paying for college. Aimed at undergraduates.

http://www.ets.org/
Home page of the Educational Testing Service (ETS), creator and marketer of the SAT, GTE, GMAT and TOEFL standardized tests. Links to sites with information about the tests. Also has information on universities and colleges, and financial aid.

http://www.sat.org
One of the ETS web pages. Offers information about the exam, how to order preparation materials, sample test questions, financial aid, and more.

http://www.gre.org
One of the ETS web pages. Offers information about the exam, how to order preparation materials, sample test questions, financial aid, and more.

http://www.gmac.com
One of the ETS web pages. MBA Explorer web site. Find out everything you ever wanted to know about the GMAT exam, order preparation materials, learn about various MBA programs, the truth about MBA admissions requirements, financial aid and much more.

The Ultimate Guide to the SAT: 100 Helpful Sites and Resources 
http://satguide.weebly.com/
The site doesn't look like much at first glance, but the content is extremely comprehensive.  It has everything from vocabulary building to online mock SAT tests. And the best part, it's ALL FREE.  Also, there is a 300 page pdf SAT study guide!

http://exchanges.state.gov/education/educationusa
A series of four introductory booklets entitled, "If You Want to Study in the United States", is produced by the U.S. Department of State, Educational Information and Resources Branch. It provides objective and practical advice to prospective international students and scholars on studying in the United States.

Foreign Student Financial Aid Application Form
http://www.collegeboard.org/ie/student/html/students.html
Students should send this form to individual universities upon the request of these universities.

Federal Student Aid: International Students
http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/intl.jsp

Occupational Outlook Handbook 2000-2001
http://www.bls.gov/oco
The latest edition of this biannual handbook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics offers a wealth of career information for a wide range of occupations, including a brief review of important features and " what workers do on the job, working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings and expected job prospects." It remains an excellent source of relevant, condensed and updated occupation information.

Family Business Study
http://www.uic.edu/cba/fbc/syltable.htm
Over the past two decades universities in the United States have developed family business centers as they and others realized and documented the importance and complexity of family business. Defined as an organization owned or substantially controlled by members of a family, family businesses currently account for over 90 percent of U.S. business organizations and employ over 50 percent of the domestic workforce. Starting in the late 1970s and peaking in the mid-1990s, over one hundred universities have started family business centers.

Currently there are about fifty to sixty active programs, and offering related courses to students is a growing trend, though only a few offer a formal minor in the area (specifically, Alfred University and Stetson University).

Community Colleges

http://www.AmericanCommunityColleges.com
* Highlights the benefits of attending a community college in the United States
* Articles that explain what a community college is, and how to transfer from a community college to a university
* Listings of and contact information for community colleges
* Useful resources, such as homestay programs

American Association of Community Colleges
http://www.aacc.nche.edu/
http://www.CommunityCollegeUSA.com/

Community Colleges USA
http://www.cc-usa.org/

National Articulation and Transfer Network
http://www.natn.org/
Great information is provided on transferring from a community college to a four-year institution. Although much of the information is directed at U.S. students, there is a section which lists recommended courses that transfer easily and a section on undergraduate and graduate scholarships. Access to the database requires that the student register.

Distance Education/Online Degrees

http://www.phoenix.edu
http://www.geteducated.com
http://www.academicinfo.net/eddist.html

DETC: Distance Education and Training Council
http://www.detc.org
DETC has been the standard-setting agency for correspondence study and distance education institutions since it was established in 1926. Its purpose was, and still is today, "to foster and preserve high quality, educationally sound and widely accepted distance education and independent learning institutions."

Rankings

There are no "official" rankings of universities or programs by the United States government or the universities themselves.

The following are commercial rankings:

http://www.usnews.com

http://www.library.uiuc.edu/edx/rankings.htm

http://www.educause.edu/ir/dheo.html

http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/rankings/rankingsBest357.asp

Sports Scholarships

The Do-It-Yourself Athletic Scholarship - In September, Kirsten Bladek a senior in high school and a volleyball player spent $39.99 to post her athletic resume and pictures of her playing on the Web site www.berecruited.com. The shots, combined with videos posted later, highlighted her ability to set the ball from in front of her forehead, with arms thrust out like Superman in flight. That display, combined with some telephone campaigning by Kirsten and her mother, got college coaches to start paying attention. Do-it-yourself services have emerged that allow student athletes to showcase their abilities for a fraction of the price. Aside from beRecruited.com, other sites include www.prepchamps.com, www.trupreps.com (owned by CBS Corp.'s MaxPreps unit), www.ActiveRecruting.com, www.Collegecoaches.net and www.SportsWorx.com. There are also numerous sport-specific sites.

http://www.athleticaid.com/AthleticScholarshipInformation.html
http://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/collegeresources.htm
http://www.petersons.com

Online Classes

16 Prestigious Schools that Offer Free Online Classes
http://aceonlineschools.com/free-online-classes/
Information technology has revolutionized how we find and share information. These progressive institutions have taken the first step by making their classes free for anyone to use online.

Great Websites for MBA Hunters

http://www.mba.com
http://www.gmac.com
GMAC now has two sites
We're the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), the people behind the GMAT—the test used by nearly 2000 business schools. For close to half a century, we've been helping people just like you find your way to the MBA. Find out everything you wanted to know about the GMAT exam, registration, order preparation materials, learn about various MBA programs, the truth about MBA admissions requirements, financial aid and much more.

http://news.ft.com./businesslife/mba
http://rankings.ft.com/rankings/mba/rankings.html
Financial Times Global MBA Rankings
The MBA is still the gold standard in management education. Compare the data from the 100 top global MBA programmes, as compiled in this ranking, and use our interactive table to select the best program to suit your needs. Whether you are looking for a full-time MBA or a two-week course to improve your management skills, the Financial Times rankings list the best management programmes available. The tables are available in interactive and pdf formats.

http://www.petersons.com/mba

http://www.princetonreview.com/mba

http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/

http://www.bschool.com

http://www.businessschools.com/

http://www.mbaprograms.org

http://business.gradschools.com

http://www.mba.us.com/guide

http://www.mba.gradview.com

http://www.mba-courses.com

http://www.ft.com./ftsurveys

http://www.aacsb.edu

http://www.topmba.com